Five Things You Need to Know Today: Dec. 14

1. New additions to the Newton Patch page! We added some new features to our page this week, including Your Neighborhood Gallery, a spot where members of the Newton community can share their photos and videos. Whether you're at a local event or just spot something interesting around the city, post it to our gallery and share with your neighbors. This feature can be found in the navigation bar at the top of the page.

2. Local author celebrates new book. Newtonville resident and author Saul Wisnia will appear at this evening to celebrate the publication of his new book, . The event will feature a reading at 7:15 p.m. followed by a book signing. 

3. History of the holidays. The will give a presentation today on the history of how holidays have been celebrated in Newton. The presentation will take place at the at 1 p.m.

4. Blood drive. The will host a blood drive today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

5. The Cholera is coming! Lori Veilleux of Brown University will give a talk tonight on . The free event will take place at the Waterworks Museum, 2450 Beacon St., Chestnut Hill at 7 p.m. Space is limited, so if you're interested, contact info@waterworksmuseum.org as soon as possible to RSVP.