As we see 2015 come to a close, Christmas time in Aquinnah and around the Vineyard was perhaps part of El Niño or whatever, as temperatures reached 65 most days over the past week. As of Monday morning, though, the temperatures returned to the more realistic 30s. It was great while it lasted, everyone could be seen out shopping without their heavy overcoats, and many were in shorts and flip flops and did not have to deal with hats or mittens while shopping. Just about everyone appeared to be in a great mood with the warmer weather.

The annual Aquinnah Christmas party was reportedly a fun evening filled with words of wisdom from Santa Claus as each child received their gift. Many thanks to so many elves who made the evening possible: Theresa Manning, Wenonah Madison, Alexandra Taylor, Nancy Benoit, Lisa Vanderhoop, Amira Madison, Millicent Smalley and her daughters Tiffany and Faith, Christy Vanderhoop, Ashley Moreis and her brother Philip, Betty Joslow, Adam Wilson, and of course Jay Smalley for providing transportation for Santa on the Aquinnah fire truck. Thank you Ken Wentworth and Liz Witham for photographing each child with Santa after they had just arrived home the day before from filming a documentary in Paris.

Thank you to the staff at Aquinnah Public Library — Olivia Larsen, Rosa Parker, Angela Waldron, and Jennifer Burkin — for providing programs for everyone to partake in each and every day the library is open. Adult coloring will be at 4 p.m. Thursday afternoon so you will finish in time for your New Year’s Eve festivities. Thursday afternoon there will also be Wiggle Worms storytime at 3:30 p.m. and again on Saturday, Jan. 2 at 10 a.m. Wiggle Worms will be every Thursday and Saturday through Feb. 6. Also on Saturday, Jan. 2, it is “make your own calendar day.” The calendars will be provided and the kids may draw their own imagery for each month of the year.

On Jan. 5 at 5:30 p.m. it will be movie night for kids with a screening of Inside Out while pizza is being served. On Jan. 7 at 5:30 at the old town hall, there will be a food talk and demonstration of gluten-free baking by Lisa Vanderhoop and Juli Vanderhoop. The staff would like to attract a wide audience from the Island community.

Aquinnah Public Library is sponsoring Food for Fines from Jan. 2 through Feb. 27. Pay your overdue fines with canned goods or other non-perishable foods. All collections of food items will be donated to the Island Food Pantry.

Pam Glavin journeyed to Paxton to visit with her mom, Alice, after spending Christmas Eve with her grandson Elliott and daughter Gimili.

Bill and Joan Kistner returned to their home in Pleasant Valley, N.Y. on Sunday after spending the week at the home of Paul and Theresa Kistner Manning and with our grandson Noah.

Noah Mayrand arrived home from San Francisco for Christmas with his parents Mike and Carol and his sisters Alyssa and Sonya.

Naushon (Beth) Vanderhoop and her daughter Nanawusuwee of Brooklyn, N.Y. spent their Christmas with family in Aquinnah. While home, Beth enjoyed celebrating her birthday.

Condolences to the family and friends of Mary Ann King Alwardt who passed away this week at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Her services were held on Tuesday.

Sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Clayton Jerome Healy, who passed away at Massachusetts General Hospital on Dec. 26 at five days old. He was the newborn son of John and Morningstar Tarter Healy of West Tisbury, and the grandson of Nancy Tarter Nevin of Vineyard Haven. Services for Clayton will be held Dec. 31 at 11:30 a.m. at Oak Grove Cemetery in Vineyard Haven where he will be buried next to his two grandfathers.

Happy New Year to one and all. May it be a year of new beginnings, a year of the best in health, an abundance of peace and tranquility, and many blessings. Happy birthday wishes this week to Linda Maida Coutinho on Jan. 1, who shares the day with Karen Truchon-Altieri. Jan. 2 is a day of celebration for my beloved cardiologist Timothy E. Guiney, M.D. Donald Widdiss parties on Jan. 2 while in Tucson. Cody Coutinho will party on Jan. 3 and shares the day with Evelyn Vanderhoop, Christopher Fischer, and Matthew Scott. Stephen Silvia and David Duarte share the day on Jan. 4. Alexander James Milavsky will celebrate on Jan. 5. Francis Brown parties on the 5th. Nancy Cotton will observe a milestone on Jan. 6. Ava Louise Dubno celebrates her first birthday on Jan. 8. Blanche Jackson also observes her special day on Jan. 8.

Send Aquinnah news to junemanning152@gmail.com.