Hope everyone had a happy and filling Thanksgiving. No rest to digest as we immediately begin to prepare for Christmas. Note on your calendar that we are invited to gather for “Southport Lights Up” accompanied by food and drink at the Southport General Store on Friday, Dec. 6 beginning at 4:30 p.m. Santa has been notified and is getting his motorcycle ready since we as yet have no snow. Special soups and pizzas will be for sale to save you from cooking dinner.

The next day, Saturday, Dec. 7 you can add to your Christmas decorations by signing up to color eggs at the Pysanky Egg Dying Workshop to be held at the Southport General Store from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. I had always thought of these highly decorated eggs as Easter decorations, but they look lovely also for Christmas.

Carole Zalucky asks that you consider joining hosts, Gussie and Joe Stanislaw, on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at the Lincoln Theater for a 5:15 p.m. showing of the documentary, “After the Rain: Putin's Stolen Children Come Home.” In a forest by the sea, children who were once illegally deported to Russia find healing through animal therapy. The joy Sasha and Veronika discover in the forest makes it easy to forget their stories, which is the reason the International Criminal Court recently issued an arrest warrant for Putin. This free event is open to the public, and no tickets or reservations are needed to attend. A conversation with film director Sarah McCarthy will follow the film. The address is 2 Theater St, Damariscotta.

An act of giving is available for all at the Southport Memorial Library where you can bring food for the Food Pantry. Look for a container just as you enter in front of the main desk. Of course the food donated must be sustainable without refrigeration, no leftover turkey or pumpkin pie!

Winter has finally arrived at least as defined by temperature allowing the above ground ice rink to be set up at the Southport Central School. In addition to the students, those with strong enough ankles are also allowed to skate. Have fun everyone. My skating days are over.

Good news is that June Elderkin is back home, I hope resting comfortably and gaining strength after several sessions in the hospital and in rehab at St. Andrews.

To full your hearts with more seasonal cheer, come to the Southport Central School concert on Dec. 11, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Southport Town Hall. Always a creative event.

Other not such good news is that Leal Brinegar, a long-time summer resident on Marrs Point and then year-round resident, died on Wednesday, Nov. 27. Due to dementia she had been in living in recent months at HillHouse in Bath, Maine. Son, Chase, will be taking his dad, Will, to Texas to be with his family during this winter. Many of us remember Leal as an active, vibrant woman, ready to jump into whatever task presented itself, especially organizing the arts and craft show at the Southport Yacht Club, hard at work with the Garden Club, and suggesting and making possible the Christmas Eve services at All Saints by-the-Sea. An obituary with picture will be published soon in this paper. From the picture you will see the good will and energy that defined her life.

Once again some news from the town office. Nomination papers are available at the Southport Town Hall for (1) a three-year term as Selectman, Assessor, and Overseer of the Poor, (2) School Committee Member for a one-year term, (3) School Committee Member for a three-year term, (4) Boothbay Region Water District Trustee for a three- year term. Papers must be returned by noon on Jan. 2, 2025. You will see some of these papers around town ready for your signature in support of the candidate whose name is on the document.

Another notice from the town office is that dog registrations are now available. All dogs over six months old must be registered by Jan. 1, 2025. Proof of vaccination is required. After Jan. 31, 2025, owners will be charged a $25 fee. If you are interested in the town budget, note that the Southport town budget meeting is scheduled for Jan. 15 at 6 p.m.