Well we travelled off-Island to be with family for Thanksgiving, returning on Sunday. The activity at the SSA was almost summerlike. Be careful and wear bright colors if you go near the woods as shotgun season for deer opened on Monday. I want to thank Charlie Kernick for pinch-hitting for me at the post office and Alan Gowell in the cemeteries.

Anna and I traveled up to Providence, R.I. to be with her family for the Thanksgiving holiday. We gathered at Anna’s sister Nina’s home in Providence. Her husband, Dieter, cooked a delicious meal; the array of food was spectacular. Their son Nick and his lady friend, Aditi Ghattia of Shangri, China, Mary Fran Edge, our daughter Nicole, her husband Arsen, grandchildren Robbie and Henry and our Sam joined the group. Anna and Nina’s brother Donnie and his wife Christina drove up from New York city, Anna made her special pumpkin pies, and a wonderful time was had by all.

Many of us went shopping on Black Friday along with thousands of others. Shops were crowded and the clerks were helpful. The weather was delightful, in the high 60s, and most men wore T-shirts. Traditional Christmas music was prevalent in almost every store. Merchants got a head start in retailing Christmas merchandise as they started in mid-November. The price of fuel in Raynham and New Bedford was $1.99 a gallon, about $1 less than last year at this time.

Marion Irving, over at the church, reports that the First Congregational Church’s Annual Christmas Faire will be Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. This is a great opportunity to pick up festive holiday decorations and gifts for friends or family. Custom-decorated wreathes, holiday centerpieces, jewelry and gift items will be available to purchase. Homemade baked goodies for gifts or entertaining will also be available. Come early for the best selection of terrific holiday décor and gifts that are perfect stocking stuffers. All proceeds of this fundraiser help offset operating expenses of the church. For more information call 508-693-2842.

Katherine Long of Panhandle Road cordially invites you to her 37th annual Winter Solstice party on Sunday, Dec. 13 from noon until 9 p.m. All ages are welcome. Her party has become one of the highlights of everyone’s holiday season. Katherine’s Texas chili is an extra special treat and you haven’t lived until you have tasted it. She says come when you can and leave when you must just don’t bring your dog along!

Jen Rand reports that the town holiday party will be held at the Agricultural Hall on Thursday, Dec. 10 from 5 to 8 p.m. All are welcome and please bring a dish to share.

It was quiet and chilly on Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941 in this town: Frank Adams, on Music street, had fired up his coal furnace for the first time since March, Donaldson’s Garage was about to receive its monthly shipment of gasoline from the Mobil terminal in Vineyard Haven. Antone Alley was about to celebrate his 70th birthday and his daughter Lillian was busy baking him a cake, S.M. Mayhew Co. had closed at noon and Charlie Turner and my father went home for dinner. The Grange was going to hold its twice-monthly meeting in the Agricultural Hall on Monday so the stove was lit upstairs to take the chill out of the meeting space. Antone Campbell, Harry Athearn and Johnson Whiting were preparing to milk their cows and most folks in town had returned home from church services and had eaten their Sunday dinner. Many families had already cut a proper Christmas tree and had prepared their parlors to receive guests. It was just 18 days until Christmas and the Sears Christmas book in every home had seen some serious use.

The attack was announced over CBS radio by John Charles Daly at about 2:30 p.m. As evening fell people kept their radios on to learn more news from Pearl Harbor. Plans were made for the President to address Congress the next day shortly after noontime to declare war on Japan.

One of the popular Monday night programs on the air was the Fred Allen Show, which featured a siren and clanging bell before the program. The announcer, Harry von Zell, broke in to say you would not be hearing that sound again during the war to avoid any confusion.

Happy birthday to: Toni Cohen, Bobbie Lima, Hadden Blair, and Dillon Bartkus Friday; Lucinda Buehler, Linda Mahoney, and Joseph Capece Saturday; Bonnie Steere, Bonnie Jackson, and Beau Monast on Sunday; Robert Hennessey, Elizabeth Dowd, Sarah Vail and Grace Murphy on Monday; Christopher Cini, Jane Sobel and Joel Anthony on Tuesday; Judy Sudel, Sam Mason, Ellen Pesch and Emily Smith on Wednesday; and Kansas Brew, Karen Colaneri, Ginny Bardwell Jones, Galen Brew, Ellen Weiss and Dana Rezendes on Thursday. Belated Birthday wishes to Bob Bunch, Avi Lev, Ronni Simon, and Laurel Wilkinson.

Well that is all of the social news for this week’s edition. If you have any news please call or e-mail me. Have a great week.