Well, all is nearly ready in most homes for Christmas. Prudy Whiting has a small tree in front of her house and her brother Allen and his wife Lynn have a lighted wreath outside their place.

Malcolm Hall of Oklahoma City and his wife Judy and their family wish all their Vineyard friends a very happy holiday season. Malcolm will be starting his okra seeds once he cleans up after a houseful of family and guests. Their daughter Emily and her husband Whitney will be flying out to join them for the holidays.

Cathlin Baker, minister of the First Congregational Church, has announced the Christmas worship schedule. You may choose to attend one of the two church services Tuesday evening offered by the First Congregational Church. Music begins at 4:30 p.m. and at 5 p.m. the annual children’s pageant will be held at the Agricultural Hall. Following the pageant, she extends an invitation to all those who would like to attend the traditional candlelight worship service in the church at 10 p.m. All are welcome to attend. In January church services will be held in the Agricultural Hall as the sanctuary will be undergoing restoration work. Same time, different location.

Nic Andre of Old County Road reports that his grandparents Manfred and Sabine Buettner of Kuehlungsborn, Germany, are visiting. They live in a town on the Baltic Sea that is much like the Vineyard. They find the people here great and always feel welcome wherever they go. They are going to stay for the holidays and will depart in January.

Bob Knight of Davis Look Road reports that his brother will be joining his daughter Minor and her son for the Christmas season.

Bob Luskin of Atlanta, Ga., reports that his wife Charlotte Fallon and her children Nathalie and Miranda, as well as his son Cass wish their Vineyard friends all the best for the holidays and good wishes for the New Year.

Sal Laterra arrived last Wednesday to visit Phyllis Meras at her Music street home. Sal left on Monday to fly out to Colorado so he could be with his children and grandchildren for the holidays.

Kathy Chaves Verner hosted a party for her parents Frank and Celeste Polagruto Sunday night. It marked their one-year anniversary of moving to the Vineyard.

Deb Mayhew of Panhandle Road reports that her daughter Katie survived camping out in 20-below temperatures and snow in the mountains of Vermont and has returned home for Christmas.

Linda Alley reports that tomorrow will be the next to last Winter Farmers’ Market at the Agricultural Hall, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Now is the time to get those last-minute holiday gifts from your favorite vendors. Come sit by the fire, have a hot lunch and shop. There are still lots of winter veggies, meat, chocolates, baked goods, jams and jellies and other products.

Anna Carringer, curator at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, supplied me with the following true story: Charles Macreading Vincent, better known as Charlie Mac, served nearly three years in the Civil War as a young man, documenting much of his time through letters to his family at home on the Vineyard. It’s not surprising that he kept these records because the position he held prior to entering the service was an apprentice at the Gazette. The museum holds a large collection of Charlie Mac’s letters, including one written from Folly Island, S.C.; it was his first Christmas away from home. After a filling meal of roast beef, turnips, potatoes, tomatoes and all the fixings, the soldiers were allowed to go off duty and spend the day competing in sack, wheelbarrow and foot races with prizes awarded by the officers. Charlie, however, did not take an active part in any of the games — except the dinner — and he thought he carried out his part of that as well as any of them.

Happy birthday to Rosalie Powell, Ray Gale, Shane Laderoute and Sally Huebscher today; Cathy Weiss, Alex Goethals, Emma Conley and Fausta Edey tomorrow; Barbara Silk, Mary Lou Delong and Carol Brown on Sunday; Faith Runner, Cecelia McCarthy, Wendy Gray, Mark Clements, Wendy Gray, Dr. Caroline Flyer and Omar Rayyan on Monday; Ann Howes, Holly Coyne, Marg Luening and Gabriel Robinson-Lynch on Tuesday; Steve Vages, Christina Montoya and Michael MacLean on Wednesday; Glenn Jackson, Charles Lewis and Rachel Baumrin on Thursday. Belated birthday greetings to Deborah Pigeon and anniversary wishes to Bob Bunch and Sandra Polleys.

Well, that is all of the social news for this edition. If you have any news about the holidays and guests at your house please call or email me (alleys@vineyard.net). We wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season.