The doorbell rang a few days ago – I wasn’t expecting guests, so I figured that the FedEx guy needed my signature, or a neighbor was returning some wrongly-delivered bill.  Wrong again.  I was met by two of Santa’s more talkative and hardworking elves – Chip Griffin and Robin Reed.  For as long as I can remember, the club has given wreaths to the widows and widowers in our membership, and for as long as I can remember, Chip and Robin are the guys that have done the delivering.

Back in the bad old days – before the club was co-ed – wreaths would be given to the widows of former members.  But that was then, and this is now, and today, the guys deliver to everyone in the club who has lost a spouse as well as everyone in the community who has lost a spouse who was formerly a member of the club.  Got that?  This year, their delivery list was 15-people strong.  

And it’s even better than that, because the wreaths come from the Bath Sunrise club, which every year sells Christmas cheer as a fundraiser.  

Anyway, wreath delivery is a custom that speaks to the camaraderie that emanates from our club.  I travel the world for Rotary, and I seldom meet fellowship as strong as I receive right here at home. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. 

And speaking of camaraderie:  President Laurie promises that on Thursday, Dec 4, our meeting will be a spirited evening of “Get to know your Rotary neighbors." This correspondent was given a glimmer of what the event entails, and let’s just say: No personal embarrassments, no cheating, and no built-in bias in favor of Mike Thompson, our undisputed Trivia King.  So come on out, and let’s have a fun night with our fellow club members.  Isn’t that what makes the club tick, anyway? 

The following Sunday, December 7, the Rotary District is planning a Holiday Open House and Hands-on Project to write Holiday cards and supply warming packages to nursing home residents who could use a bit of Holiday cheer.  The event will run from noon to 3 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn, 5 Park Street, Freeport. We are invited to bring new socks, gloves, handwarmers or travel-sized hygiene kits, or a donation to help with the purchase of the same. This correspondent plans to take part; please get in touch with me if you’d like to carpool and help spread some holiday cheer. 

At our “regular” meeting Thursday, Dec 11, I’ll be speaking about the Rotary Foundation, the 501(c )3 that is behind all the good works we and 37,000 other Rotary Clubs around the world accomplish.  From a world-wide effort to eliminate a highly contagious disease, to the work we do in our own hometown, the Rotary Foundation is the engine that makes all this financially possible – and which along the way racks up kudos for both its management and its transparency.  It is the board of this Foundation that I have had the honor to serve for more than three years now, and I will share some musings and learnings as the months tick down to the end of my term.  

The following Saturday, Dec 13, is the last (last) last day that the Rotary barn will be open.  We will have the usual hours: 8:30 to 11 a.m., and then the doors close until early April. Already, pickups have ended for the year (no exceptions); come on out for your last chance to turn trash into treasure.  Remember, it’s Barn sales that make possible all the local work we do, so every dollar spent at the Barn has really been spent to support the Food Pantry, Food for Thought, our school kids’ extracurriculars, and so much more.  We love it when you spend – because we get to give back!

Thursday, Dec. 18, marks our ever-popular Christmas party. Bring a dessert or appetizer to share, wear Christmas bling or a Christmas sweater (ugly or otherwise) or all of the above.  Bring children, friends, neighbors, people who owe you money … you get the idea; just bring.  That will be the last night we gather before the holidays; the Rotary Clubhouse will be “dark” on December 25 and January 1 while visions of sugar plums dance in our heads.

All this activity takes volunteers – sign up for housekeeping duties on People Power online on our website (www.boothbayharborrotary.org) or via old-fashioned pencilat a meeting. But do sign up.  

Interested in Rotary and what we do?  Except for holidays, we meet Thursday evenings at the Rotary Clubhouse, 66 Montgomery Street, Boothbay Harbor.  Conversation and cocktails are underway by 6:00 pm; dinner is served at 6:30, and we are outta there by 8:00 pm. Ask any Rotarian or come by and see for yourself.  The Big Gray Rotary barn is across the parking lot at the same address, stocked to the gills (do barns have gills?) with delights that range from furniture to collectibles to housewares to tools to Holiday specials. Come on by and buy.