Belated birthday wishes to Laura Lerman, who celebrated an amazing milestone last week. I caught myself bumping my paw to my forehead hours after I filed last week’s column because of course that was when I realized I’d failed to send good wishes in advance. We joked at the office that Laura’s big birthday was the reason for last week’s cancellation of the December 4 Newtown Cultural Arts Commission meeting. Whether that was the reason for the cancellation or not, I hope she had a wonderful day.

They may not have had milestone celebrations themselves, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention fellow Newtown residents Neil Chaudhary and Gary Fillion also had birthdays on December 4.

Big congratulations to former Newtown resident Bernie Meehan, who will be inducted into The Connecticut State Firefighters Association Hall of Fame in the spring. A deputy chief at Danbury Fire Department, a volunteer firefighter with Roxbury Volunteer Fire Department, and a fire coordinator for Litchfield County, Bernie’s career in the fire service began when he joined Newtown Hook & Ladder at age 16. His has been a very steady presence in the fire service across the region for decades. I look forward to celebrating Bernie and the seven others from across the state who will be celebrated in a few months.

While I am happy to hear Warden Jay Maher has not fallen and broken his leg (despite news to the contrary announced through his hacked email account a few weeks ago, when spam emails requesting gift card-related assistance were sent to many of his contacts), I overheard while passing the slightly open window of The Alley Room in Edmond Town Hall that Burgess Jim Gaston is Newtown’s newest resident hipster. Jim is recovering from recent hip replacement surgery, something that seems mighty popular with Newtown residents lately. While Jim was moving around just fine at the Burgess meeting Tuesday night, I still wish him the best. Happy recovery, Jim! And remember, four legs are still faster than two, so no racing me out in the street at night.

I always try to share happy news in this space, and this week I really have a nice piece. Fiat Islami, who owns Papa Al’s Pizza Pasta Subs in Hawleyville, is offering to prepare a free Christmas meal for the first ten people who need them this season. He announced the special offer early last week, and had heard from a few people by last Friday. The offer is going to remain open until December 23, or the requests are filled, he told me December 5. “I’m just trying to do a good thing. I know people are struggling,” he said. I hope people are honest. This is a very, very nice thing Fiat and his staff will be doing. They plan to cook the meals on December 24, with pickups scheduled between 11 am and 4 pm. If you could use some help putting a nice warm meal on the table for December 25, call Fiat or Tani at Papa Al’s (203-426-2323) and let them know how many people you’ll have with you.

Speaking of happy news, I hear The Little Book Store at C.H. Booth Library has reopened. Hooray! The fundraiser through Friends of the C.H. Booth Library has been temporarily closed while the library is undergoing a complete replacement of its HVAC system. Different areas of the building have been closed, or temporarily moving, since the launch of work in August. The library has also pivoted much of its programming, moving many off-site or a larger number to virtual presentations.

The reopening of The Little Book Store is something I’ve been waiting for. I’ve been working through a pile of books I bought there last year, knowing the store would be unavailable for at least a few months. I finished the last book in that pile just this week. Talk about timing! Now I can donate the books I’ve read back to the Friends, and scoop up some new reads.

As of this week, the library has reached the third phase of the HVAC project and the building’s rear doors are currently closed to traffic. Entry to 25 Main Street is now through the front door or the sliders near the Children’s Department. And while the book store has reopened (yay!), the Friends are not yet receiving donations at the library. All books, puzzles, media, gift items, etc should still be taken to their building at 17 Old Farm Road, near Newtown Park & Bark. Donations are accepted there on Wednesdays and Saturdays between 10 am and noon.

