“Hear the joy in every carol, Feel
the warmth from hearts that care,
Know that love is all around us,
Christmas joy is in the air!”

Glen Young, husband of Jane Benjamin Young, an English and advanced placement literature instructor at Petoskey High School, was recently selected as one of the 40 American teachers to participate in an educational exchange in 18 countries throughout the world.For two weeks in April, he will teach English in Ukraine and work on professional development with Ukrainian educators. Congratulations to Glen from Island friends.

Emory Barnwell is busy this winter building a new 22-foot motor boat to be launched in the spring. The boat, under construction on the coal dock, will be built with cypress, mahogany, and white oak. A gas/electric hybrid propulsion system will be designed and installed in the boat with assistance from Andy and Ed McGreevy.

Students from Mackinac Island Public Schools present a check for $144 to Tom Schenkel, coordinator of the St. Ignace Food Pantry, Thursday, December 17, at the pantry. Students pictured are (front, from left) Leon Sehoyan, Gabriel Hepker, Chris Riggs; (back row) Dana Roguska, and Kyra Kolatski. Kindergarten through third grade students held a toy sale this year, while fourth through seventh grade students organized a bake sale to raise money for the food pantry. Teachers said the students made the decision to sell their toys instead of exchanging Christmas gifts this year, making Thursday's donation possible. Lornie Porter will celebrate her birthday December 27, surrounded by members of her family. Happy birthday from Island friends.

Anthony Rickley will celebrate his birthday December 26. He is on the Lakers boys basketball team.

Chuck and Marsha Kleber will entertain 11 family members at their lovely home in Woodbluff over Christmas.

Fire Chief Dennis and Jackie Bradley will entertain their entire family for the Christmas holiday. Dennis, Jr. and family will travel from New York, David and family will be here from Kentucky, and Doris and family will drive up from Grand Rapids. It will be a wonderful gathering.

We send special Christmas greetings to Larry and Gary LaPine, Geraldine Wellington, and Georgiana Gustafson at Mackinac Straits Hospital Long Term Care facility in St. Ignace.

Mackinac is like a winter wonderland with all the fresh snow, so let’s go on a sleigh ride in an oldfashioned cutter with jingle bells. As we start down Main Street, the Chippewa is very festive with Christmas lights in each window and a decorated tree in the lobby. The manger scene at the head of the Arnold dock shares the true meaning of Christmas with everyone. Doud’s Market, Horn’s Bar, Patrick Sinclair’s Irish Pub, Mustang Lounge, Yankee Rebel, Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau, Loon Feather, Village Inn, and Iroquois Hotel are all bedecked for the season. The city tree and the lighted wreaths on the lampposts sparkle in the cool, crisp air. Turning onto Market Street, Cottage Inn, First National Bank, all the city buildings, Mackinac Island Medical Center, and many homes are showing the spirit of Christmas. Trotting up Cadotte Avenue and looking out toward the Mackinac Bridge, it is an amazing sight with the red and green lights reflecting on the Straits of Mackinac. Looking over the Jewel golf course toward Fort Mackinac, you will see a stately Christmas tree standing stalwart overlooking the town. In Harrisonville, it’s like a Christmas fairyland, with Santa Claus on the roof, Frosty the Snowman playing with the children, the star shining on the manger scene, and twinkling lights sparkling in the midnight sky. The Stonecliffe area is alive with the spirit of Christmas at the Chambers’ Gatehouse. Woodbluff, Trillium Heights, Stonecliffe Manor, and British Landing are in the holiday mood. The Annex, with the trees covered with snow, and the East Bluff decorated for the holidays, make a beautiful winter scene. Looking out over the Straits of Mackinac, two freighters pass in the Round Island Passage adorned with Christmas trees and colored lights, a wonderful sight. The Mission area twinkles in the moonlight as the bells at Ste. Anne’s peal out the Christmas message.

The Christmas Mass will be Thursday, December 24, at 8 p.m. with Father Rey Garcia S.J. officiating.

Tim Leeper, Jason St. Onge, and Andrew McGreevy will celebrate their birthdays December 24.

