The traffic in town was nearly nonexistent on Christmas day as families gathered around to exchange gifts and enjoy family dinners.

We went up to our daughter Nicole’s and Anna’s sister Nina Berry’s house to celebrate Christmas. Sam and I set out to do our Christmas shopping shortly after our arrival. We stayed with Nina, her husband Dieter and their son Nick. We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner with most of the family. Christmas was more exciting this year as our grandson Robbie was amazed and excited about his second Christmas.

Dick Burt and Nancy Cramer of Music street held their annual holiday party for friends and neighbors last Sunday.

Sarah Mayhew arrived on the 20th from Davis, Calif., to spend Christmas with her family. Lucy arrived last week from San Francisco and Caroline arrived in time for Christmas from Washington, D.C., to join their parents, Jack and Betsey Mayhew. Katie is at home with her mother Deborah and grandmother Shirley. Her boyfriend Max Gaydos from Middletown, N.Y., is with her.

Eben and Kim Elias of Oak Lane report that their daughter Hannah arrived home from Roger Williams University to spend Christmas with her family. Hallie from UMass Amherst and Carter from Macalester College in Minnesota, the children of Peter and Margaret D’Angello, are home for the holidays. Susannah Clancy (congratulations on an early graduation from Johnson and Wales) is home to be with her dad Laurence in Indian Hill. She will be leaving in early January to study in Spain for a semester.

Peter Luskin sends his best for the holidays to his many Vineyard friends. His father reports that he was just hired by the IMF as a regional security coordinator. He is now responsible for, among other things, Libya, Tunisia, Sudan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. He will be to traveling to Tripoli and Mogadishu in January.

Steve Lohman and his wife Jenifer Strachan of Waldron’s Bottom Road will be ringing in the New Year in New Orleans. Jenifer’s birthday is on New Year’s Eve and what better way to commemorate it than a first night celebration. Jane Konicki of Webster reports that her husband Ed removes their tree and all of the decorations in and outside of their home and packs them in boxes before dark on Christmas Day. They were the first couple to put up a tree the day before Thanksgiving and it stands to reason they should be the first to take it down. On the other hand, Judy Hall out in Oklahoma City reports that she will wait until Jan. 6 to have her husband Malcolm remove the decorations and tree. Malcolm has already prepared his greenhouse to start growing okra plants.

Duncan Green, the grandson and step-grandson of Cynthia Riggs and Howard Attebery of Edgartown Road, is in Italy playing defense for the U.S. Men’s University Hockey Team, which won its first game against Sweden and its second against Latvia. Duncan, now a senior at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, started his hockey career here at the ice arena when he was in second grade at the West Tisbury School.

Marjorie Pierce reports that they will be hosting this initial dinner and hope you will come share the meal and social get-together. Food contributions are greatly appreciated and can be brought with you to the dinner or left in the church kitchen earlier in the day. The suppers will continue until the end of March.

Linda Alley of New Lane reports that the final Winter Farmers’ Market of the year will be held at the Agricultural Hall from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Well, this year is fast sliding away and next week I will begin my 14th year of bringing you as much social news as I can find each week. I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed compiling it for you. I am occasionally reminded that the senior social correspondent is June Manning up in Aquinnah. She really does have a vast network of resources for gathering the news. Happy birthday to Eleanor Luce, Ruth Kirchmeirer, Claudia Lee, May Gross and Nancy Hawksbee today, Gary Blogett, Jennifer Tareila, Katherine Devane and Maitland Edey tomorrow, Simon Hickman, Phyllis McMorrow, Tye Stien, and Mary Van Nes on Sunday, Beth Kramer,

Linda Cohen, Cynthia Fitzgerald, Mariah MacGregor, Max Skjoldebrand and Don Sibley on Monday, Jenifer Strachan and Elizabeth Rothwell on Tuesday, Barbara Flynn, Jennifer Kelley and Ashley Hunter on Wednesday, Martha Sullivan, Daniel Small, Nathan LeBlanc and Dan Gaskill on Thursday. Belated birthday greetings to John Bunker Sr., Amy Fitzgerald Lowe and Ken Goldberg. Anniversary greetings to Akia Sharp and Wayne Miranda on Tuesday, and Mike and Hermine Hull on Wednesday.

Well, that is all of the social news for this week’s edition — the last one of the year. It is time to make New Year’s resolutions. If you have any news of holiday guests please call or email me. Tuesday night, near midnight, many people will be singing along with Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians playing Auld Lang Syne to ring in the New Year. In the meantime, I want to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a very happy and healthy New Year!