JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
Winter officially begins on Sunday and the temperature has jumped around as much as the Energizer bunny recently. Warm, spring-like one day, then cold and raw another day. We might have our first snowfall this weekend. This Sunday marks the winter solstice and will be the shortest day of the year. So we must think positively as the days will be getting a tiny bit longer starting on Monday and seed catalogs have begun to arrive in the mail.
All is pretty much prepared in most homes for Christmas on Thursday. After a month of shopping and a lot of decorating, inside and out, families will be gathering together to celebrate this most blessed day. Relax — there is still time for some last-minute gifts for those of you who have not finished or even begun your shopping. Reliable Market is busy making fruit baskets for last-minute gifts and Cherilla Brown, over at Alley’s Store, will help you with last-minute gift items and stocking stuffers. The store will be open until 8 p.m. Tuesday, offering free gift wrapping, hot cider and a special visit from Santa Claus on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
You may chose to attend one of the three church services Wednesday evening offered by Rev. Baker of the First Congregational Church. At 5 p.m. The Children’s Pageant will be held at the Agricultural Hall. Following the pageant, an invitation is extended to those who would like to attend a traditional candlelight worship service led by Rev. Baker in the church. The first of two services will begin at 6:30 p.m., and the second will begin at 10 p.m. All are welcome to attend a church service.
The boats were packed with people going to the mainland to shop for Christmas last weekend and again today also some folks got a head start traveling off-Island for the holiday to be with their families.
Will and Leslie Monast, of Waldron’s Bottom Road, drove down to Philadelphia, Pa., to pick up their son Cal and bring him home for the holidays. Cal will join his sister Sarah, brother Beau and little sister Raine for the holidays. Will cut a tree on Cuttyhunk Island and put it up on Tuesday.
The 29th annual Winter Solstice Party will be held on Sunday from noon till 8 p.m. at the home of Tom Vogl and Katharine Long on Scotchman’s Lane. It is a festive gathering and sure to be a highlight of the holiday season.
Sam Alley arrives home from his studies at Framingham State College tomorrow. Many other college students will or have arrived to be with their parents for the holidays.
Last Saturday afternoon, Ron and Deb Kokernack of Webster came by to visit us and Ron wanted to replace the latch on my car door. When he was reassembling it he dropped a small washer on the ground. His wife, determined to find it, got down on her hands and knees with a magnet and search light. She looked for nearly an hour before giving up because of darkness. The next morning her sister, Lynne Demond, and her significant other, Steve Hart, stopped by to say hello and see if Deb had recovered the washer. I showed her the search area and told her a metal detector failed to locate it yesterday. She walked over looked at the ground and, lo and behold, picked up the washer and said, “Is this what they were looking for?” They all had a good laugh at the turn of events.
The school library’s annual book sale for the benefit the Red Stocking Fund ends today, and school will be dismissed for the holidays this afternoon. Students and teachers will enjoy a ten-day recess. School will not open again until the new year, on Jan. 5, 2009. Michael Halt, principal, Bob Lane, Gloria Sylva, Judy McCarthy and Sue Merrill wish everyone a very happy holiday season.
Richard and Toni Cohen, of Edgartown Road, returned home last Sunday after a trip down to Miami, Fla. While there they celebrated Toni’s birthday. She reports that they had a wonderful time.
Brook and Kristin Zern, of Southvine, arrived home on Tuesday after a three-week adventure in Washington and Spain. First Brook was knighted by King Juan Carlos I for his lifelong dissemination of Spanish culture (flamenco in particular) in the United States. The ceremony was officiated by the Spanish ambassador, Jorge Dezcallar, in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 24. Paul Magid, a childhood friend, and his wife, Anita Botti, both summer residents, attended the ceremony as their guests.
They then flew off to their apartment in Spain where they provided Thanksgiving dinner for a dozen friends. They set off for a series of Spanish television interviews and attendance at festivals where Brook was an honored guest because of his recent knighting. They will be hosting Estela Zatania, who has lived in Spain for the past 40 years working as a flamenco journalist, scholar and author, starting today until Dec. 28. This will be her first trip to Martha’s Vineyard, and they have planned to show her a real New England Christmas. Their daughter, Francesca, will arrive from her home in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., next Friday for a holiday visit.
Daniel Whiting, of Surprise, Fla., and his children David and Emma, arrive today for their annual Christmas visit with his sister, Tara, at Old Parsonage Farm.
Linda Baughman, of Philadelphia and Music street, is sorry to miss the holidays on the Vineyard but looks forward to next year. In the meantime she wishes everyone a happy holiday season
Will Monast, builder at the Frank Adams renovation on Music street, recently discovered when he was removing the mantle piece over the old fireplace a portion of a Christmas card that read ‘greetings of the season’ and featured a hand-drawn sprig of holly with berries. It looks to be from the late 30s and was probably something he placed on the mantle each year.
On Dec. 22, 1949 the school presented their Christmas program the same afternoon it closed for the holidays. As the school was without heat due to an electrical failure the exercise was held in the Agricultural Hall. The play Mother Goose Land was presented by students Joan Merry, Walter Vincent, Alice Churchill, Virginia Bardwell, Winifred Alley, Peggy Scott, Rita Alley, Constance Morrow, Meg Wilkinson, John Alley, George Churchill, Shirley Burt, Margaret Duquette, Dixon Rogers, Robin Elwell and Veronica Kelly. Christmas carols were sung by the entire school and recitations given by the students. Miss Helen R. O’Donnell, teacher for all four grades, directed the program with the assistance of Lydia Drew. Refreshments were served by the P.T.A.
Happy Birthday to: Janice Manter, Pam Putney, Pat Hughes and Marcy Klapper today; Rosalie Powell, Martha Doane, Ray Gale and Sara Roan tomorrow; Emma Conley, Cathy Weiss, Alexander Goethals and Fausta Edey on Sunday; Taylor Rasmussen and Carroll Brown on Monday; Faith Runner, Wendy Gray and Cecilia McCarthy on Tuesday; Ann Howes, Fred Thurber, Marg Luening and Gabriel Robinson-Lynch on Wednesday; Michael Maclean and Christina Montoya on Thursday. Belated birthday greetings to Lynne Demond and Deborah Pigeon and anniversary wishes to Bob Bunch and Sandra Polleys.
Well, that is all of the social news for this edition. If you have any news about the holidays and guests at your house please call or e-mail me. We want to take this opportunity to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy Holiday season.
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