Deb and Mike Carley will celebrate their wedding anniversary December 31. Enjoy your day.

We send special birthday greetings to Dr. Carol Erickson December 31. Hope to see you on Mackinac during the holidays.

Happy birthday December 29 to Jim Chambers, Mary Patay, and little Dakoka Horn. Have a great day.

Happy birthday December 25 to Hannah Chambers and Jerry Horn.

Two of my favorite couples will celebrate their wedding anniversaries December 28, Dennis and Jackie Bradley and Paul and Betsy Allers. Have a wonderful day.

Dr. Fran and Lorna Straus enjoyed a month-long vacation. They spent one week in Germany visiting family members and then three weeks on a cruise, leaving from Greece and docking in Florida. Lorna said that crossing the ocean was very calm and relaxing.

Mike Iles will entertain his family on Mackinac for the Christmas holiday.

Students home for the holidays are Woody Beardsley from Michigan Technological University, Emma Chambers and Fuller Cowell from Ferris State University, Darcy Brodeur-Bunker and Robert Chambers from Northwestern Michigan College, Michael Gamble and Eric Cowell from Saginaw Valley State University, Sarah Porter and Ben Horn from the University of Michigan, and Tyler Finkel, Kyle Sweet, Arial Leeper, and Danielle Wightman from Michigan State University.

O, Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining as we wind our way to historic Ste. Anne’s to celebrate the birth of our Savior. A beautiful Christmas Mass will be held at 8 p.m. with Father Rey Garcia and Deacon Dean Hermann officiating. The altars will be banked with the traditional Christmas flower, the red and white poinsettias, antique lighted tapers, and gold lace dating back 100 years. Music will be provided by Peggy Bynoe, with the choir and congregation joining in the hymns. There will be refreshments after the service in Ste. Anne’s Hall. There will be a New Year’s Day Mass Friday, January 1, at 5 p.m. At Trinity Church, a very lovely candlelight service of Lessons and Carols will be held Thursday, December 24, at 5 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Mackinac is as beautiful and delightful as ever, now that everything is covered with the freshly-fallen snow. Sleigh bells can be heard in the distance. Trails are being groomed for the cross-country skiers. A fun time will be enjoyed by all the visitors coming to the Island during the Christmas and New Year holiday.

Sad news was reported Friday, December 18, about Jeff “Beef” Gamble of St. Ignace, who was critically injured in an accident aboard the freighter Wilfred Sykes. They were unloading cargo in Escanaba when he suffered a fall into a hatch. He was air lifted to Marquette General Hospital in Marquette, where he remains a patient. Jeff was a dedicated employee of Arnold Transit for many years and has a host of friends on Mackinac. He is a cousin of Mike Gamble. Please remember him with get well wishes.

As you look out at the Mackinac Bridge, bedecked for the season with red and green lights, you will see white swans gliding in the Straits of Mackinac. It is truly a beautiful sight.

Kevin Leveille reported seeing a bald eagle sitting on Windermere Point Thursday, December 17. There have been many sightings of these beautiful birds.

We send get well wishes to Toby Murray, who is recuperating from recent back surgery. Island friends send greetings.

Ellen and Sara Putnam will join Jennifer Putnam and Luke Shellhorne with little Owen Richard in Echo Bay, Ontario, for the Christmas holiday. It will be a great time for everyone.

When passing up Cadotte Avenue each day, one will see a very delightful sight in the side yard of the Chambers residence. It is an oldfashioned cutter with a horse hitched to it and Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus driving. At nighttime, the lights sparkle like snowflakes. It’s a perfect Mackinac scene filled with the holiday spirit.

Jeff Shaffer and Dwight Lapine will entertain Jeff’s parents, Jack and Sharon Shaffer, over the holidays at their lovely home on Market Street. Jeff is the chef, so they will all enjoy a great dinner.

Brady William Hardy and his parents, Ken and Vanessa, visited his grandparents, Ken and Nancy Hardy, in St. Ignace last week. Everyone had a great time.

