2024 Winter Holiday Hunt

We're in the midst of the winter holiday season, and are hosting a surprise Winter Holiday Hunt!

This hunt is meant to celebrate the season of light, and the holidays it brings. We wish all our members a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and an entertaining hunt!

The object of the game is to solve our clues (in verse!) and go to the LibraryThing page each clue is talking about.

Go HERE for the hunt.

You have almost three weeks—until Monday January 6th at 11.59 pm Eastern Time—to find all the candles hidden around the site and gather them all together into one shining mint.

Use this thread to brag, ask for and give hints, etc.

We will be awarding profile badges to anyone who finds at least two candles, and anyone who finds all fifteen will be entered into a drawing for a LibraryThing prize.

Helpful tips

Please, use the spoiler tag when posting hints or suggestions. Here's how:

To use the spoiler tag, type the following before whatever you'd like to hide:

<spoiler>

And this, at the end of what's hidden:

</spoiler>

conceptDawg outdid himself with that gorgeous cardinal!

Done! Got all 15. Way easier than most, probably due to the lack of science fiction and fantasy, and a minimum of romance

>2 Taphophile13:

It really is beautiful.

Is there a place we can see all of his hunt illustrations? Because, if there isn't, there should be!

Up to 10/15, but now struggling!

ETA: Okay, now I am only missing number 7, and I am sure I am going to kick myself when I figure it out.

ETA: Okay, I got 7, but I am a little annoyed at the clue because THEY AREN'T CHILDREN.

Another beautiful illustration by Concept Dawg. LT should put some of his drawings on items at the LT shop. ETA: but only if he would like this.

First time I have gotten all of them this quickly. Thanks again for a wonderful hunt and for the great artwork by Concept Dawg. As a bird lover, I love all of his art!

>5 greeniezona: hi, i have 7, but need help with 14. I don't know the protocol, I've only ever done 2 treasure hunts. Do we message privately?
UPDATE: I just found 14, only 1 more to go. Easier than the halloween hunt, especially number 11, as a fan I knew this one instantly

Hooray! I got a hunt for Christmas, thanks LT!

Managed to get most of them but will save #7 and #13 for a time when my brain is more fresh.

>8 TarrynZ:
hint for 14: make sure to check the news bar on the home page!

>6 tiffin: It would make a nice calendar -

>10 greeniezona: thank you!

>5 greeniezona:

I am a little annoyed at the clue because THEY AREN'T CHILDREN.

You are exactly right.

>4 lilithcat: I've been saying we need a special gallery for his work.

>10 greeniezona:

but you must expand the bar

>11 jilldugaw: Or a bookbag!

All bar #13...

Any ideas? I think I'm probably going too wide on the search.

>17 Maddz: #13 It won a major children books award in its year

>5 greeniezona: Sorry about that! "Two foolish children in a flat" is a direct quotation from the story! :)

Done, in two sittings, no Talk clues!

Got all of them but #7.

>18 AnnieMod: Sigh. There's a whooshing sound about 6' above my head. Trouble is, I don't read the right books plus I'm a Brit. I've checked the obvious ones, but no joy...

>22 Maddz: #13, especially for non Americans Caldecott Medals. Look for a likely title which actually fits the clue -- the title is very obvious.

Got it! I was looking at the wrong winners... No wonder I couldn't find it.

>4 lilithcat: I believe they are all on his page in his gallery!

https://www.librarything.com/gallery/member/conceptDawg

(edit okay not all but some i recognize lol)

Got 'em all! A couple were difficult for me, but tagmash saved me. Thanks for a fun hunt!

>21 amanda4242: Do you want a hint?

#7 Either ignore the third line of the clue or consider which author would have written that kind of an expression. Or maybe do both. :)

>21 amanda4242: Or alternatively, google ”two foolish children in a flat”.

Only number 12 to get

>29 Derek_Robertson: For #12

hint 1: it's a tag page

hint 2: there are a couple of Deuterocanonical books named for them

>28 Charon07: Thanks!

>30 amanda4242: Thank you!

I got them all in an hour without coming here. But I did use some googling. Definitely the easiest of the very many I have done over the years. A nice Hanukkah and Christmas gift🕎🎄

how should i find the candles?

