Victor Ellul strolled around the corner from his home to the Cherry Grove Farm auction at the corner of Platt and Palestine Roads, November 15, and saw lots of interesting items, including ice cutters, chicken incubators — and just in time for winter, antique wooden horse drawn sleighs. Victor shared this photo of an old sleigh with us, and while I can’t tell if it is a “one-horse” sleigh, it certainly is an open sleigh. Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way… 

I suspect Bee education reporter Eliza Hallabeck wasn’t expecting to be “serenaded” by Sandy Hook Elementary School students when she went to take photos of the chorus preparing for its then upcoming winter concert last Thursday. When Sandy Hook School music teacher Maryrose Kristopik told the students they had time for one more song, a number of the students said they wanted to sing “Reindeer Boogie” one more time, because “The Bee” was there. No wonder Eliza returned to work smiling.

Kyle Watkins from the NHS XY Chromotomes men’s acappella group posted this fun video of the guys performing “Feliz Navidad,” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaW5AU2mDH4 — just in case you missed their awesome performance last Friday evening, at the Ram Pasture Tree Lighting.

 There’ll be a “HO-HO-Whole lot of fun with Mr and Mrs Claus this Saturday, at Maplewood at Newtown. Santa and Mrs Claus (what is her first name, does anyone know?) will be there, Saturday, December 13, from 1:30 until 3 pm, and hope plenty of area children will stop in to have milk and cookies with them. Children can have photos with the most famous residents of the North Pole, will be treated to entertainment, and each will be given a gift. Reservations are requested by calling 203-426-8118. Maplewood is located at 166 Mt Pleasant Road.

Speaking of holiday spirit, some of our staff finally got around to decorating the office, after last week’s deadline. Editorial staff thought they had the rest of the departments in The Bee beat when they went to collect the annual decorations; then they saw Antiques And The Arts Weekly advertising members had beat them to it. A tree was already set up in that area of The Bee…

Bee copy editor Janis Gibson felt her holiday spirit sagging, but thanks to a Sugar Hill Auto employee, she’s feeling “Fa-la-la!” again. It was a dark and stormy Friday night when Janis returned to her car on the lawn of John Reed Middle School in Redding, after attending the opening of the Mark Twain Art Fair —  only to discover her car had settled in the mud and wasn’t going anywhere easily. Concerned that further attempts to dislodge it would only make it sink lower, and snag on a tree stump partially beneath the vehicle, she called AAA, (so grateful she had remembered to renew her membership the week before). A flatbed truck from Newtown’s Sugar Hill Service Center, driven by an amiable young man name Justin, soon came to her rescue. She was impressed by his cheerful demeanor as he assessed the situation while standing in the rain and  crouching in the mud, and the concern he expressed about hooking up her vehicle, so as not to cause any damage when moving it. In less than an hour from her call, she was on her way home, warmed by the car’s heater and the kindness exhibited by a nice guy doing his job well in unpleasant circumstances. I think this calls for a Good Egg Award. Justin, you are definitely a Good Egg, in this cat’s eyes.

Hanukkah begins at sundown next Tuesday, December 16, so I send out my best wishes out to all who celebrate this holiday. I’ve got my dreidel ready to roll, but curious cat that I am, I wondered where did this game originate? Wikipedia offers this answer: “According to Jewish tradition, when the Jews were in caves learning Torah, hiding from the Seleucids, dreidel became a popular game to play. Legend has it that whenever the teacher heard the Seleucids soldiers approaching, he would instruct the children to hide their Torah scrolls and take out their dreidels instead.” Happy Hanukkah!

You’re probably mired in holiday happenings and happiness right now, but if you’re thinking ahead to tax season, consider making some final donations to your favorite charities. (The Newtown Labor Day Parade committee, for example, reminds residents that they welcome the chance to help with tax deductions — mail to Newtown Parade, PO Box 746, Newtown CT 06470.)

It was comforting to see kids working on quilt blocks for the Comfort Quilt project headed by Suzanne Davenport and Jan Brookes, this past Saturday, at the Breakfast With Santa event. The new quilt is being made in response to the loss of a special quilt sent to Sandy Hook, following 12/14. The original Comfort Quilt was made by children at St Hillary Catholic School in Fairlawn, Ohio, and sent to a school in New Jersey to offer support for children affected by 9/11. It has been shared with other places in need of comfort, but unfortunately, has gone astray since arriving in Newtown. The creation of a new Comfort Quilt will give our town the opportunity to pay it forward, should a need arise. Of course, we remain hopeful that whoever scooped up the St Hillary Comfort Quilt, accidentally or because it was irresistible, will one day return it to our town.

The Newtown Choral Society presents its annual Winter Concert this Sunday, December 14, at 3:30 pm, at the Newtown Meeting House. If you are seeking respite or looking for some holiday spirit, the choral members, under the direction of Mary Andreotta, have put together a program that will please. Tickets are $10 at the door, or $8 for senior citizens.

This weekend will be difficult for many in our town. Do what you can to soothe, support, and listen. No act of kindness is too small. I hope you have had the time to Honor With Action this week, to honor the memory of the 26 lives lost 12/14.

It matters not if it rains, sleets, or snows. I will gather the news for next week and hope that you will… Read me again.