Margaret McIntire departed Mackinac Friday, December 18, and will join Mary K. McIntire in Mexico for Christmas. She will go to Key West, Florida, until February 1. Have fun in the sun.

Police Chief Jim and Nancy Marks entertained friends at a Christmas party Saturday, December 19. There was lots of good food and many laughs.

Shayleen Mosley and Harold Polzin became engaged Saturday, December 12, at the annual Cowell family Christmas party at the Church of the Straits in Mackinaw City. Shayleen is the daughter of Ben and Louann Mosley of Mackinac and Harold is the son of Liz Hernandaz of Cadillac and Tammy Polzin and the late Harold Polzin of Chelsea. Grandparents are Lorma Kolatski and the late Jim Kolatski of Mackinac and Harold Polzin of Chelsea. Congratulations from Island friends.

Peg Cowell has joined her family in Green Bay, Wisconsin, for the winter months. We look forward to seeing you in the spring.

We send get well wishes to Pat Driscoll from Mission Point Resort, who was hospitalized Saturday, December 12. We are happy to report that Pat has returned to Mackinac and is doing well.

Congratulations to Pollyanna Smith and Dominic Redman, who became engaged Thursday, December 17. Pollyanna is the daughter of Candy Smith and the late William Smith of Mackinac and Dominic is the son of Carla and David Redman of Macomb Township. The happy couple is planning an October wedding.

Joe and Rosemary Kompsi left St. Ignace Friday, December 11, for their winter home in Englewood, Florida. They arrived safely and are settled until they return in April.

Our good friends Max and Carol Clifton of Muncie, Indiana, will celebrate their 66th wedding anniversary Wednesday, December 23. Island friends send best wishes.

We send get well wishes to Tymon Horn, who had knee surgery Tuesday, December 22. Please take it slow and easy.

Folks seen enjoying the Christmas Bazaar were Mary and Justin Barber of Mackinaw City and Madelyn LaPorte of the Detroit area. Everyone had a great time.

A special thank you to Candy Smith and the Mackinac Island Lions Club for their generous donation to the Christmas Bazaar.

Debra and Sandra Orr are spending Christmas in New Zealand with their sister, Marsha, who is teaching there. Vic Callewaert has been house-sitting for them in Naples, Florida.

Steve Moskwa is making a good recovery from his recent knee surgery Friday, December 11.

Michigan State Police Trooper Joe Brodeur of Chelsea joined his grandfather, Dennis, for his 89th birthday celebration.

Family and friends gathered Tuesday, December 15, at the Mackinac Island Public School for the annual Christmas play. The children did a great job entertaining, singing, and spreading the holiday spirit.

Cindi and Skip Kutsop and family from Mountainside, New Jersey, are spending the holidays at their lovely Ship Watch condominium. It’s nice to see you back on Mackinac.

Thursday, December 10, the Lakers girls and boys basketball teams boarded a bus bound for Put In Bay, Ohio. We were experiencing a heavy snowfall, so it took them two hours to get to Gaylord. Friday morning, December 11, they arrived in Ohio and had to be flown to the island. The folks on Put In Bay rolled out the red carpet for everyone from Mackinac. They were truly treated like royalty. The Mackinac Island Lakers boys won a very spirited game, which was a real thriller. The students and chaperones enjoyed sightseeing, museums, touring caves, shopping, wonderful food, and great accommodations. Everyone was so excited about the awesome trip. A special thank you to everyone in Put In Bay for their wonderful hospitality. There was a big write-up in the Put In Bay Gazette about the Mackinac visit. The Mackinac Island community looks forward to hosting the students from Put In Bay sometime next fall.

Joan Barch is visiting her mother in Palm City, Florida. She will be joined by her daughter and son-inlaw, Julie and Jim Fisher, and their son, Jordan, for the Christmas holiday. Have fun in the sun.

Glenn and Deana St. Onge will join their son, Jason, at his home in Stonecliffe Manor for Christmas.

May the warmth and the joy of

the season, Make your Christmastime

happy and bright, May each day of the year that’s beginning, Be just perfect from morning till night.

Merry Christmas to everyone!