>34 lluveRin: There are useful hints on how to solve the hunts at https://www.librarything.com/topic/353338

Wow, what a beautiful cardinal!

All done x thanks librarything x merry Christmas

Found them all!

Thanks, staff, for the hunt and poeple here for the hints!

Found them all before coming here! Happy Holidays!

I found 10 all by myself (probably my personal best!), got another 4 with some googling, but #9 is stumping me...

>40 Dilara86: #9 I googled what the clue is saying x

I'm stuck on #5.

>42 Dewdropmon: look in the early reviews

>5 greeniezona: Thank you! I was stuck on 7 as well because the answer was the first thing that sprang to mind, but I dismissed it out of hand because, as you say, they aren't children.

>19 AbigailAdams26: Ahhhhhh, it's been a long time since I read it! I didn't even remember that.

>30 amanda4242: Thank you! I was absolutely never going to get that without your hint 2.

NEVERMIND. Got it. How do I not know about this?

I'm stuck on 11. May I have some guidance please?

Done - with a little help from Talpa and Google searches. Thanks for another fun hunt.

This was a fun one. I was really confused on 13. Ironically I knew the book, loved loved the book as a kid, but, it just wasn't the first one that popped into my head when I read the clue.

Still, super fun!

>1 AbigailAdams26: Thank you for this fun hunt - although it's not very wintery here in the southern hemisphere (heatwave forecast for the weekend),

>44 Zoes_Human: Oddly, the answer was the first thing that popped into my mind although I ended up Googling it to get the actual title.

Could use a hint for #10. I thought it was obvious, but I've used all the ideas I know and no candle.

>52 hredwards: #10 it is not a tag

Can't even begin to guess at 5 because it's a genre I know nothing about.
>52 hredwards:: Same here re 10.
Know the name of the people and the story in 12 but nothing I'm trying zooms in on the book required.
The others were fun and fast, so thanks!

Nice hunt! Got all 15 candles with a bit of work and one of the hints given above.

>54 tiffin: #5 is one of this month's Early Reviewer books.

#10 is a character page.

#12 is a tag, not a book.

Thanks, Amanda. I feel a bit thick because I tried the Dec. early reviewers for #5, and did tags for #12. I'll try the character tip, thank you!

ETA: I had already clicked on #5's answer but it didn't *take*, for some reason. It came through now. Amanda's tips were particularly helpful. All wrapped up!

>47 Zoes_Human: Think Middle Earth

>5 greeniezona: Thank you for posting that - I was stumped until I saw your post and the, BAM, easy peasy.

I've gotten most of them but just missing #6 and #8. Both of them I felt like I understood the clue but then I'm just not finding the candle anywhere I look regarding them. What am I missing?

Edit: got #8, still missing #6
Edit: Finally got it! Could've sworn I already checked that page

Got them all! Thanks! This was much easier than some other Treasure Hunts. Merry Christmas! Beautiful cardinal too, thanks to Concept Dawg, they are my fave birds.

So fun! I whipped through this one in record time and felt quite pleased for needing no hints.

#6 is stumping me so bad

Cannot seem to find #2 - I know what I *think* it is referencing, but nothing I select seems to trigger the candle. Any suggestions?

>63 divinenanny: On #6 - I've tried everything related to the seasonal tree. No candle.

>64 jilldugaw: On #2 - I've tried everything connected to the little town. Help!

>65 cathemarie: For #6 - check the tags

>70 closer:

RE #9 - the sisters observe a holiday other than Christmas

>66 cathemarie: For #2 you need Common Knowledge, places

I'm not familiar with #11. It sounds like a picture book?

>71 lilithcat:
thanks, great hint!

>73 Kathy_Moon: #11 is by the author of The Lord of the Rings.

This is a fun hunt, but I always need help from the "Talk" for at least a fourth of the clues.

I’ve been through every early reviewer book looking for #5 and nothing is clicking. 🤷‍♀️

>78 varielle: Make sure you do not have a genre filter enabled.

>79 AnnieMod: Thank you!

