Free your inner Santa
Keep in mind this season that there are many ways to help others. Some of the easiest are right here in town. Drop off unwrapped toys at the Police Station or at Ferns. While you’re at Ferns, give a donation to the Salvation Army Kettle It’s amazing how jolly you’ll feel.
Children’s fun at FRS Holiday Greens
The First Religious Society in Carlisle (27 School Street), will hold its annual Holiday Greens Sale and Craft Fair on Saturday, December 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Featured will be decorated boxwood trees and rings, and decorated wreaths will be hanging from the rafters. There will also be delicious, festive Christmas and seasonal foods for your holiday giving.
Downstairs there will be free little kids yoga starting at 11 a.m. and kids crafts with cinnamon sticks from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Genealogy gathering at the Gleason
Come for a holiday genealogy gathering on Tuesday, December 10, starting at 6:30 p.m. upstairs at the Gleason Library. Show your breakthroughs, ancestral charts, stories, photos and family heirlooms, anything about your family history, or just come and listen. This event is hosted by local genealogist Claire Smith.
New year, new carpeting
The Gleason Public Library is scheduled to be re-carpeted the week of January 6, 2020. The library will be open for all regular hours, but access to many library collections and services will be limited each day. The work is planned to take approximately one week.
The lobby and restrooms will remain open, and holds and museum passes will be available for pickup. The Community Book Club on January 6 and Reading Poetry Anew on January 7 will be held at Carlisle Town Hall, Clark Room.
For more information, call the library at 1-978-369-4898, email info@gleasonlibrary.org, or check at gleasonlibrary.org or the Gleason Facebook page.
First Religious Society presents a Winter Holidays Concert
The First Religious Society (FRS) in Carlisle will present its annual Winter Holidays Concert on Saturday, December 7, at 7 p.m. This festive, participatory event will ring in the season with carols, songs, and instrumental music presented by the adult and teen choirs, soloists, handbell ringers, and the jazz ensemble. The concert is suitable for people of all ages and is interactive with audience participation encouraged. The adult choir will perform John Rutter’s lively “Sans Day Carol,” Baruch Cohon’s stirring Chanukah song “Al HaNisim” and other works. The handbell ringers will present arrangements of holiday favorites, and the jazz ensemble will offer their renditions of familiar holiday jazz standards. The program will also include vocal and instrumental solos by FRS members and guests, and carols and songs celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas, and the Winter Solstice sung by all. Admission is free and a reception follows the concert.
For more information, visit www. uucarlisle.org or call 1-978-369-5180.
Square and contra dance with Roaring Jelly
A contra and square dance with live music by Roaring Jelly and caller Dereck Kalish will be held at the First Religious Society, 27 School Street, Carlisle on Friday, December 20 from 8 to 11 p.m. All dances are taught; beginners, singles, and families are welcome. Bring clean shoes. Doors open 7:30 p.m., instruction for newcomers is given at 7:45 p.m. Adults $8, teens $5, children 12 and under are free with a parent, family max $20. For infomation, call 1-781-259-0753 or see roaringjelly.org.
‘‘Apple Whisperer” at the Historical Society Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting of the Carlisle Historical Society will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, December 9, in the Hollis Room at the Gleason Library. After a very brief business meeting to elect officers and board members for 2020, John Bunker, recipient of the Maine Agricultural Commission’s Distinguished Service Award, will speak about the astonishing number of long-forgotten apple varieties and his years of work rebuilding their place in history. The Annual Meeting is open to the public and all are invited. Apple-related refreshments included. Prior registration not necessary.
Join the CCF for the next Conservation Coffee
The Tuesday, December 10, Conservation Coffee will be held in the Clark Room in the Carlisle Town Hall, 66 Westford Street, from 7:30 to 9 a.m.
Board Members of the Carlisle Conservation Foundation (CCF), a public charity land trust that is independent from the town, will be present to provide information about their organization’s mission, its past efforts at conserving land in Carlisle, and strategies for protecting private and public land in the future.
Carlisle Conservation Coffees are regularly held on the second Tuesday of the month during the fall, winter and spring seasons. Their purpose is to provide an informal opportunity for residents to discuss a wide range of land use, conservation and environmental issues. The coffees end promptly at 9 a.m. and attendees are encouraged to arrive and leave as their early morning schedules allow. Continental Breakfast provided.
"Polar Express" PJ Story Time at the Library
Get in your PJs and climb aboard the "Polar Express" for a special after-hours story time at the Gleason Public Library on Friday, December 13, at 7 p.m. Miss Miranda will read the holiday favorite, and there will also be activities and crafts, including a visit from a very special conductor. Snacks will be provided to cap off the evening.
Space is limited and registration is required; please include yourself in your count so we are best able to prepare. Register online at gleasonlibrary.org or by calling the library at 1-978-369-4898. Believers of all ages are welcome.
