Drivers had their hands full last Thursday night when the first storm of the season dumped copious amounts of snow in a short time on commuters heading home. Thank you to all who took the time to go slow and watch out for others on the road. It’s always tricky when snow coats the streets, but particularly when an early snowfall might mean snow tires not yet on, and snow driving skills a little rusty. Pat yourselves on the back if you made it home safe and sound or helped someone else to do so. And good luck — winter has only begun!

Thank you, too, to all who supported this past weekend’s Fill the Fire Trucks event at The Big Y and Stop & Shop or helped put together the holiday baskets sponsored by Women Involved In Newtown late last week. Keep your eyes open for more opportunities to help your neighbors during a difficult time, during the holidays and every day.

I’m handing out a Good Egg Award to Mark Murphy. Mark, the owner of Murphy’s Pub, 71 South Main Street, is hosting a full dinner on Thanksgiving Day for anyone seeking companionship or in need. Beginning at 1 pm on Thursday, the Second Annual Richard T. Murphy Thanksgiving Feast welcomes all. What a generous offer! Newtown is thankful for people like Mark, who is a picture perfect Good Egg! 

Audubon Connecticut invites all to celebrate the outdoors and Opt Outside — take a walk at its centers and sanctuaries, with FREE admission Friday, November 23. (And if you’re reading this on the far side of Friday, a walk any day is still great advice.) For a list of centers and sanctuaries and their hours, visit http://ct.audubon.org/about-us/centers-sancturies-and-chapters.

Thanksgiving often heralds the beginning of holiday decorating, and Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue is ready to help you get underway. Trees, kissing balls, pine roping, and more will be sold at the 18-20 Riverside Road station, beginning this Friday, November 23, from noon to 9 pm. If you are more leisurely about setting up your tree, not to worry: the firefighters will be selling these items every day through December 23 — if they don’t sell out.

Craft fairs offer lots of holiday ideas, and the Newtown Holiday Craft Festival will take place in the gymnasium at the Edmond Town Hall, this Sunday, November 25, from 11 am to 5 pm. Admission is free.

It is a really busy at the local supermarkets this time of year. Please be sure that you are parking cordially — one spot per car, please! Be sure to leave those handicap parking spots clear, too, including the striped areas to the side. It may seem handy to leave a used cart there, but the extra space enables those with special vans to easily get in and out of the vehicles. Courtesy is the least we can extend our friends and neighbors.

With a high of 23 degrees predicted for Thursday, we might hear more teeth chattering than usual at the annual Turkey Trot Race. The morning could dawn a few degrees colder than that high temperature, meaning a pretty crisp start to the 7:45 am run. The good news? It should be sunny. Go Turkey Trotters!

Congratulations to the students at Newtown High School for pulling off the production of The Crucible. The student-produced show was stymied by last Thursday’s late afternoon snowstorm, but came back full force for the Friday night show, despite school being canceled that day. Hope you had a chance to see it that evening or on Saturday or Sunday. Their hard work is to be applauded.

Enough with the cold weather. Down in sunny Florida, Simon Pategas, the son of Dianna and Greg Pategas, found a surprise on the end of his fishing hook recently. Simon hooked a 2-foot hammerhead shark while fishing in the intercoastal waterway north of Cape Canaveral.  Apparently, this is the largest fish Simon has hauled in over his young fishing career. “We didn’t know what kind of marine life was on the hook,” says Auntie Tina, until it was netted. “Not something you catch every day... nor want to,” she added.

Just because it is the holidays does not mean birthdays don’t keep coming at us. And just because the Ferris Acres Creamery is closed for the season doesn’t mean there is no way to enjoy a delicious ice cream cake from the business: send in your child’s head-and-shoulders photo, age, birthdate, and your contact information to eliza@thebee.com. One child featured each week on the Bee’s Birthday Cake page in the Education section will win an ice cream cake. (I’d be licking my whiskers for a chance to win!)

Get out your Sharpie to mark more “X’s” on the calendar. The annual Ram Pasture Tree Lighting takes place this year on Friday, November 30, with festivities underway at 6:30 pm. Or check out the Sandy Hook tree lighting on Saturday evening, December 1, in the village center. The fun is scheduled to begin at 4 pm. Maybe you’ll find St Nick hovering about at 5 pm... It’s a Community Holiday Concert, December 1, as well, at Newtown Congregational Church, 14 West Street. Listen to a steel drum band and a capella groups from NHS, and join in singing carols. The FREE concert begins at 7 pm, followed by refreshments.

You’ll need to relax a bit after the December 1 activities about town (check out our print and online calendars) and the NYFS Holiday Festival events during the day on Sunday, December 2. The Newtown Choral Society has just the thing: the annual winter concert. The December 2 concert at The Meeting House, 31 Main Street, bursts into song at 4 pm. Tickets are $10 at the door, $8 for students and senior citizens.

From there, you can dash over to Hawleyville, where the tree lighting celebration at 23 Barnabas Road will take place from 5:30 to 6:30 pm — and maybe another glimpse of Santa.

The lobby of The Newtown Bee has a new donation box — it’s time for the US Marines’ Toys For Tots campaign. Stop by our 5 Church Hill Road office during regular office hours (Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm) and drop off donations. Unwrapped gifts for children of all ages are needed. You can be part of a very happy holiday for some child in Connecticut. Thank you, in advance.

Wishing all a Happy Thanksgiving, of course, before the gallop toward the year’s end begins! Be sure next week to... Read me again.