>79 AnnieMod:

I had to remove a bunch of filters before I found it, and then I had to put them back again!

>81 lilithcat: Yep - every time there is one of them in a hunt, I need to redo my filters after that. :)

This one was nice and fast with Talpa search and tag mashes! It was nice to see some Jewish representation, but I wish the hunt as a whole had been a bit more secular.

got 'eeeem. i think the one i spent the most time on was #10 because i kept adding an E at the end lol

Could someone give me a hint for 4? I've been trying all the words for the holiday it is talking about but for some reason it's not working.

>86 NerdForHire: You are not looking for a holiday, this clue is describing something more specific than that.

>87 GraceCollection: Oh, the tag for it right?

i finally got all, thank you so much

>86 NerdForHire:

Look in tags for an object associated with the holiday

well i got 8 and those were pure luck lol I obviously need to read more lol
I am missing 2, 4,5,6,9,10, and 13

Just finished my second LT hunt ever🥳 Thank you staff for putting these together and hinters (#11 got me for a little bit) for helping with clues. Happy holidays all!

I found them all now. Simply googling the text of #9 as advised in >41 tina1969: wasn't enough (probably because I'm not in the US, and so Google's parameters are different) but >71 lilithcat: put me on the right path :-)

It seems there's some kind of bug for the hunt. I had three left to find, but the hunt page said I had 12 candles. I just found one of the ones I was missing and the banner on that page said I have 13 candles. Refreshing the hunt page now says the same, and I just noticed there are 15 candles across the top of the page.

>52 hredwards: I just kept clicking on what I thought it was and found it.

Thank you for a lovely way to pass the time before Christmas!

There are at least five that I will never get, because I don't think it's fair to go for answers where I have never heard of the item (book, place, tag, whatever) involved. But trying to find some of the ones where I did find the answer caused me to learn a bit more about the ways LibraryThing can do searches. So this also had some educational value.

An advantage to relatively simple ones like this, where a lot of people will know a lot of the answers. :-)

A thought for next year, in response to the call for "secularization": We link Yule with Christmas, but it's a season that comes at the end of the year. So it would give another angle on this. Consider, e.g., the traditional Scottish song "Auld Yule," about the year 1800, the first year ending in 00 in which Great Britain used the Gregorian Calendar (meaning that 1800 was not a Leap Year). The song is about an old Scotsman who remembers when Britain shifted over and wants his leap year back. If that wouldn't pose a challenge to people here, I don't know what would.

Got them all thanks for help on #10!!

Managed to find thirteen so far, but I'm struggling with #8 and #14 (it is my first Hunt) and would appreciate a bit of guidance!

>75 closer: Thanks! This one I've never even heard of.

>57 tiffin: I had the same problem with # 5 I even requested it, though I never request ER books ... after trying it several ways from Sunday, I refreshed yet one more time and BINGO, got the candle

Any clues for # 1 .....

I think I know to what (or whom) it's referring, but I'm not getting a candle.

Nevermind ... found it.

I'm using my phone and can't find talpa search. Got all but #13. I am oblivious. Any suggestions?

>103 elorin: The first two lines describe the type of book you need to look for and give you the setting for the story. If you're not familiar with this book title, the author shares his last name with the famous poet who wrote Ode to a Grecian Urn

>104 closer: Thank you!

>102 BookConcierge: Any hints to share how you found #1? I'm in the same boat, I think I know but I've not gotten the candle so I suspect I'm missing something. . .

#1 and #12 are still eluding me, though I recognised the references faster (or at all) compared to some of the others. ^^;

>5 greeniezona: >10 greeniezona: >23 AnnieMod: >56 amanda4242: >71 lilithcat: Thanks!

>106 Kalira:

#1 Google "Ostropol". You'll find a name associated with the town. Find a book with that name and a winter holiday.

#12 It's a tag.

Got them all! Thanks for the fun hunt and Happy Holidays LT!

>92 Dilara86: I was having trouble with #9 and googling the text didn't work for me either, and I AM in the US. But rewording it and googling the intent of the text did lead me to the right series, and that information helped me find it on LT.