The Board of Health suggests…
The holidays are rapidly approaching and the Board of Health would like to share its favorite holiday gifts for loved ones. Personal experience suggests that these will be met with a “Wow!”
• Septic tank pumping. Your spouse will love this! (Remember, it’s best done every two years, so you can give this gift again in 2021.)
• Transfer Station sticker. This is your ticket to the Board of Health’s annual hazardous waste collection.
• A will, durable power of attorney, and health care proxy. For your millennial children, arrange and pay for their visit to a lawyer to get these important documents set up.
• Snow roof rake. Ice and dams belong in rivers, not in ice dams on your roof.
• Emergency preparedness kit. Visit https://www.ready.gov/kit for how to construct a kit.
• Car safety hammer (emergency escape tool with window glass hammer and seat belt cutter).
• Mylar emergency blanket or emergency bivvy bag to keep in the car, with the safety hammer.
• Insect repellent and tick remover kit. Your Gleason Public Library card gives you access to Consumer Reports, where you can find recommended insect repellents.
• Flashing LED dog collar – USB rechargeable – for safer walks when it’s dark outside.
• Poop bags for the dog that has everything. Dog waste can be one of the most significant impacts on public recreation lands, so be a good steward of the land and dispose of your dog’s waste properly.
Best wishes for a safe and healthy holiday season from the Carlisle Board of Health.
Holiday kindness for prison neighbors
For more than 35 years, the Holiday Gift Bag Project has brought a bit of holiday kindness to each man in the two Concord prisons. For hundreds of area families, this has become an important part of their holiday traditions. The project is sponsored by Concord Prison Outreach (CPO), a non-profit organization which celebrated 50 years of service last year.
Again this year, the project will provide a clear plastic bag tied with a colorful ribbon and containing simple, useful gifts to each of the men in MCI-Concord and Northeastern Correctional Center. Each bag also contains a homemade holiday card with an uplifting message. For some of the men, it will be the only gift they receive.
Two of the many letters from men who have received holiday gift bags included the following: “To every one of my neighbors at the Concord Prison Outreach project I thank you so very much. I was truly down and out until I received the handshake and warm smiles from all of you good folks who donated their time to us. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.”
“I’ve been incarcerated since I was 18. I’m 26 now so I haven’t gotten an actual gift from someone since I was 17. What you all are doing is very thoughtful and it goes a long way so thank you!”
Each holiday gift bag will contain the following items approved by the Department of Correction:
1 bar of deodorant bath soap—4 to 5 oz.
1 tube toothpaste—5. 5 to 6 oz.
1 stick deodorant—2. 5 oz. or larger (no roll-ons, no gels)
1 pair men’s all-white crew socks preferably five inches of ribbing or less – no logos, no color stitching; also, no tube socks, knee-highs, ankle socks or diabetic socks.
1 bottle (plastic) shampoo—12 to 15 oz.
A handmade holiday greeting card
The specifications above are important, for the gift bags need to be as identical as possible. Items which are not consistent with DOC instructions will be donated to, and appreciated by, local shelters.
CPO welcomes donations of the above items in any quantity. They do not need to be in sets. Money donations are also appreciated, for they enable CPO to purchase items when necessary. Your tax-deductible check may be made out to Concord Prison Outreach, Inc., earmarked “Holiday Gifts” and mailed to Concord Prison Outreach, 6 Walden Street, Concord, MA 01742.
Drop-off dates for the gift items are December 5 through 9 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 81 Elm Street, Concord, MA.
Adult volunteers are needed to sort the items and prepare the gift bags at Trinity Episcopal Church weekday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon on the following days: from Monday, December 9 through Thursday, December 12.
To learn more about the Holiday Gift Bag Project and other CPO volunteer programs, visit: www.concordprisonoutreach.org.
Carlisle Dance: Friday December 13
Enjoy a welcoming potluck supper, followed by contra and square dancing, in Union Hall, First Religious Society, 27 School Street.
Supper begins at 6:30 p.m.; bring a dish to share. Dancing runs from 8 to 10 p.m. The dances are mostly traditional contra dances, along with an occasional square and a waltz to end. Lively music is provided by the Carlisle Band, with David Titus, Debby Knight, Beth Murray, and many talented sit-ins. Dances are taught, and all are welcome. A $2 contribution is requested for the potluck, and the charge for the dance is $6.
Children’s fun at FRS Holiday Greens
The First Religious Society in Carlisle (27 School Street), will hold its annual Holiday Greens Sale and Craft Fair on Saturday, December 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Featured will be decorated boxwood trees and rings, and decorated wreaths will be hanging from the rafters. There will also be delicious, festive Christmas and seasonal foods for your holiday giving.
Downstairs there will be free little kids yoga starting at 11 a.m. and kids crafts with cinnamon sticks from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Trinity Episcopal Church in Concord hosts “Blue Advent” Sunday, December 8, at 5 p.m.
