I don’t think we’d even unpacked the December 20 print editions after they’d arrived from Springfield last week before Herb Rosenthal and John Reed walked through our front door. The two friends and longtime Main Street residents were out on one of their walks, and Herb said he thought it would be a good idea to stop in to pick up a paper or two. Considering he was heading home to wife Michelle — whose watercolor painting “Newtown’s Winter Steeples” was our holiday cover art last week — it was very smart to make sure he had some papers in hand when he arrived.

Just down the hill from us, Sister Thaddeus was celebrating a milestone birthday at that time. I understand the St Rose of Lima School religion teacher was surrounded by love and songs on December 19 as she celebrated her 80th birthday. Current and former teachers and staff joined students of the Church Hill Road school to celebrate the woman of the day. Not one to enjoy the spotlight being fully on her for too long, Sister Thaddeus also turned the tables on everyone for a little while and handed out gifts to all of the students. Each child received a bag of popcorn — Sister Thaddeus’s favorite snack — as she visited each classroom on Thursday.

Congratulations also to Newtown High basketball player Sam Diaspro, who set a new school record by sinking seven 3-pointers when the girls defeated Cromwell on December 20. Andy Hutchison has additional details this week in Sports.

Two dozen local businesses have promised prizes to the parents of The 2025 First Baby of Newtown. We at 5 Church Hill Road are very much looking forward to meeting the town’s new resident, and we’re counting on their parents to reach out. The First Baby of Newtown 2025 will win for their family everything from dining opportunities and champagne to savings bonds, salon visits, and even fitness and home services, all courtesy of local businesses. A one-year subscription or renewal to The Newtown Bee is also within the prize package, of course. The winning baby will also continue a tradition now entering its 67th year!

The winning parents will be the ones who send the earliest birthdate (and time, if necessary, to break a tie) to The Newtown Bee by noon Monday, January 6. Parents must be Newtown residents and will need to submit the exact time and date of the child’s birth; their name and address; and the place of birth, gender, weight, and name of the newborn. Friends, family, and neighbors of newborns, you can help too: Make sure the parents of any Newtown newborns know about this honorary title and all the prizes that come with it. Parents and friends should contact Newtown Bee Managing Editor Shannon Hicks at 203-426-3141 or shannon@thebee.com with this information. The winners will be notified the evening of January 7 and will hopefully be available for an interview in time for the January 10, 2025, issue of The Newtown Bee.

Ellis Carlor was the 2024 First Baby of Newtown. The third child of Anne and Kwame Carlor of Sandy Hook, Ellis joined big sisters Maya and Ada when he arrived in the world on January 1, as well as the list of children who have shared the honorary First Baby of Newtown title since 1959.

Meanwhile, Sports Editor Andy Hutchison is collecting nominations for the 2024 Newtown Bee Sportsman of the Year Award — which since 2008 has honored late Newtown Bee Sports Editor Kim Harmon — for 2024. The award goes to someone who has had a significant impact on Newtown sports within the last year. Past winners have included 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. If you have a suggestion, send a note with background information about your nominee to Andy at andyh@thebee.com.

Cornerstone at Newtown Congregational Church is on a holiday break. Volunteers will return and the thrift center will resume its regular hours on Thursday, January 2. Until then, readers and residents are asked to not leave any donations at the West Street church. It can become overwhelming for the volunteers to return and find a significant number of items left for them to sort.

Our final Good Egg Award of this year is going to Pastor Rob Morris and the member of Christ the King Lutheran Church who shared their mother’s sugar cookie recipe with us last week. The Bee received two batches of cookies from the church recently, one each ahead of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Both batches were from the large collection of cookies that were baked and decorated by members of the Mt Pleasant Road community of faith and then shared with others in the community.

When our first batch was delivered in November, among the varieties included were sugar cookies that one member of our Production department fell in love with. When the second batch of cookies arrived last week, we made a point of asking Pastor Rob if he thought he knew who made the cookies and if he thought they would be willing to share the recipe with us. Within 48 hours he figured out whose cookies they were, made contact with that person, and the baker was gracious enough to share their recipe with us. The note that arrived with the recipe included the sweet note that not only was it their mother’s recipe that she used to make every Christmas, but the baker also still follows the recipe written in their mother’s handwriting, “which I treasure.” We love that! … and we love kindness and sharing, so we offer our thanks and a Good Egg Award to both people for demonstrating those good principles.

2025 Newtown Bee calendars are available at our office. Readers are welcome to visit 5 Church Hill Road and pick up a free calendar during office hours — Monday through Friday between 8 am and 5 pm. The calendars are located on the counter opposite the front door.

Speaking of calendars, one of the first Save The Date notes you can put in yours for next year will be for the inaugural Fairfield Hills Music Festival. Dina and Dave Sabia are organizing the event, scheduled for Saturday, May 17, 2025, and to feature live music, food trucks and a beer garden. Additional details are still TBA, but there’s something new to look forward to.

Meanwhile, as we put this week’s print edition to bed, many at this office are doing what so many others around the world are also doing: thinking about the past 12 months and vowing to do better during the next 12 (at least…). My resolutions for 2025 include being grateful for comfortable napping spots and all the people who take care of me, exhaling and relaxing just a little more, and maybe even keeping my desk tidier.

I hope your resolutions will include being happy, being healthy, remembering to hug your family and friends, enjoying life, and always remembering to come back and … read me again.