He did it. The man in the red suit found enough time in his busy schedule to visit the littlest Chilmarkers this past Tuesday at the Chilmark fire station.

A parade of cars loaded with children flowed in front of the Menemsha Crossroad station. As each vehicle waited its turn to announce its occupants to Santa, jolly greetings were yelled and signs were dangled out windows with phrases such as “We love you Santa.” Once the vehicle made its way to the front of the line the child announced who they were, sometimes boomingly and other times inaudibly because, as you know, all children react to Santa differently.

Families parked at the town hall, donned their winter coats and hats and joined fire department members and friends for cocoa, cookies and maybe, just maybe, a photo with Santa himself.

This wonderful display of community spirit and the gift of giving selflessly has been a tradition in town for decades upon decades. I’ll share the scoop in a future edition when I have a little word count to spare. Yes, I’m giving you a little something to look forward to. Spoiler alert: it will include commentary from my predecessor Jane Slater.

Peter Ruimerman has been buzzing around town, waving to all he passes on the road — me included. He’s taking a little breather from life in the big city of Boston and making the most of Mom, Dad, pup and home-cooked meals. It’s always a pleasure to catch up with him.

Bella Thorpe made it through her first semester at UVM and is thrilled to be back at home for a spell where she can eat cookies and watch movies with her mom, Julie Flanders. Time at the barn, swapping stories with cousins and friends, and tossing the ball for pup Zeb are also boxes that need to be checked.

Dashiell Christy is also home from UVM. Parents Jennifer and Todd are thrilled to have him back under their roof alongside sisters Adrienne and Eloise. Grandparents Marianne Neill and Jay Lagemann are equally as thrilled to have him home in the fray.

Buffy and son Christian Carroll have flown the coop for warmer waters. They packed up their shorts and sun visors and headed off to see mom and grandmom Billie Hancock in sunny F-L-A.

I’d like to shout out a big hello to my dear friend Kathy Coe at her wintertime home in Washington Depot, Conn. We haven’t seen each other since a quick fall visit on Squid Row and probably won’t for a while, so I’d like to document in print that daily I’m thinking of her most amazing, strong and fierce self.

Davies, Jackson, Chili and Allie Cabot hit the road in Concord, N.H. and made their way to town for a quick 24-hour adventure. Mom Annie didn’t make it into the car and neither did the pups. They came up in conversation so it was clear their presence was missed. Although most of the time they spent on the island was in West Tisbury with the kids’ grandparents Dan and Nancy Cabot, aunt Nicole, uncle Ben and cousins Violet and Reed, they did manage to buzz Squibnocket and shoot the breeze with Marshall and me in Menemsha.

With John Packer’s Offshore Engineering still working on dredging the harbor, there sure is a lot to talk about.

Ted Bernhard arrived early from London at his family’s home on Carroll Lane. The goal was to get a few little projects done before Jill and the girls (Kat, Charlotte and Lily) arrived. I’m sure that happened because he’s a pretty focused and dedicated guy. They’re all here now and have already begun their daily walks to the ocean. I’ve had a brief opportunity to swap life updates with Lily and Charlotte, who happen to be two stellar summertime Texaco employees. Lily’s college acceptances are rolling in so a bright future is waiting just around the corner.