When we embark on our Advent pilgrimage we are heading toward Christmas, a familiar destination. But the patterns and traditions of Christmases past may tug us too quickly to that day. The West Tisbury Congregational Church minister reflects.

The West Chop home overlooking Vineyard Haven Harbor sold for for $7.2 million. The buyer is David Grain, a private equity manager and 1980 graduate of the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School.

Amidst public scrutiny of NStar’s vegetation management practices, senior arborists from the utility company addressed concerns of Tisbury residents at a meeting on Tuesday of the board of health.

My daughter wants a pet for Christmas. Pickle (aka Eirene) is five years old and has high hopes. She talks of ponies and large dogs, malamutes, huskies, Great Danes.

Giving back to the community has long been a staple of the boys’ hockey program. This year the team is taking its yearly service project to a national level.

The team plans to raise at least $5,000 this season to donate to the Wounded Warrior Project. They are also hosting a military appreciation weekend in February during the annual Fairleigh Dickinson Tournament, held during the weekend of Feb. 15-16. Players will be wearing a special jersey in honor of the weekend tournament, which is a public event.

A fund has been set up to help Walter Ashley of Oak Bluffs who has been receiving treatments for lung cancer since last summer. Walter and his wife Connie are well-known figures on the Island where they operate their long-running business C&W Power Equipment near the airport.

Headline From the December 14, 1979 Reflections of That Man Friday column by William A. Caldwell:
A strange and reassuring thing happened off to the southwest at 4:11 p.m. Monday, just in time to safeguard the sanity of a man confronted with a stack of Christmas cards.

Chilmark started this day — Tuesday — with a starry sky and a nip in the early morning air, but as I write mid afternoon, it is snowing hard and the roads are coated. We will continue to anticipate that it will turn to rain as predicted.

Winter arrives tomorrow at 11 minutes after noon. Daylight is at a premium now. This weekend and the days ahead are the shortest of the year. But the shortest day is really more a concept than a reality. Our position on the Earth, our latitude and the atmosphere on the horizon all play a part. Daylight is nine hours and five minutes, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

As we look ahead sunrises begin occuring later in the morning, thus adding to the amount of daylight. Sunrise tomorrow is at 7:05 a.m. By January 10 the sunrise will occur at 7:07 a.m.

At age 21 Rick Herrick wrote a letter to Princeton University’s religion department declining his acceptance into their New Testament PhD program.