Merry Christmas everyone! And happy Hanukkah to all who celebrated. Wishing everyone a peaceful day filled with family, love, and nourishment. Blessings to all who have lost loved ones this year and for whom the holidays are not quite as bright.
The cookie exchange, wrapping-paper-making, ugly-Christmas-sweater-wearing party at the library was so much fun. Library director Lisa Sherman had a magnificent Christmas sweater complete with tinsel and two stuffed birds. There were many different kinds of delicious cookies, including a plate of red velvet cookies made by Nancy Laport and an entire plate of gluten-free cookies made by Rosa Parker. Many kids made some very colorful wrapping paper with the ink and potato stamps that Barbara supplied. Claus Smith stopped in and was serenaded with “Happy Birthday” by all the library patrons, as Saturday was his birthday. Carrie Vanderhoop is visiting for three weeks with her daughter Rosalie, and they stopped in with Carrie’s sister Tiffany and her three children.
This Saturday at 2 pm there will be Kwanzaa bingo at the library, and on Tuesday there will be a vacation Lego party from noon to 3 pm. Kids can come in and play Legos on the new rug in the children’s area of the library. It now looks very fresh and cozy over there with the rug and two new beanbag chairs as well.
Remember that there is a free yoga class taught by Jeanette Vanderhoop every Sunday at 10 am at the Old Town Hall.
Berta and Vern hosted their annual Christmas party this past Saturday, and it seemed like most of the town was there, and many people from down-Island too. Adrianna Ignacio showed off her now braceless torso. For months now Adrianna has had to wear a brace that held her torso still as part of her recovery from her fall last summer, but last week she got the go-ahead to have it removed. She will have a little more freedom of movement as she winters in Utah with her husband Bruce. Berta and Vern’s son Giles is home from Kansas for a bit. He will be attending the University of Kansas in January. Amera Ignacio’s 18-month-old son, Lyle, fell asleep on her lap, so he missed a very heated discussion about the podcast hit “Serial,” which ended last Thursday. By the time I left the party, the dancing was in full swing and the Chilmark Chocolates were all gone.
Welcome home to Emerson and Ella Mahoney. Emerson has been playing hockey off-Island, and Ella is halfway through her sophomore year of college. I know Juli is thrilled to have both her kids home. Happy birthday to Christina Montoya, who is a Christmas baby and will be celebrating Thursday. Lang Gerhard will celebrate on Dec. 28. Olive and Violet MacPhail turn 9 on Dec. 30, and move one year closer to tweendom.