Well we traveled off-Island to be with family for Thanksgiving returning on Sunday. The activity at the SSA was almost summer like. The weather out where I was staying was much like it was here according to Phyllis Meras. Be careful and wear bright colors if you go near the woods as shotgun season for deer opened last Monday. I want to thank Pierce Kirby for pinch hitting for me at the post office and Alan Gowell in the cemeteries.

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, family or your family. Available to purchase are custom decorated wreathes, holiday centerpieces, jewelry and gift items. 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. For more information call 508-693-2842.

Old family friend Roger Blake passed away on Thanksgiving Day. He taught in the Edgartown School for years, did your income tax, sold his wife Eileen’s pies, eventually building what was referred to by many as the pie gazebo in front of his home. He truly was a friend to all. I have missed his wave from the stand for the past few years.

Katherine Long, of Panhandle Road, cordially invites you to her 39th annual Winter Solstice party on Sunday, Dec. 17. 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. Her mother Katherine and sister Mary Fran will be here from Texas to add to the festivities.

The History Channel reminds us that President Roosevelt and Secretary of State Cordell Hull knew a Japanese attack was imminent 76 years ago Monday. They had received intelligence reports of intercepted coded messages from Tokyo to the Japanese ambassador in the United States about an imminent attack. However they did not know where or when it would happen. The ambassadors were at the State Department when the White House announced the attack on Pearl Harbor to a stunned nation and people knew that this meant that were now in a state of war.

It was quiet and chilly on 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 on Monday morning. Ole Borgen’s monthy supply of Texaco gas was delivered on Friday. 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. He would later drive down to the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and visit his wife Mary and newborn son John. The Grange was going to hold its twice monthly meeting in the Agricultural Hall on Monday so the stove was lit upstairs by the janitor to take the chill out of the meeting space. Antone Campbell, Harry Athearn and Johnson Whiting were preparing to milk their cows about 4 p.m. in the afternoon. 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 that afternoon. The most popular song of the day was Glenn Miller’s Chattanooga Choo Choo. It was just 24 days till Christmas and the Sears and the Roebuck Christmas book in every home had seen some serious use. The attack was announced over CBS radio by John Charles Daley at about 2:30 p.m. in the afternoon. As evening fell people kept their radio’s 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.

The school held a special assembly at noon so the students could listen to his address to the nation over the radio.

Happy Birthday to: Christina Simmons, Mark Ellis and Rachel Cassiani Friday; Michael Gately, Tracey Smith and Martha Schmidt Saturday; Ann Rosenkrantz, Nathan Davies, Eliza Greene, and yours truly your humble columnist on Sunday; Toni Cohen, Bobbie Lima, Hadden Blair and Dillon Bartkus on Monday; Lucinda Buehler, Linda Mahoney and Joseph Capece on Tuesday; Bonnie Steere, Bonnie Jackson and Beau Monast on Wednesday; Robert Hennessey, Elizabeth Dowd, Sarah Vail, Judy Sudel, and Grace Murphy on Thursday. Belated Birthday wishes to Avi Lev and Ronni Simon.

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.

Send West Tisbury news to alleys@vineyard.net.

The Gazette wishes a very happy birthday to its West Tisbury columnist John Alley on Dec. 3.