I'm stuck on 8. It's the only one I haven't worked out. I've put in every permutation I can think of but it has me defeated. Any hints, the more obvious the better.

Got it, thanks for the hints.

>113 hepzibah59:

You want the page for LT's annual Santa Thing

Wow, I got 'em all in a little over an hour without checking here for any hints! This was a fun little holiday de-stresser. Thank you, LT! And I love your birds, ConceptDawg 💕

>113 hepzibah59: Since I'm not sure where you are getting stuck, I'll first say that this is not a work, it's an annual activity on LT. The first part of the hint in >100 closer: is correct, but I'm confused by what they say to click on. I have to click on "4 more" to see the correct option to click on, which was not the one mentioned in the above hint.

>109 lilithcat: Thank you, got them! I had gone to a different book telling the story of the trickster of Ostropol.

Well, I've got 11 candles (all but 7, 9, 11 & 12) so I'll look at the hints for the rest. I did have to use a search engine for the first candle.

The consolidated hints thus far are now posted in the Treasure Hunts group - except for hints for clue 3 since no one has asked for it yet!

https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/23170/LT-Treasure-Hunts

I've also updated the first post of the General Strategies for hunting.

Finally got all of them. Sometimes I had to repeat the answer. I want to thank everyone for the hints.

Thanks LibraryThing for another great Hunt. A great big thanks to conceptDawg for another beautiful drawing

Happy Holidays to everyone on the Staff,

wow i guess i just dont understand what pages are being talked about . pages ? what are considered pages ?

>122 phonelady61: Any different "page" in the website ... so if you click on "local" in top bar, that would be a different page. If you search for a title and then click on the book's image, that would be a page.

Thank you! A lovely hunt. And a lovely cardinal. Also, General Strategies posted by Humouress is very helpful!

That's so much fun! Finally, something I manage to solve, too. Thank you!
The only one I haven't found yet is #10. I am pretty sure to know who is meant, but there is no character page as mentioned in a hint above.

>125 PersephonesLibrary: You are mistaken. Think bigger.

>126 elorin: I just got it, thanks. I tried a different spelling with the right character and now, it worked.

Ridiculously stuck on #2 and #10, which I am fairly certain of the answers with correct spelling, etc. but searches and clicks are coming up nada. Maybe it's my tired brain. 13 isn't bad, but would like to get the rest.

>128 HollieFerrara: You're looking in Common Knowledge, not tags?

I'm also stuck on #2. I'm looking where people are suggesting, but no candle.

I'm completely lost on 14 ;-;

>131 raeofssunshine: Check in the same place as suggested in >116 atozgrl: ; i.e., the news feed on your home page, and you should find it.

>72 calm: Thank you! Just the help I needed for #2
I'm not yet knowledgeable about "Common Knowledge" and I was looking under P for places, instead of Important Places!

>98 thyestean:
hints for #8 and #14:
These are both December events LibraryThing organizes -- they are both talked about (and linked) in the December "State of the Thing" Newsletter - or in the News sidebar on the home page.

>133 GenevieveAOK: Thanks, this was the tip I needed.

>133 GenevieveAOK: I'm sure we'll soon have Very Important Places too :-)

>23 AnnieMod: Thanks anniemod! This is exactly the help I needed to get the last one.

Agreed that this was enjoyable and easier than most. I got all the answers within 30 minutes without coming here for clues.

This is the very first hunt, I've ever done since joining recently and actually completed, I enjoyed it very much!! Can't wait for more hunts!!

Thanks to all, that provided the hints, conceptDawg for making the treasure hunt cardinal illustration, and to the creators of Librarything for existing and having the hunts!!

The only thing that annoyed me is when I would actually find the correct page but it didn't show it was correct until I actually revisited that same page again!! (This happened on a couple.) So hopefully the creator/s will figure out why and what caused this. But other than that, it was truly awesome and like I said before, can't wait to join more!!

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, New Year's and an entertaining hunt!!

First time ever I haven't had to check this page for clues, and first time ever I've gone start to finish without needing to move on and come back later to a particular puzzler! Thank you for the easier hunt, and for reviving some long-dormant memories!

