You know those Book Donation Days hosted by Friends of C.H. Booth Library, when the public is invited to donate new and gently-used books, DVDs, CDs, LPs, video games, and complete jigsaw puzzles to the Friends, who in return promise to sell the items to raise funds for the library (whew! That’s a long one!)? In addition, are you familiar with the carts available inside the library where patrons can offer donations year-round, with the same promise from the Friends? One of those uses of the donated items returns this weekend, and I’m looking forward to it. The Friends of CHB Holiday Sale has transformed the lower meeting room of the library into a bazaar, filled with everything mentioned above and then some! Holiday and gift items have been set aside all year, a large presentation of DIY books from Taunton Press and even jewelry donated by Michael’s Jewelers has all been laid out and is ready to be purchased this weekend. Sale hours coincide with regular library hours: 9:30 am-5 pm Saturday and 11 am-5 pm Sunday.

That sale is one of many holiday-themed events happening in and around town this weekend. Please be sure to check our print and online calendars, as well as all related features and press releases, so that you’re in good form to pick your favorites.

If you’re planning to attend the Sandy Hook Center tree lighting Saturday night, make sure you take a few minutes to look at the light poles within the business district. The Sandy Hook Organization for Prosperity (SHOP) hosted a holiday fundraiser again this season that not only raises funds for that group, it also decorates the lamp posts in the immediate area of Church Hill Road, Washington Avenue, Riverside Road and Glen Road. Businesses, families, clubs, etc are all invited to “adopt” a lamp post for the holiday season, and last Sunday morning was when everything was set up. Residents of all ages were out, hanging pine roping, lights and individually decorated oversize gift tags on the lamp posts, and I have to say, this year’s tag artists brought their game. This is definitely the best collection of tags I’ve seen yet! They’re colorful, and detailed, and very charming. It’s worth the time to walk around and admire them.

If you watched any part of last week’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, you know it was a wet one this year. Rain, sprinkles, and mist — not to mention the confetti at the beginning and snowflakes during Jennifer Hudson’s amazing performance ahead of Santa’s arrival — all made repeat appearances last Thursday morning. It looked like most along and within the parade route were ready, however. I saw plenty of raincoats and ponchos. Even Big Bird was wearing a raincoat!

I did notice a few dancers who slipped just a little, but I haven’t heard about anyone getting hurt. You know what I did hear? We had a pair of local dancers representing one of Newtown’s studios in the parade this year! Vivian Eaton of Newtown and Addison Bertholf of Oxford, two dancers from Newtown’s Ashurst Academy of Irish Dance, were selected from hundreds of elite level applicants across the nation to perform with the world renowned Riverdance last week. The young dancers marched the 2½-mile route before performing in front of Macy’s Herald Square flagship store on 34th Street last Thursday morning. The performance was another milestone for the young ladies, and a full circle moment for their instructors. Riverdance is preparing for its 30th anniversary tour this year. Ashurst Academy directors and teachers Craig Ashurst and Christina Dolzall-Ashurt met while on tour with the 15th anniversary of Riverdance in this country.

The morning after Thanksgiving, members of Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company were up bright and early. The company, along with members of its auxiliary and some friends, were at their main station by 8 am last Friday, when they unloaded 700 trees that had arrived about an hour earlier from northern Vermont. First Selectman Jeff Capeci visited the firehouse around 10 am, but he was too late to help that morning. The trees were already unloaded, a delivery of greens had also been unloaded, and other tasks were being taken care of.

The Sandy Hook Christmas Trees (& More!) Sale officially opened at noon Friday. By the time the doors closed late Sunday afternoon, more than 380 of those trees had already been sold. The sale will continue Thursdays through Sundays until December 22 or while supplies last … and it doesn’t sound like the inventory will last long at all.

And yes, if you were among those who bought your tree from the firefighters on Sunday afternoon, that may have been the first selectman who helped you. Jeff returned to 18-20 Riverside Road around midday, and helped out for over five hours!

Local clubs and organizations interested in participating in The Newtown Bee’s First Baby of 2025 Contest are invited to contact the front office here ASAP. If you’re a business owner who has participated in this longstanding tradition and haven’t already done so this year, it’s time for you to contact us as well. We’re still putting together this year’s prize package, which will be announced in a few weeks. There is a fee to participate — you’ll essentially announce your prize within a small ad that is part of a full page collection of ads announcing the prize package — and you’ll need to donate some type of prize, of course. Previous prizes have included everything from dinners, pizza, starter bank accounts and bottles of champagne to haircuts, handmade baby blankets, gift cards from local businesses, and so much more. If you’d like to be part of this longstanding tradition, decide what you would like to offer the newborn and their parents and/or family, and then call our front office (203-426-3141) by Friday, December 13.

Ellis John Carlor, born nearly 24 hours into the then-new year, was named The Newtown Bee’s First Baby of 2024. The first son, and third child, to Anne and Kwame Carlor of Sandy Hook, the handsome little man joined a list of children who have shared this honorary title every year since 1959.

Are you a lover of that classic snowy White Christmas? I am! …as long as it’s accompanied by a pillow near a well-insulated window so that I can fall asleep while watching that magical scene of soft, falling snow. Unfortunately the odds are not in our favor this holiday season, at least according to the good folks at The Old Farmer’s Almanac. They have produced a graphic they call Will There Be Snow For Christmas? and all of New England, except for the northern half of Maine, falls well into the zone they call Not a White Christmas. According to the team in Dublin, N.H., “odds are snow will fall mainly in the Central region of the US this Christmastime. According to our weather predictions, most of the United States will be seeing a milder, gentler winter than average, but if you’re a snow lover, there will still be plenty of skiing and sledding over the rest of the season.”

I’m going to pout in my pillow of this last bit of news. Hopefully I’ll be done feeling sorry for myself by this time next week, when you can come back and … read me again.