Weather inconsistencies don’t give you the sniffles, but they sure can challenge your immune system leaving you a tad more susceptible to picking up the numerous colds folks seem to be wandering around with this past week or so. “Don’t come too close” has been the phrase of choice in recent days. Wash those hands. Get good sleep. Breathe in the fresh air. The holidays are upon us. I want you to enjoy them.

Santa is a busy man at this time of year, but he found a little window in his jam-packed schedule to fly in to USCG Station Menemsha to deliver the first gifts of Christmas to Ben, Sam, Wyatt, Dawson, Savannah, JW, Jacob, Emily, Ryker and Eleanor. Don’t worry, you didn’t miss the remarkable phenomenon of his reindeer pulling his sleigh through the sky. He swooped in by helicopter which is nearly as exciting and a lot more practical.

Practice generosity. That’s one thing you can easily do to boost your holiday spirit. An endeavor that was devised five years ago to do just that is still going strong with community spirit bubbling over the edges. Fondly dubbed “Adopt a Coastie,” this project provides gift baskets for each of the 20-plus members of Station Menemsha and their families along with morale-boosting pizza parties for each of the duty sections. Heartfelt thanks for this years sponsorship go out to folks with the last names of: Kimber, Spiro, Elliston, Esposito, Gould, Lamont, Oliver, Salvatore, Noyes, Keene, Uva, Vieira, Weidner, Ruimerman, Ambulos, Carroll, Roddy, Packer, Flanders, Heilbron, Goldman, Walsh, Morgan, Cody, Furst, Thompson, Mayhew, Shipway, Ginsburg, Malkin, Drummond, Hearn, Kokoska and the MV Derby Committee.

A group of community members has also been tending to our service members this past month by taking turns delivering goodies to Station Mememsha. Thanks to Julia Spiro, Sarah Kimber, Ann Noyes, Barbara Armstrong, Marie Mercer, Julie Flanders, Jessica Roddy, Louisa Gould and James Lamont, Hillary Noyes-Keene and Aly, Ida and Booker Weisner for their generosity.

In more Christmas-y news, gift wrappers gathered to prep for Santa’s visit to the children of Chilmark. I’ll tell you all about the visit next week since, at the time of my writing, it hadn’t happened yet. Wrapping, however, was as always, quick, efficient, laughter inducing and just generally fun. Thanks to Janice Brown, Rebecca Miller, Sadie Dix, Hillary Noyes-Keene, Bradley Carroll, Ellen and Grazina Biskis, Emily Boys, Emma Mayhew, Linda Thompson and Nancy Polucci for wielding scissors, deploying tape and fretting over making hospital-like corners on each oddly shaped package. Thank you, of course, goes out to Claire Ganz for making the effort to show up although her slight tardiness allowed her to escape her need to lay her hands on a roll of festive paper.

As festive as life feels in the town of Chilmark this week, there is an undertone of sadness in my heart. About a year and a half ago, I mentioned in this column the importance of and my willingness to dish out mom hugs. I’ve dished out many mom hugs over the years — occasionally to my own children, but most often to young friends having an off day. I will miss the genuine love I felt each time I received a mom hug from Kathy Coe. Kathy and I referred to each other as kindred spirits. We physically crossed paths half a dozen or so times a year and always picked up with the most engaging and heartfelt conversation. She was a constant sharer of all things beautiful, heart-warming and chuckle prompting on Instagram. She was a regular messager of positivity and uplifting thoughts. All of this took place while her body was constantly challenging her to stay alive. Kathy is now gone physically, but her strength, kindness and love lives on in her husband Tom Hollinger and her sons Phil and Chas.

To say she will be missed in an understatement, but what I have learned from her I will try to continue paying forward.