Is anyone else struggling with #9? I believe that I have tried every related book, googled every angle/holiday, and I still come up empty-handed. Found nothing from over 300 2018 picture books.

>142 KateBaxter: #9: You want the 2018 book, not the series

>143 AnnieMod: Thank you, Annie. Truly, I looked through every 2018 picture book I could find and nothing seemed to fit. Nothing came up with the family name within 2018 either. Yet, I will keep trying.

>144 KateBaxter: So start the other way around. Find the series first - then find its latest book. Ignore the 2018 part of the clue (I did initially - I found the series, then found the book) and just look for a series that matches and started in this timeframe.

PS: Non-American so I had never even heard of the series before. Google helped. :)

>145 AnnieMod: Thanks again, Annie.

I've been reading the "talk" page for help. I'm way out of my league here. I don't know what a character page is or how to find it. I couldn't find the early reviews. Even if I come up with the right answer....the real answer is obscured. It makes the hunt less fun. So I got 4 and I'm happy with that. When I read the lengths required for the real answer, it makes me tired.

>147 bcrowl399: The point of the hunts is to make you more confident finding your way around LibraryThing.

For Early Reviewers, scroll to the bottom of the page, there's a link.

Pretty much anything can be found in the filters if you do a search in the box at the top right
- you get a list of filters on the left if you're on a computer, or on mobile you can select filters by clicking on works. Characters are under the Common Knowledge filter heading.

But if you know the book a character is in you can also go to that book, and then scroll down to the Common Knowledge section to find the characters.

Thank you all! This is the first one where I've gotten all of them, I think! I needed the hint for #14 but otherwise all good! Appreciate all the Hanukkah references--ask me if you need help with #1 or #9!

For those who are still searching, you have until January 6. Keep trying. Good luck. There are wonderful hints.

Again, thank you for a wonderful and fun hunt. Thank you conceptDawg for a beautiful cardinal. It is always my pleasure to see your art on every hunt. And last but not least, thank you for all the individuals who provided hints. Have a great holidays and new years to all.

Thank you again, LT, for a fun Hunt! and thanks to ConceptDawg for the beautiful Cardinal! I needed Google for one of the answers and the good people here for two of them but now I am done. The trickiest one for me was #5 because I thought I did the right thing earlier but didn't get the answer until repeating it today.
Best wishes and happy holidays!
k4k

>147 bcrowl399: Site search enables you to narrow down what you're looking for. Once the search opens, there's a number of filters on the left, including characters (under CK). To arrive at a character page, you can either search for the character or open its link from CK on the work page.

There's still a lot of time until the end of the hunt, so if you feel like it giving it another go at some point, ask away for any help needed. It gets easier once you familiarize yourself with various LT features, which is one of the points of the hunt. You get to learn all sorts of things available and how to find them.

Got everything except #10 and #12.

I'm drawing a complete blank on what to even search for with those.

Any hints would be greatly appreciated.

>154 Lostshadows:

#10 Who do you think of when you think of Christmas? Search the name and look under Common Knowledge - characters

#12 This one's a tag, for the fighters we celebrate during Hanukkah.

>155 lilithcat: Thank you. That really helped.

My brain did not associate #10 with "guru" and was thinking a bit more physical on the term "restoration" for #12.

Finally found all, was completely confused by few. How many of us have got it all and what are the odds for winning the draw like?

The updated consolidated hints thus far are posted in the Treasure Hunts group.

https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/23170/LT-Treasure-Hunts

>156 Lostshadows: My mind spent a bit of time around the comic Elfquest :-)

>157 Sujathanath: They will tell you how many found all the clues after the end of the hunt. The odds are five in whatever that number is:) So the odds varies with every different hunt, depending on interest and how many people manage to find all the answers

All I can say is that I have played every hunt since the start and never won a prize. But that is not why I play them - I do it because I love playing the game and tracking down the answers.

>167 crazy4reading:
>170 krazy4katz:

For example: https://www.librarything.com/topic/355989#8354576
Actually that does not include the total of people in the draw.

Not everyone playing is trying for the prizes. I want the badge, and will get that (whenever), but if I were to get around to all 15 and win a prize, I would ask for another person to get it. You should play as long as it is fun for you. The real prizes are the fun and the practice in finding parts of LT you weren't aware of before.

