Very warm days over the past week with temperatures nearing the 60s and warm sunshine mixed with a few grey skies. The winterberries are in abundance and decorate the byways. At this rate, it does not look as though we will experience much snow until the new year.

Thank you to Lang and Irina Gerhard and their daughter Sasha for displaying the lighted PEACE sign near their home along the eastern cliffs of East Pasture — undoubtedly created by Spa Tharpe again this year.

The numbers are significantly down for the shotgun deer hunting season this year, with only about 45 weighed in at the tribal station reported by Aquinnah tribal natural resources director Bret Stearns.

Friday is the day In the Heart of the Sea will open in movie theatres around the world. Nantucket author Nathaniel Philbrick wrote the thrilling story of the whaleship Essex of Nantucket that ultimately inspired the story of Moby Dick and captures the history of whaling and the whalers. Many men of the sea were a vital part of our Aquinnah heritage. We will await the arrival of the film on the Vineyard.

On Tuesday afternoons at 4 p.m. at the Aquinnah Public Library, please stop in for the after-school club for children who will receive help with their homework, read or listen to books on tape, etc. Saturday, from 11 to 3 p.m. it will be time to decorate gingerbread cookies and an afternoon of fun. The Island community is invited to join in the fun on Saturday, Dec. 19 for the ugly sweater holiday party from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be festive sweets, crafts, and fun for all ages.

Martha’s Vineyard Community Services’ veterans support services outreach director Bill Stafursky would like to invite all veterans to the first annual all-Island veterans and family dinner on Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 6 p.m. at the American Legion Hall on Martin Road in Tisbury. Please RSVP by Dec. 12 by calling Bill at 508-693-7900 ext. 223 or by emailing bstafursky@mvcommunityservices.com. The dinner will be prepared by the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School culinary students under the direction of chef Jack O’Malley.

Christopher Manning will arrive in Norfolk, Va. over the next week as one of the sailors aboard the USS George Washington, a CVN 73 aircraft carrier that is 1,092 feet long. Chris is actually a member of the crew of the USS Reagan, which has now headed to Japan. On Nov. 28, the crew of USS George Washington celebrated Native American Heritage Month in a ceremony hosted by the ship’s multicultural committee. They left their port in California in early September, with a known stop in Lima, Peru as well as leaving Rio de Janeiro just after Thanksgiving, after circumventing the tip of South America. We anticipate a brief visit from Chris or at least a few telephone calls before he heads back to his base in California.

Susan Lana Shea will join Joan LeLacheur with an open studio at 42 Old South Road in Aquinnah on Dec. 12 from 10 to 5. Susan will have her cards for sale and Joan will sell her wampum jewelry, charms, and mosaic tiles.

Jerry Tingle, Jesse Cisneros, and your truly had fun on Friday evening while attending the wedding of Noava Knight and Standa Harag at the Ritz in Oak Bluffs. The bride arrived fashionably late for the five minute ceremony performed by Seth Gambino in his Martha’s Vineyard secession tee shirt (try explaining that to two young California men spending their first year on the Vineyard). The bride arrived in a luxurious white Hummer while her mother Leslie Wibel awaited her arrival rather frantically and a little impatiently. A wedding at the Ritz was a first, well at least for new owners Larkin and Jacqueline Stallings. May there be many more. We do know of many marriage proposals while at the Ritz!

Noava, the manager of the community services’ Chicken Alley Thrift Shop, was surrounded by many of the MVCS board members including newly elected board president T. George Davis Esq., immediate past president Victor Capoccia, and executive director Juliette Fay and her husband Bill O’Brien, as well as most of the program directors. Sandy Pratt, assistant manager at Chicken Alley, and her husband Jeff Pratt were also on hand, as were their volunteers. It was a joyous time for everyone and all the best to the newlyweds.

Happy 16th anniversary wishes to Leigh and Christy Vanderhoop as they celebrate on Dec. 12.

Happy birthday wishes this week to Sasha Gerhard, who celebrated her ninth birthday on Dec. 8. Christopher Manning will celebrate on Dec. 12. Charlie Thomas observes his special day on Dec. 13. Ariana Feldberg and Douglas Plummer share the day on Dec. 16. Lee Taylor will party on Dec. 17, probably already sailing to the Caribbean. Frank Scott parties on the 17th. Steven Roth celebrates on the 18th.

Send Aquinnah news to junemanning152@gmail.com.