Today is the first day of winter. Mother Nature seems to have forgotten that so far this season, with little more than a squall or two so far. Maybe the appearance of our wood cutout snowman in front of the office this week will help drive the point home. Frosty came out on Monday — in those downpours, yes! — and promptly turned his carrot nose up at the weather. I think he’s taunting forecasters everywhere, but we’ll see. And don’t get me wrong. I’m not looking for a series of Nor’easters and the digging out and reconnecting of life that comes with those storms, but a few inches on the ground, branches, window frames, and everything else that looks so pretty with snow would be perfect. I don’t like watching my people deal with snow, and you know I don’t do any of the shoveling that needs to be done around here (as if!). I do like the view, however, when winter arrives.

Watching the recent removal of the scaffolding that has surrounded Newtown Meeting House for months felt like witnessing the opening of a really big gift. The scaffolding around the uppermost sections and steeple of the historic building came down a few weeks ago, and by the middle of last week the remainder that had been around the main section of the building since August was fully removed. In its place the circa 1720 structure stands tall and proud once again, topped by its regilded rooster weather vane and repaired steeple.

Don Studley calls the recent work “a major overhaul.” Don’s the president of The Historic Preservation Trust (HPT), which is the not-for-profit organization that oversees and maintains the historic building at 31 Main Street. He said last week that upper parts of the building hadn’t been touched in years, due in large part to the difficulty in accessing them. “Drone shots last year showed us the extent of the damage,” he said. Valley Restoration in Torrington was called in again — the specialists have done much of the repair work on both the meeting house and the neighboring Main Street flagpole, among other historic properties. The team fixed rotting wood within the steeple, repainted and regilded the rooster, and replaced lighting on the steeple and belfry, according to Don. The price tag for the work was approximately $150,000, he said, “but it looks great, and we needed to do this to keep the building in tip-top shape. It looks pristine now,” he added. “We’re very pleased with the outcome.” I’m purring with happiness myself. The building has long been a favorite, and I’m so happy others see how beautiful and important it is.

About 2½ miles south of the meeting house (as the tasty crow flies), Newtown Police Officer Maryhelen McCarthy has again set up a Mitten Tree in the lobby of 191 South Main Street. Over the course of her career, she has collected thousands of hats, gloves, scarves, and other accessories to keep those in need warm during the winter months. New and gently used donations are welcome, and this year’s collection continues until January 1. The lobby is open 24 hours, so stop in at your convenience.

Congratulations to the Newtown unit of The Salvation Army. Within a few days of the final appeal for volunteers for the second weekend of this year’s local Red Kettle Campaign, it was very nice to see the online sign-up sheet completely full. Residents and friends had picked up every last available spot for Friday and Saturday, December 15-16, which means each kettle around town had someone ringing bells and collecting donations. According to a letter received this week from local Unit President Glenn Nanavaty, the red kettles in town collected $8,000 during the four-day campaign. I’d say everyone who stepped up for either weekend this month deserves a Good Egg Award!

As we head into this final weekend before Christmas, be safe out there. I don’t just mean on the roads, my friends — which goes without saying — I also mean if you plan to be visiting the UK. They have a few laws that could put a damper on celebrations if you are unaware of them. For one thing, drivers reportedly run the risk of a £5,000 ($21 US) fine if they wear Christmas jumpers, winter boots or coats. Additionally, in 2013 the UK government made it illegal to sell Christmas crackers to anyone under 12 years old. In England and Wales, this apparently means an unlimited fine, imprisonment up to three months, or both. Kids can still play with the very popular festive item, mind you. They just can’t purchase what are essentially small firecrackers. If they get a white Christmas in London, do not build or use a slide “in any street or other thoroughfare.” According to The Metropolitan Police Act of 1989, anyone found guilty of creating that common danger to others could face a fine up to £500 (US $2.11).

Merry Christmas friends! Have fun this weekend, stay safe, and don’t forget to come back next week to … read me again.