There are many thoughts on when The 12 Days of Christmas is observed. Does it lead up to December 25, representing the time it took the three wise men to travel to Bethlehem? Or does it begin on December 25, and celebrate the time of Christ’s birth to his baptism? We in the US don’t generally observe the festival season, which for the rest of the world begins Christmas Day and concludes on January 5/Twelfth Night or begins December 26 and concludes January 6/Epiphany. Others observe The 12 Days from sunset December 24 to sunset January 5. In ancient Celtic tradition Twelfth Night also represented the end of a 12-day winter solstice celebration. It’s all so confusing, but as long as someone is happy with at least one option, we’re good.

By the end of the song that celebrates the season — starting and ending on the day of your choice, dear reader — some kind suitor has sent his sweetheart a total of 364 gifts. According to the Christmas Price Index, purchasing one of each of the gifts mentioned this season would come to a grand total of $46,729.86. If True Love really wants to make an impression (and really, why stop at just one leaping lord when you can go for broke and pick up the additional nine?), that price tag would be $201,972.66. Makes a subscription to your hometown paper look really reasonable now, doesn’t it?

I hope everyone held on to their returnable bottles and cans until this week. As of Monday, the redemption rate in Connecticut has increased to 10¢ — which of course can be turned around and equally noted that we’re now paying that much in deposits, but I’m trying to hang on to the positivity that accompanies the arrival of a new year. In short, the state’s Bottle Bill (Public Act 21-58/An Act Concerning Solid Waste Management, for those keeping track of details) has doubled as of this year. Most metal, glass, and plastic beverage containers are still eligible including carbonated beverages, beer and malt beverages, non-carbonated water including flavored waters, hard cider, juice, tea, coffee, kombucha, plant-infused drinks, sports drinks, and energy drinks. Paper cartons and pouches are still not subject to a deposit, nor are milk/dairy beverages including plant-based milks, wine, liquor, or spirit-based hard seltzer. Bottle caps can be on or off (although many redemption centers prefer to have them on); if on, they should be secured, not loose. Labels must of course still be on bottles so that they can be identified as a redeemable product.

If you don’t love turning in bottles and cans, but do consume their products, Andrea Farley is still accepting returnables. Andrea will turn in bottles and cans that are dropped at her home (15B Nunnawauk Meadows), and then turn those funds over to FAITH Food Pantry. She made her first visit of the new year to the pantry just this week in fact, delivering $21+ to help put food and other necessities on the shelves at 46 Church Hill Road.

New year, new movie ticket price. As of this week movie tickets at Edmond Town Hall Theatre are now $4. That’s a 50¢ increase, the first in a few years, and much of it has to do with continued improvements and upkeep for that building. The slight increase also comes, I’m told, due to studio costs that have increased tremendously. The first film with the new ticket price will be this weekend’s screenings of The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Showtimes and other details are available, as always, in The Bee’s print and online calendars.

It’s a pretty cool place, that historic building at 45 Main Street. Concerts and theater productions continue to increase in number on the ETH Theatre stage, but movies and concessions remain the first thing many people think of with that location. Do you know how many movies were screened there last year? According to my reading, 37 different movies were screened at Edmond Town Hall in 2023! Among those were easily a dozen free offerings thanks to Todd Ingersoll and Ingersoll Auto of Danbury, who has been providing at least one weekend’s worth of free screenings every month since 2013. A few months ago Todd promised the ETH Board of Managers that there will be another year of those screenings, so 2024 is already looking good for this movie enthusiast. (Yes, cats enjoy movies too!) The first weekend of free movies has already been announced, in fact. Trolls Band Together will be screened Friday through Sunday, January 19-21, and those tickets can be reserved now. Again, check our calendars for full details.

I’m waiting for a few additional details, but I can share that former Newtown resident Faith Vicinanza is opening her new year with a great new venture. The Connecticut Poet is less than two months away from opening Vicinanza Studios & Gallery in Southbury, where she now resides. The gallery represents a dream come true for the woman who has been talking about doing this for decades. She plans to showcase artists, poets, dancers mainly from the Northeast, and poets traveling through the area. There will be gallery events, writing programs, Argentine Tango dance classes, art classes, creativity sessions of one sort or another, meditation, and yoga classes, she said in a note shared earlier this week. I can’t wait to learn more.

It’s time to select the next winner of the Newtown Bee’s Sportsman of the Year Award, which since 2008 has honored late Newtown Bee Sports Editor Kim Harmon. The award goes to someone who has had a significant impact on Newtown sports within the last year. Past winners include coaches and parents who have volunteered hours to sports organizations in town both in that particular year as well as throughout the years, in addition to standouts on the playing fields, track, courts, rinks, and pools. Please drop us a line with your suggestion(s). Send your selection via e-mail to andyh@thebee.com. If you can offer a name or two within the next week, the committee would be very grateful. Their first meeting of the year is January 9.

You know who won’t be part of that meeting? Bee Publishing Company Receptionist Sandy Tannone, who is home for at least a few weeks recovering from a bad fall that ended her year. Sandy was walking her “grand-dog” Kona a few days ago and fell. She broke one ankle and injured one of her knees and one of her wrists. Sandy did all that while managing to keep her grip on Kona, who did not cause the fall, Sandy is quick to say. Sandy lost her footing and went down. Needless to say, she won’t be answering the phone at 5 Church Hill Road, picking up mail, or even be one of the first to greet customers and visitors for a little while. We look forward to seeing her smiling face as soon as possible, and wish her a speedy, happy recovery until then.

I hear Uno, a Bridgeport Police Department K-9 officer for the past eight-plus years, has retired. If he isn’t already too tired of the belly rubs and snoozes he’s earned, I think I’ll see if Uno can visit Sandy and Kona. The new retiree might be good company while the two patients lick their respective wounds.

Speaking of police departments, I took a stretch of my little legs to 191 South Main Street last weekend, and was so happy to see donations piled on and around The Mitten Tree. That’s the collection Newtown PD Officer Maryhelen McCarthy has organized for 21 years. The collection accepts hats, scarves and even socks in addition to mittens and gloves, and there were so many in the PD lobby on Saturday. It was so gratifying to see that. Monday was the conclusion of this year’s Mitten Tree collection, and everything was delivered by midweek to Newtown’s Department of Human Services to be distributed among those in need.

I heard an interesting comment on the radio one morning this week. The DJ was talking about how difficult it is to go from December — easily one of the best months of the year for lights and colorful displays — to January, which feels like the darkest and coldest time of the year. Heck of a way to start any year, she said. I absolutely agree with that. I’ve often thought the same thing, in fact. One small bulb of happiness arrived on my desk this week, and that was a final donation to the Parks & Rec Christmas Tree Lighting Fund. Parks & Rec hosts a fundraiser every year to cover some of the costs of the tree lighting at Ram Pasture. The fundraiser concludes at the end of December. I heard from a friend at 8 Simpson Street that a donation from Skip and Carol Luf arrived last Friday, who covered the cost of a Christmas Tree Bulb in honor of their son Mathew.

Belated birthday wishes this week to Sherry Paisley and Steve Bennett. Both celebrated birthdays and the arrival of the new year on Monday. Steve’s celebration was for another milestone birthday reached. I’ll let him share which one it was.

The same milestone was celebrated two days later, when Cathy Sullivan reached the same landmark.

I’ve reached another milestone myself: the end of my first column of 2024. Time to start collecting tidbits for next week, so I hope you’ll remember to come back next week to ... read me again.