Panacea had so much fun performing a Twixtmas show last year, they’re ready to do it again. Leslie Ballard and her brother Corky, two of the original members of the band that was formed in the early 1970s, while its four members were students at Newtown High School, played a between-Christmas-Hanukkah-and-New Year’s show last December at Aquila’s Nest, to a great response. They had so much fun, and heard from others who enjoyed the all-ages event, that they’re going to do this Twixtmas thing again. Leslie and Corky, along with friends and fellow musicians keyboardist Christian Martirano and percussionist Tony Traina, will be at Aquila’s Nest Vineyards in Sandy Hook on Sunday, December 28. The Panacea & Friends Twixtmas Party 2025 will include some of the band’s favorite songs from the 60s to today. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear some holiday favorites as well. Showtime is 4 pm, tickets are $25 (free for age 18 and under but they must be accompanied by an adult/guardian) and required for everyone planning to attend. Visit aquilasnestvineyards.com for full details including what you can and cannot carry in with you in terms of refreshments.

I bet it’d be OK to carry in some reading material if you arrive early for that show. We were so tickled to receive a wonderful surprise in the mail recently: a copy of The Cheektowaga Bee from Maureen Will. A weekly newspaper out of the town of the same name in Erie County, New York, Mauren said the recent issue of The Cheektowaga Bee she shared with us was picked up by a friend of hers while he was traveling in Canada recently. That makes sense. A suburb of Buffalo, Cheektowaga is within splashing distance of Niagara Falls. The Cheektowaga Bee is part of the Bee Group Newspapers, which is based in Buffalo and publishes nine different titles. We’ve enjoyed reading our copy of the paper, very much. There was coverage of that town’s recent elections (which also resulted in a major shift in their aftermath), a police blotter with a concerning number of people being contacted by scammers, and even their version of The Way We Were (which they call Out of the Past). It’s great to see other communities continue to be served by journalists who remain committed to collecting, reporting and preserving local history.

We also received a nice note this week from The Garden Club of Newtown, who said last weekend’s Holiday Greens Sale was “the best year ever.” It’s always nice to hear when a local group does well with a special event. That annual sale sends beautiful wreaths, centerpieces, and other items out into the world in time for the holidays while also raising funds for the club. The club then uses at least some of those funds toward scholarships. Sounds to me like a real win-win-win formula.

Classically Trained Cellist. Retired Superintendent of Schools. Photographer Extraordinaire. Electrician in a pinch? Bill Glass is certainly the first three, and last Saturday night he fell into the fourth by happenstance after a scare ahead of the Sandy Hook Center tree lighting. It seems there was a short in an outlet near the tree on the corner of Riverside Road and Washington Avenue, as one event organizer discovered while the clock was ticking toward 6:30. A fuse was blown on the lamp post closest to the tree that was to be lit. Yikes! As crowds gathered and filled the streets of the business district, Bill and the event organizer discovered the blown fuse and had to do some very quick thinking (I’m not mentioning the other person by name because I’m not sure they want me to be that specific with my story telling here). Santa was nearby, having arrived by fire truck. Children and parents and hundreds of others were getting ready to count down. Excitement was building. Just in the St Nick of time, Bill and his new bestie unplugged cords from the bad outlet and scrambled to get them into working outlets and voila! Another beautiful tree lighting is now in the books for Sandy Hook.

For the 26th year, Newtown Police Department Officer Maryhelen McCarthy has set up a Mitten Tree in the lobby of the police department. Donations of new and gently used winter hats, mittens and gloves are being accepted at the tree, within 191 Main Street South, until January 1. At that time the collection will be given to Newtown Center for Support & Wellness, helping local families in need during the winter season. Meanwhile, if you or someone you know needs help right away, you are invited to visit the Mitten Tree and take what you need. According to an online post this week by the PD, there is no need to ask. “That’s what it’s there for,” the December 9 post concludes.

I’m here for you, my friends. I hope that warms your heart the way thinking about you warms mine. Don’t let the stress of the holiday season overwhelm you. Try to focus on the good. Think happy thoughts. I think of catnip, and naps, and mice, and my friends. Let’s check in with each other again next week, when it will be time to … read me again.