•The weekend of December 4th was a hectic one, beginning with the Night of Old-Fashioned Shopping where stores and side­walks overflowed with people happily kicking off the holiday season. Congratulations to the stores and the Cham­ber of Commerce on a great night. Sunday afternoon was the tree-lighting at Argyle Park. I remember scores of tree lightings in the past, standing in line with my parents to see Santa arrive on a fire truck and then having an opportunity to speak to the great man himself (courtesy of the Bab­ylon Fire Department). At that time, if you were lucky, you’d find a number on your candy cane and win a big prize (TVs and bikes) from local merchants. Parents and children all chimed in on the Christmas carols led by the Baby­lon Business and Professional Women. Many years ago, the Babylon Historical Society began hosting a Wassail Bowl open to the entire village that carries through to this day. For decades now, the Boy Scouts have hosted a spaghet­ti dinner from early afternoon into the evening and parents and children stream through the doors of the High School. All of these events are integral parts of the holidays in Babylon Village and these are the things that bring the community together to make this such a special place to live.

•Speaking of special things, con­gratulations to the cast and crew of “Les Miserables”, presented at Babylon High School this past weekend!!! Ev­eryone did an outstanding job! Espe­cially noteworthy were the two male leads. Jean Valjean was played by Mi­chael Zigon and Inspector Javert was played by Martin Castonguay. Dan­iel Wright made a great Marius, the leader of the student rebels. Katherine Sherwood, Brooke Wexler, MacKen­zie Owens, Matthew McLean, Claudia Weldon, Matthew Fama, Christine Antolini, Alexander Leitch and Eliza­beth Oman played main characters, all of whom gave excellent performances. Everyone in the Ensemble as well as the orchestra and crew helped to round out a top-notch musical! Having seen the Broadway show numerous times, I was astounded at the quality of this production.

•In December, everyone is extra busy, but try to load the family in the car and drive around to see the holiday lights and decorations one evening. It’s lots of fun and makes for a wonderful family memory. For another evening, sit down with the DVD “A Christmas Story” which is the Ghost of Christmas Past for so many of us. Your kids will love it too! You don’t have to spend a lot of money to make Christmas a time to bond with your family. •It’s amazing to think that in three weeks, 2009 will be over. How would you rate 2009? In January we had the inauguration of the first African-Amer­ican President. For millions of people here and around the world, that made 2009 a banner year! For others there were mixed emotions. Surely one of the best things to happen was the “Miracle on the Hudson” for which an entire nation re­joiced and celebrated the survival of every­one aboard due to the skilled flight crew and perhaps some help from Above. Theappointment of a La­tino woman to the U.S. Supreme Court struck still another blow for equality. Just when the nation seemed poised on the brink of a second Depression, things were slowly reversed and there now seem to be light at the end of the tunnel. Unless you’re one of the count­less people who still don’t have a job or have lost their home. If you are, our hearts go out to you and hopefully re­lief will come soon. We’ve withdrawn thousands of troops out of one war, only to ship off thousands more to an­other. Our hearts and prayers go out to those brave men and women as well as to their families. Every year seems to have as much hardship as happi­ness.

But we need to focus more on the happiness and make a vow that in 2010 we’ll each do our part to make it an even better year. Happy Holidays and an especially Happy New Year to you and yours. Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men.