If you thought some of Newtown’s finest looked a little fuzzy last week, you’re right. The Newtown police officers who participated in No Shave November, Officer Lorancaitis, Sergeant Smith, Officer Penna, Officer Mullhall, Sergeant Wood, Officer Greco and Officer Hull together raised $600 for the CT Cancer Foundation.

Joan Crick, only recently a Southbury resident after a long and happy lifetime in Newtown, was pretty thrilled to see that 23 The Boulevard was on the NYFS Holiday Festival House Tour this past weekend. She called to share with us that the house had once been the home of her aunt, Josephine Wright. The house was built by her “Aunt Jo” and husband-to-be, Frank, before their wedding day. Joan recalls that she and her mother would walk up from the Glover Avenue homestead to visit her aunt. “The Boulevard was only a few houses on the one side,” she recalled, also remembering how horses from the Budd place on Main Street would gallop down to The Boulevard through the then-open space and jump the fences. Her aunt, she said, was also a wonderful poet, and she regrets that none of the beautiful poetry was ever published. Thank you, Joan, for that bit of history!

The audience at the Flagpole Radio Cafe performance last Saturday night was wowed by the entire evening, from Flagpole Orchestra’s Francine Wheeler’s jazzy rendition of Merry Christmas, Baby to guest folk musician Lucy Kaplansky’s heartwarming songs — not to mention the clever remakes of holiday songs performed by the Orchestra and the witty skits from the regular performers. The next performance by the local group is February 8, 2020 — you might want to hustle to get tickets at flagpoleproductions.org!

Can you believe the size of the snowball Addison Coulter-DelRe formed at the 35th Annual Ram Pasture Tree Lighting on December 6? It was practically the size of her! Addison was kind enough to hold the snowball while my coworker took her photo with the large icy sphere.

Children of all ages are invited to come meet Santa Claus at the Newtown Stop & Shop, Sand Hill Plaza, this Saturday, December 14, from 10 am to 2 pm. Decorate holiday sugar cookies, or for a healthier snack, a snowman cheese stick, with their fellow elves for the day. Cookies and decoration supplies will be provided. Santa Claus will also hand out candy canes to all the children who take photos with him. Stop & Shop invites you to take photos with Stop & Shop’s hazard-monitoring robot, Marty, as well, who will be wearing his finest ugly sweater!

I love the miracle of Christmas that allows Santa to appear in multiple places. So don’t be surprised to find him reading The Polar Express, Saturday, December 14, at Byrd’s Books in Bethel, 178 Greenwood Avenue, from 11 to 11:30 am. (Santa just might look ever so slightly familiar to Sandy Hook residents...) Visit byrdsbooks.indielite.org/event/story-time-santa if you plan to go.

With The Toy Story in Bethel handily located near Byrds, maybe you’ll drop off a gift there when the Bethel Police and The Toy Room host their “Stuff-A-Cruiser” to benefit Bethel’s Social Services and The Women’s Center of Greater Danbury that day.

Also to benefit the Women’s Center of Greater Danbury, there’s a Yogathon going on at Yoga Dimensions, 87 South Main Street, this Sunday, December 15. From noon to 5:30 pm, your donations to the various classes will benefit that organization. Check out the details at yogadimensions.net or call 203-516-7073.

A reminder that one of St Rose of Lima Church’s annual events will return this weekend, when members offer a Living Nativity. All are invited to join members of the Catholic Church for 5 pm Mass, or immediately following that service on December 14, when they will walk to the stable on the church grounds, at 46 Church Hill Road, and take in a visual and musical experience celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Anyone who knows Sandy Hook resident Anthony Capozziello knows that he’s a big kid a heart when it comes to Christmas decorations. The Deputy Chief for Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue, Anthony is the leader of all things decorating for that company’s two stations. His house is also a beacon of decorations once the season arrives. And as this accompanying photo shows, he has now extended his decorating skills into the front office for Newtown Public Works.

I know the holidays mean you are spiffing up your living and working spaces. That Swiffer is probably getting a workout — and if you’re concerned about the packaging and toss aways of the mop products, here’s a chance to recycle. Swiffer has partnered with TerraCycle to make their Swiffer Sweeper, Duster, and WetJet refills nationally recyclable. Through the Swiffer Recycling Program, consumers can now send in the following Swiffer cleaning products to be recycled for free: Swiffer Sweeper Wet Mopping Cloths; Dry Sweeping Cloths; Wet Heavy-Duty Mopping Cloths; Dry Heavy-Duty Sweeping Cloths; Swiffer Dusters; Heavy-Duty Dusters; WetJet Mopping pads; WetJet Heavy-Duty Mopping pads; and WetJet Wood Mopping pads. Sign up at terracycle.com/en-us/brigades/swiffer and mail in the accepted waste using a prepaid shipping label. The waste is broken down, separated by material, and the plastics are cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products. Now, that’s a clean sweep!

You probably think of the Hawleyville Post Office as a place that is super busy this holiday season, but they still make time for something other than seeing that your packages get sent on their ways. The post office at 23 Barnabas Road (just off Exit 9 on Route 84), regularly processes passports from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, and 8:30 to 11:30 am on Saturday. And, if you have a group ready to travel, Hawleyville Post Office offers special evening or Saturday hours and can visit your organization at your convenience. Contact the post office at 203-426-0623.

Please note that a Community Service of Remembrance will take place Friday, December 13, at Adath Israel Synagogue, 115 Huntingtown Road, at 7:30 pm; an interfaith Service of Remembrance at Newtown Congregational Church, 14 West Street, at 9 am, Saturday, December 14; and a Mass of Remembrance at St Rose of Lima Catholic Church, 46 Church Hill Road, Saturday, December 14, at 9:30 am, honoring the memory of victims of 12/14. Also on December 14, those seeking healing can visit the Resiliency Center of Newtown, 153 South Main Street, between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm. Call 203-364-9750 or contact beth@resiliencycenterofnewtown.org for details.

FAITH Food Pantry, at 46 Church Hill Road (on the campus of, but not affiliated with, St Rose of Lima Church), will be closed the morning of Tuesday, December 24, Christmas Eve, but open New Year’s Eve. Otherwise, its regular schedule remains in place.

The Newtown Bee has a few longstanding traditions, including one to be celebrated in just a few weeks. Moms-to-be should keep us in mind as January 1 arrives, because we’ll be ready to celebrate The 2019 First Baby of Newtown. If you live in town and are pregnant, or know someone who lives in town who is pregnant and due soon, let them know. The child born closest to January 1 will earn for their family a carload of goodies, from gift certificates and items from local businesses to starter bank accounts and more. Associate Editor Shannon Hicks (203-426-3141 or shannon@thebee.com) will once again be waiting to hear from potential candidates.

As always, I hope for regular and potential readers to... Read me again.