I was exhausted but exhilarated after trotting from one end of town to the other this past weekend, not wanting to miss a moment of the 26th Annual Holiday Festival to Benefit Newtown Youth & Family Services, presented by Newtown Savings Bank, and all of the related activities. I spent a good deal of Saturday morning licking pancake syrup off my paws at the Rotary Club pancake breakfast, and enjoying entertainment by Lathrop School of Dance. And that was after an evening crouched in the branches of a big pine tree by Ram Pasture. Imagine my surprise when it burst out in multicolored lights. Here I thought all that singing and dancing beforehand was just for me.

I stopped by the Meeting House Saturday, at the Garden Club of Newtown greens sale, but was nearly trampled by the eager crowd there. Things were not much quieter at the Friends of the C.H. Booth Library book sale down the street, so I sneaked into the meeting room to peacefully enjoy the array of trees and decorations on display there. Saturday afternoon was filled with fun in Sandy Hook Center, and I managed to pay a visit to the merchants there, and view the lighting of the Center’s tree there before I ran back up Church Hill Road to the Meeting House, where I was serenaded by the voices of the Newtown Choral Society. It was off to ETH for the Flagpole Radio Café show after that, before retiring for the night.

The Matthew Curtiss House on Main Street was an irresistible draw to me on Sunday, so I crept in with the other visitors to learn about the history of one of Newtown’s older homes. Then I eavesdropped on one of Town Historian Dan Cruson’s Main Street walking tours to learn a bit more.

The scent of gingerbread drew me back to the library, where I discovered local bakers had put an artistic touch to some pretty creative entries in the NYFS Gingerbread House Contest.

All of this running around had me thirsty, so I dropped by the Edmond Town Hall for the Teddy Bear Tea and partook of delicious breads and a piping hot cup of cider. At least half a dozen well-dressed teddy bears were perched on the edge of the stage in the Alexandria Room, hoping to win the Best Dressed Bear Contest. I couldn’t stay long, because I wanted to explore the numerous holiday gift sales and boutiques set up in the ETH lobby. While browsing the gift selections, I was distracted by a familiar melody coming from the auditorium. Of course, I had to peek, and was able to enjoy a bit of The Nutcracker Suite performed by talented, local ballerinas.

Just when I thought that the fun could not go on, I realized that the Stony Hill Four Corners Association’s Second Annual Hawleyville Tree Lighting was Sunday evening. I hustled down to Barnabas Road and joined in the festivities there. What a weekend — and what a great way to greet the holidays! I hope you had the chance to get to some of these events, too.

If you have been dragging your feet on exterior holiday decorations, now is the time to get on the ball. Because of the weather-related cleanup still in progress, NYFS operations coordinator Kaitlyn Johnson tells me that the deadline for the Decorated Door & House contest has been extended until December 20. Send a 4x6-inch or 5x7-inch photograph of either your decorated door or house and you may win a gift certificate to a local business. Only one entry per house will be accepted, so choose either your entire home exterior or just your creatively festooned door. Send the photo by e-mail to kjohnson@newtownyouthandfamilyservices.org, along with your name, address, and phone number. Or you can mail it to NYFS, 17 Church Hill Road, Newtown CT 06470. I’m looking forward to seeing the winners!

If you are looking for a locally made gift, stop by the library this weekend, when the Connecticut Clay Artists will present their holiday show. Opening reception is Friday, December 9, from 6 to 8 pm, and the show continues Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm. A portion of the sales will go to support the C.H. Booth Library.

This Wednesday, December 7, was Pearl Harbor Day, commemorating the Japanese attack on the US Naval base in Hawaii. The attack began at dawn December 7, 1941, and devastated the US Pacific Naval Fleet. It was the catalyst that put the US into World War II. During the attack on Pearl Harbor, more than 2,400 American serviceman and 68 civilians were killed. It was a very long time ago, and I understand that with so few surviving members left, the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association will be disbanding after this 70th year of honoring that day. Hopefully, we all remembered to pause a moment this week to honor those lost that day.

I checked into hobodyssey.com this past week to see what 2004 NHS grad Charles Emmett Milbank Fulkerson is up to. Emmett set out this summer with $50, hoping to visit 50 states, in 50 weeks. Looks like he has crossed 13 states off of his list so far… but is down to $0. He’s managed to rebound every other time for low pocket change, so I have great expectations that he will do so again. Good luck, Hobodyssey, wherever you are!

I have to tell you, we were a little worried last week when Kevin Parker, our current Thursday afternoon newspaper hawker, did not show up for work. We have grown used to seeing Kevin outside each week, selling hot-off-the-presses copies of The Newtown Bee, but Kevin was not the one selling papers and waving to passersby from the end of our driveway at 5 Church Hill Road on December 1. Santa Claus was.Santa showed up early in the afternoon, passed around candy canes, and promised us that Kevin was fine. He just wanted to bring some early Christmas cheer to The Bee and its readers, he told us. The jolly elf will be here each Thursday afternoon, weather permitting, until Christmas. From the sounds of the horns honking at Santa last Thursday, we’d say his appearance was very welcome.

I’m pretty good at blowing my own horn, but I would certainly appreciate it if next week you would turn the page and… Read me again.