Congratulations to Claudia Traina, for a few reasons. Claudia was the winner of a one-year subscription to this newspaper, a special raffle prize offered during the Panacea & Friends Twixtmas show at Aquila’s Nest Vineyards a few weeks ago. Original band member Leslie Ballard coordinated the raffle, and shared Claudia was “thrilled” to find out she would have her new hometown newspaper delivered every week.

Yes, new hometown — Claudia and her husband moved into town less than a year ago, so congratulations on that choice. We’re glad to have you within these 59.1 square miles, and also very happy to have you on our subscription rolls. Finally, congratulations to Claudia and Tony, who are newlyweds.

This is a smidge late, but continued congratulations to staff and guests of The Mattatuck Museum, who spent part of New Year’s Day making PB&Js for others. While this is a little out of our regular coverage area, it’s too good to not mention. According to a note I received last Friday morning, volunteers at the Waterbury museum made 2,026 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches right after the clock hit noon January 1. The project was done in partnership with Feed the Need Northeast and Greater Waterbury Chamber of Commerce. Its mission was to support local agencies addressing food insecurity, scarcity, and homelessness. You folks earn my first Good Egg Award of 2026.

A similar effort took place a few weeks ago at Newtown Congregational Church, where members of that West Street community of faith joined together following worship service to make 80 ham and cheese sandwiches for Dorothy Day House in Danbury. The sandwich-making team was even lucky enough to be serenaded by a multi-generational pop-up chorus.

It’s an exciting weekend for Trinity Church, whose members will join family and friends of Reverend Allison Brown in Hartford on Saturday for her Ordination of Sacred Order of Priests. Allison agreed to be featured in Snapshot recently, so we’ve timed her appearance to coincide with her big weekend. You may have noticed her smiling face on page A2 of this week’s paper. Her Snapshot will also appear online Wednesday morning. I look forward to getting to know her as she continues to settle into her growing roles at the historic church on Main Street. I understand Allison’s office has a very comfortable chair that’s just perfect for anyone to curl up in.

Bruce the Spruce is already curling up, or at least this month’s costume is inviting everyone to curl up … around a cup of tea. Bruce is celebrating National Hot Tea Month. He was impressed to read that tea, according to Tea Association of the USA Inc, “is the most widely consumed beverage in the world next to water and can be found in more than 80% of all US households. It is the only beverage commonly served hot or iced, anytime, anywhere, for any occasion. On any given day, some 160 million Americans are drinking tea.”

Further, in 2024 Americans consumed about 86 billion servings or tea, or approximately 4 billion gallons. About 86% of all tea consumed was black tea, 14% was green tea (Bruce’s tea of choice, natch), and the remainder was oolong, white, and dark tea.

I’d say the folks at Newtown Historical Society already had an inkling about this month’s observation, considering they will be hosting a Cozy New England Tea at Newtown Meeting House next weekend. All are invited to join the historical society and a speaker from Bigelow Tea, who will give a presentation on the history of tea and share samples. There will also be a presentation on the part the historic meeting house has played in Newtown’s past. Cost is $35 per person and reservations are required; send a note to office@newtownhistory.org if you’d like to join the fun.

It’s time to update our files for the 2026 Guide To Newtown. Sales reps are calling on their regular customers, but we also encourage anyone with a local business who may not advertise regularly to contact us for this annual guide that covers all things Newtown. Truly! Where else can you find, in one print publication, information on this town’s government officials, Newtown Health District, Town holidays, Borough officials, emergency services, clubs and organizations, schools and education, sports and recreation, communities of worship, places and phone numbers you should know, and even who our state legislators are and how to contact them? Our Editorial staff goes through all those sections every January, checking names, phone numbers, descriptions, and all other details, just to make sure we then publish and share the most up-to-date information available (at the time of publication, of course).

If you’re part of a Newtown-based nonprofit group that isn’t already listed in that guide, please contact us. There’s no fee to be listed. Clubs & Organizations is already the largest section of the Guide, but there’s nothing that says it can’t grow further. This year’s deadline for additions, whether paid advertisements or additions to the different sections within the Guide, is Friday, January 16. Call our office at 203-426-3141 if you’d like to join the party. Business owners can also contact our Advertising department via ads@thebee.com. Representatives of clubs, organizations, sporting groups, and other entities we may not already know about are invited to contact our Editorial department at editor@thebee.com.

Laura and Ken Lerman were thinking alike when they were planning their New Year’s Eve dinner last week. The key lime pie sure looked good at The Daily Rise Bakery in Sandy Hook, so Laura, as she was leaving after having coffee with Nancy Dvorin Wednesday afternoon, went to the counter to buy one before they ran out. Already at the counter, however, was husband Kenneth, who had stopped off on his way home to buy … the same key lime pie for their New Year’s Eve dinner!

I love when people think alike. I hope you’ll think of me next week, when it will be time to come back here and … read me again.