Just before Christmas, Mary Ambulos, while out for a stroll with pup Otis along Chilmark Pond, spotted 28 swans a-swimming. This must certainly have been some wonderful variation of the The Twelve Days of Christmas.

Everyone is invited to the Chappy Community Center on Wednesday, Jan. 7, for the very first potluck of the new year. The honored hosts will be Emily Davis and Quincy Dewing.

It does not even seem like Christmas, other than the carols being sung on most radio stations or the television programs for every age category being watched. Decorations and lights across the Vineyard.

New Year’s Eve traditions from around the world include eating grapes, wearing polka dots, watching fireworks, eating black-eyed peas, sporting your best pair of lucky underwear and then, of course, the kiss.

The Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse winds up December’s Monday night at the movies with the classic 1972 The Poseidon Adventure.

Kids can count down the New Year a little early at the Edgartown library on Wednesday, Dec. 31, from 1 to 3 p.m.

John Early is being honored for his service to the community on Sunday, Dec. 28, at the West Tisbury library at 2 p.m.

The new Coast Guard boathouse in Menemsha harbor is on track to be finished early next year. The three-story concrete structure is fire-resistant and can withstand earthquakes and 100-year storms.

Rainy Goodale picked up five first-place finishes in her age group (40-44) at the New England and Colonies Zone Short Course Meters Championship.

High school football alum Michael McCarthy recently signed a professional contract with the Geneva Seahawks.