Aquinnah: Happy ‘Done with the Holidays Day’

0

Happy New Year one and all and happy “Done with the Holidays Day” for all who celebrate it. Are you not familiar with this day? Let me explain how to celebrate: Stay in your pajamas all day, eat only the holiday leftovers you want to eat, not the ones you should eat (throwing all the leftovers into the woods is also acceptable), tell everyone how you really feel or take a vow of silence depending on your preference, spend no money (unless it’s for a plane ticket for someplace that you’ve always wanted to go to), build a ceremonial fire with wrapping paper, unwanted gifts, holiday letters, and every New Year’s resolution that you’ve never kept. Do not post any of the above activities on social media, in fact don’t go on social media at all. Repeat as often as necessary until you feel like yourself again or until you must go back to work (you can wear your pajamas under your clothes if you need more comfort). 

Lunch at the Outermost Inn will end on Jan. 5, so get on up there and treat yourself to lunch in town.

The Aquinnah Public Library will have regular programming this week. Story Time will be on Thursday at 3:30 pm and Saturday at 10:30 am, Kids Craft will be from 11 am to 3 pm on Saturday and the After-School Club will resume this Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 4 pm (I can hear the kids groaning already). The next meeting of the book group will be on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 3:30 pm to discuss Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre.”

At Pathways this week there will be a collage workshop with Billie Sullivan on Saturday, Jan. 4 from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. Start off the New Year with a “Collage with Intention” (a.k.a. vision boards). Materials will be provided. Writing and Poetry Night will be on Tuesday, Jan. 7 and there will be an Open Read at 7 pm. Thursday, Jan. 9 will be Music Night with Alex Karalekas and others. All Pathways events are free and open to the public.

Cat Garfinkle will lead a “Restorative Yoga Mini Retreat” on Saturday, Jan. 4 from 3 to 5:30 pm at the Yoga Barn. This gentle and nourishing practice is an invitation to slow down, to pause, and rest in stillness. Using blankets and props, your body will be totally supported in each pose to help release layers of deeply held tension and blocked energy. No previous yoga experience needed, only a willingness to open. The workshop is $35, and registration is suggested. To register, please call or text Cat at 203-253-2261.

There will be a public listening session on Thursday, Jan. 16 to share the results of the Aquinnah Community Resilience Building Workshop. That event prompted many ideas from our Aquinnah community on how to spend future grant money toward projects to help our town become less vulnerable to the effects of climate change. A core team of townspeople, assisted by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, will present the ideas that emerged from that workshop and will invite public input on how our town can be made less vulnerable as climate change continues. Come and find out where you might want to get involved in turning these ideas into action.

The hardworking elven moms of Aquinnah pulled together another great holiday party. Right now we are blessed to have so many children in Aquinnah, and there were also some special visitors. Carrie Anne Vanderhoop was here with her daughter, Rosalie. Her sister, Tiffany, was clearly so happy to have them here. Kate and Tim Kausch were there with their son Noah, his younger brother, Sammy was sick and couldn’t make it to the party. Santa arrived and had a present for every child at the party! Then there was all the food and Christmas cheer that people provided. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this party happen. I don’t know how it comes together when we all have a million things to do but it always does. 

Happy Birthday to the amazing Evelyn Vanderhoop who celebrates on Jan. 3. Happy Birthday to Megan Ottens-Sargent, great supporter of the arts, whose birthday is Jan. 6.