>161 MarthaJeanne: Not everyone playing is trying for the prizes. I want the badge, and will get that (whenever)

Exactly. Or close enough. I wouldn't mind the prize, but I know I won't get it, because I only try to solve clues for which I know the book/entity involved. I don't use googling or spoilers. Typically I figure out perhaps three to six clues, get the badge, and give up. This time, I have nine. Four I clearly cannot solve of my own knowledge. Two I think I have the answer, but I can't find the page. (In one case, actually, I suspect I have an old folkloric answer, and LT has -- by my antique standards -- a newfangled kinky answer, but if that is true, then that one qualifies as one I cannot solve of my own knowledge.)

I have never gotten all fifteen of these things, and don't expect ever to do so in any hunt. I do it for fun, and hope for a badge, and that's all. Plus, as MarthaJeanne says, I've learned about new parts of LT.

>157 Sujathanath: I have participated in many hunts over several years. I think I have missed only 2. I have never received a prize but the fun of figuring out the answers to the clues never goes away. I always use whatever sources I have: first LT’s pages. Then, if that doesn’t work, Google. Finally, when desperate, I come here for clues. It’s just fun and, as others have said, I have found a few books to read by participating. And I do like getting the badges.

I am having trouble diligently searching finding #2 and #9
Hints please

I’ve participated in almost every hunt in the past ten years and never won anything. And I’m glad I haven’t won because I’m trying to keep the amount of “stuff” down and branded stuff to a minimum. I want the glory of getting all the clues, though - whether it’s with or without help.

>164 sar96: For 2: you are looking for a place. Not a specific book.

I am stuck on 9 at the hints have not helped me. I think I found the series but still trying to figure out the 2018 book.

>167 crazy4reading: If you have the series, it is the last book in it.

>167 crazy4reading: It's been a few days, so I'm not sure I remember accurately, but I think I googled Children's book series debut 1951. And once I had the series I could look up the book that was published in 2018 (and that is specific to a holiday in December that is NOT Christmas)

>167 crazy4reading: To add to what everyone else is saying, I ended up googling this one and got it very quickly. Obviously with such a long time between the series and the 2018 book, the author is different,

>169 BookConcierge: & >170 krazy4katz: Thanks for those hints. I had the correct series just needed to look for the different holiday added to the series to find the actual book.

Found the first 13 without prompt, was missing #7 and 13. I think I might have googled the quote for #7 at some point out of sheer despair, but never in a thousand years would I have gotten #13. I did think the hunt was easier than the Halloween hunt, though. So much fun, can't wait for Valentine's next year!

>30 amanda4242: Thank you -- that made it much easier!

What a great way to learn the site features! Thank you. This was my first hunt and I learned a lot.

#2 is driving me crazy....I have gone to common knowledge and important places and tried everything I can think of after that.....Please help

>176 traceyv: search for the name of the town. You will get work results. On the left chose Common Knowledge and then places. It should be the top result.

BTW you should be looking for Bethlehem.

Thanks for the spoilers, hints I finally got them all!

Is there a reason why https://www.librarything.com/place/Bethlehem
Does not give you the candle for #2?

>177 MarthaJeanne: It doesn't work. I think someone must have changed it somehow.

>176 traceyv: Driving me absolute nuts. This one as well as 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and A Christmas Carol were some of the easiest ones to get without hints but I desperately cannot figure out how to get the candle even though the answer should be OBVIOUS.

>179 sundancer: You have the right city, but the correct page includes the country.

>181 sundancer: My computer is really slow and I've clicked multiple pages and none of them have worked. It's been 20 minutes of waiting for my browser to load the pages so I can see if one of them gave me the candle.

>181 sundancer:

A Christmas Carol should be at https://www.librarything.com/work/1549

and the other one is here: https://www.librarything.com/work/13912108

This was a fabulous hunt. I got 13 of them without resorting to hints, though I did do some off-LT Googling. The hints got me the remaining 2 quickly, though one of them was a "slap my forehead, duh" moment when I knew the answer.