Last year we polled the locals and asked them to share their wants for the season and memories of holidays past. Here’s what we gathered:
Doris Ward Retired language arts teacher; Edgartown
Best gift: A bicycle, when I was 6 years old. It was red and silver and had skinny wheels, like an English bike. My dad was a pilot, and we were living In Tampa, Fla.
Best gift given: I gave each daughter one of the feather pillows saved by my grandmother when we lost our ancestral farm in Tennessee.
Favorite holiday food: Gravy
Kevin MacDevette West Tisbury Post Office worker; West Tisbury
Best gift: PlayStation No. 1 I got as a kid.
Favorite holiday food: Green bean casserole.
On wish list: A year-round place to live on the Island.
Rebecca Perrone Server at Vineyard Haven’s Wolf’s Den Pizzeria; Oak Bluffs
Best gift: Getting all my family together in our house in southern Florida — the house we all grew up in and my parents have had for 30 years.
Favorite holiday food: My mom makes a special green bean casserole with crunchy topping.
Holly Nadler Author; Oak Bluffs
Best gift: I never got what I wanted: a Barbie doll, Nancy Drew books … We moved to a horsy community in my teens, and my parents said, You can have a horse if you are willing to take care of it. But I decided I didn’t want to get up at 5 am and muck out the stalls.
Colleen Sutor MVTV programming coordinator; Vineyard Haven
Best gift: My favorite gift ever was a Steve Smith jersey. He played on the Panthers for 10 years, and just switched to the Ravens two seasons ago.
Favorite holiday food: Chicken broccoli casserole that my mom makes!
On wish list: I would like a “Welcome Home” mat for my new place for Christmas this year.
Evan Fielder Formerly owner of Fielder & Fielder Imports; West Tisbury
Best gift: A purple bike when I was age 11; it had a banana seat and sissy bars.
Favorite holiday food: Roast beef with Yorkshire pudding (my mother used to make).
On wish list: A Bobcat; peace on Earth.
Leslie Baynes Retired consultant; Edgartown
Best gift: I was 7 or 8; we were living in London. I got shoes, socks, and pants. I was so thrilled that I wore them to bed.
Favorite holiday food: Pies, pies. Pies.
On wish list: Can’t think of anything; I’m lucky.
Dammar Jackson Landscaper; Oak Bluffs
Best gift: My girlfriend gave me a Movado silver watch.
Favorite holiday food: Ham
Moses Sukin Computer science researcher/farmer, Hillside Farm; West Tisbury
Best gift: I’ve had so many great gifts. I think I prefer the experience of getting gifts — spending time with the giver — more than the gift itself.
Best gift given: This year I am making all handmade gifts: some wooden objects, some special reprinted books with handmade bindings.
Favorite holiday food: Turkey legs brined and roasted, and McKenzie’s Seasonal Reserve Hard Cider.
Tim Maley Retired; West Tisbury
Best gift: A hunting knife when I was 12 years old (I snuck into the attic and found it hidden).
Best gift given: “OK, let’s get married!”
Favorite holiday food: The “feast of otherness” — coming together with friends and family.
On wish list: I hope that medical marijuana takes hold and my joints will hurt less.