Christmas may be coming, but many people are living with sadness and grief, missing a loved one or grieving the state of the world. Trinity Episcopal Church opens its historic Chapel, located at 81 Elm Street in Concord, to offer a service of “Blue Advent” to the whole community on Sunday, December 8 at 5 p.m. “Blue Advent” offers a chance to pray and sing, to hope, and to lay our burdens down as we await the day of Christ’s birth. A casual soup supper in Trinity’s Parish Hall will follow the “Blue Advent” service.
Trinity Episcopal Church will also host a week of Advent Vespers for the community beginning Tuesday, December 17 at 5 p.m., and continuing each night through December 23. For further information on this, call the Parish Office, 1-978-369-3715 or visit online, www.trinityconcord.org.
Carlisle Council on Aging doings
• Senior Moments: Seniors 60+, come to Ferns on Monday, December 9 from 9:30 to 11 a.m. This casual drop-in is for Carlisle seniors to greet, meet, and eat (free goodies are provided by the COA and Bridges by EPOCH, Westford). Ferns gives a 10% discount to senior attendees for coffee.
• Free Reiki healing: Carlisle resident Elisabeth Bojarski, certified Reiki master and member of the Emerson Hospital Reiki Team, will offer free 10-12 minute Reiki sessions to Carlisle seniors on Tuesday, December 10, at Benfield Farms 2nd floor. Reiki is an energy therapy that originated in Japan and means “universal life energy.” It can help manage stress, reduce pain, ease anxiety and promote relaxation. Call the COA at 1-978-371-2895 to make an appointment between 1:30 and 3:15 p.m.
• Mens breakfast: On Thursday, December 12, at 8 a.m., come to the Sleeper Room at Village Court for breakfast prepared by volunteer chef Dana Smith. A blood pressure clinic will be held from 8:15-8:45 a.m., sponsored by the Carlisle COA. The suggested donation is $3. Park on Church Street.
• Nashoba Tech Lunch: On Wednesday, December 18, at 11:45 a.m., join us at Nashoba Tech for lunch. The choices are grilled salmon with hollandaise sauce, grilled pork tenderloin filets topped with an apple brandy sauce or a vegetarian meal. RSVP by December 11. The meal cost is $5 with soda an additional $1, plus tip, payable at lunch.
• COA Lunch: On Thursday, December 19, join us at Union Hall for a gala holiday meal cooked by Chelmsford Crossings. The menu includes a roast beef dinner, dessert and hot/cold drinks. To register call the COA at 1-978-371-2895 no later than noon on Thursday, December 12. After lunch, the Carlisle Middle School Choir, directed by Valerie Thomforde, will perform for us. Preference is given to Carlisle seniors; out-of-town seniors are on a wait list until December 13. There will be a blood pressure clinic at 11 a.m., sponsored by the FOCCOA and Emerson Home Care.
Public health nurse office hours
Residents of all ages are welcome to come to “office hours” at the Gleason Library. Join Tricia McGean, Carlisle’s Public health nurse from Emerson Hospital Home Care, on Monday, December 9, from 12-2 p.m. Come to the quiet study room on the second floor.
The next session will be on Wednesday, January 15, at 6:30-8:30 p.m., also in the quiet study room. The sessions are not intended to diagnose or treat new illnesses. No appointment for these individual sessions is necessary. These office hours are funded by the Concord-Carlisle Community Chest.
Want to create a sustainable Carlisle?
The Carlisle Energy Task Force (CETF) seeks volunteers who want to help Carlisle reduce its energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Assistance is needed to:
• Estimate and track Carlisle’s energy use and emissions
• Help establish goals and approaches to lower energy use and emissions
• Help town departments, residents, businesses, and organizations to lower energy use and emissions
• Pursue grant opportunities to support the above.
To learn more, contact the CETF at: cetf@carlislema.gov.
Concord Women’s Chorus presents "The Harps Eternal"
Concord Women’s Chorus presents The Harps Eternal on Saturday, December 21, at 4 p.m. at the Trinity Episcopal Church, 81 Elm Street, Concord. Artistic Director Jane Ring Frank has drawn inspiration from Benjamin Britten’s incomparable A Ceremony of Carols to offer a program of elegant, lustrous works written for women’s voices and harp, featuring celebrated harpist Franziska Huhn. Also featured is the traditional Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal, and additional pieces of beauty: Paul Carey’s glowing Winter Solstice; Ellen Gilson Voth’s unexpected and melodic An Advent Carol, a gorgeous Hebrew blessing, Berakhot, from composer Casey Rule; and Stephen Chatman’s lush In the Glow of the Moon. “In a world of sensory challenge, of sound bites, news clips and moment-to-moment twists and turns, it feels more important than ever to find authentic common ground—a place of music.”–Jane Ring Frank.
Ticket prices are $25 adults, $20 seniors/students, and $5 for children 12 and under.
Visit www.concordwomenschorus.org for more information.
