At this time of year, we all know that certain things are sacred. Like Santa’s list, egg nog and the seasonal reappearance of that ever-popular chocolate-covered marshmallow cookie with the vanilla-wafer base known as the Mallomar. The collective sweet teeth (tooths?) of The Bee editorial staff were overstimulated this week by the recent return to grocery shelves (and hence, the communal snack bar atop the office file cabinet) of Mallomars, made by Nabisco and first introduced in 1913.

It seems that in a world of instant gratification where hydroponically grown tomatoes and giant strawberries from California can be had at any time of year, we still have to wait until winter for Mallomars. Maybe it has to do with that oh-so-soft, scrumptiously fragile marshmallow core beneath the hard chocolate covering that does not hold up in hot weather. Whatever, Bee staffers were spurred on to new heights of productivity by the mere sight of the yellow box and its single, life-size Mallomar cookie with one bite taken out. At 18 cookies per box, we figured if everyone took just two Mallomars it worked perfectly for the number of editorial snackers. So far, the honor system has worked pretty well and there hasn’t been a need to install hidden cameras or Cousin Larry’s doomsday laser security system. Not yet. But we’re counting every cookie.

Maria Sadlier and her husband, Chris, were spotted trying out the electric “massage chairs” at Linens n’ Things Monday evening. Not that they were planning to buy the loungers, but it was great to take a break from their holiday shopping, they admitted.

Saturday is Delivery Day, the day that holiday baskets are delivered to families in need by volunteers for the Newtown Fund. Help is always appreciated. Donations are to be delivered to Sandy Hook Elementary School by 9 am so the items can be sorted and boxed, and delivered by the volunteers beginning at noon. Anyone who is willing to serve as a driver to deliver the baskets on Delivery Day, or to otherwise help out that day, should call Linda Bates at 270-9312.

Newtown resident Dave Keller recently returned from New Orleans having spent three days working with a group from Habitat for Humanity. Dave helped to frame two houses in Covington, La., and stayed in the French Quarter, where he reported significant devastation still remained from Hurricane Katrina. While he was able to be out and about enjoying the sights, sounds, and great food New Orleans has to offer, he said there were many homeless people, boarded up businesses, and people who feel forgotten. He will be returning in the late spring to help out further with the restoration.

Head O’ Meadow Road (the one that is off of Castle Hill — there are three Head O’ Meadows in Newtown) is an extremely family friendly street. Probably the only one in town that can boast of a regular bulletin board of family events that can be seen nailed to the utility pole where the road intersects Castle Hill. Residents post colorful, creative signs, streamers, and balloons reporting happy news such as births, birthdays, and neighborhood events on the old, gnarly post. Not a week goes by without some sort of neighborhood news being displayed on the pole. This week shows a giant baby blue paper doll announcing the birth of a new resident on Head O’ Meadow!

After a ten-week closure, the northern driveway entrance at Edmond Town Hall on Main Street is again open to incoming traffic. That driveway had been closed to allow workers to do site work in connection with the elevator construction project and handicapped accessibility improvements at the building. While the northern driveway was closed to traffic, both incoming and outgoing traffic used the southern driveway at the building, making for some vehicular close calls. It’s a relief that a safer traffic flow arrangement is back in place at the seat of government. Traffic flow at the site now has incoming traffic using the northern driveway and outgoing traffic using the southern driveway.

Last week’s The Way We Were column held a tidbit of information that could have been written for this past week. In 1905, the first substantial snow of the season fell when? December 9. Uncanny, isn’t it, that exactly 100 years later, we also received our first major snowfall.

I guess, everything old is new again someday. With that in mind, I think I’m going to rest my old bones with a catnap so I can return next week as new as the morning. So be sure to…

Read me again.