Ho ho ho! A Christmas party-ing we shall go!

The annual Lions Club Christmas Party was held on Wednesday, December 12, and boy, it was a doozy. We were thrilled to have so many Lions and their spouses come out to share in the holiday spirit. At least 35 people were in attendance, which meant lots of toys gathered for Toys for Tots and donations collected for the Boothbay Region Food Pantry. Thanks to all who showed up and who donated!

Big year-end thank-you's went out to Tom Nickerson's wife Karen, for letting him be King Lion for the second time; Wally Reed, for always manning the front desk during our meetings; Jennifer Hyson, for doing a great job as our new secretary (a position that was vacant for too many years); Celeste Brown, for being an awesome treasurer; Fanny Latter, for decorating the hall for Christmas; myself, for writing this column, building our new Web site, and helping with the newsletter; Norm Irish, for his critical role as Lion Tamer; and to Tom Nickerson himself, for once again taking on the mantle (mane?) of King Lion.

Tom and Celeste also reported recent Lions Club donations to the Boothbay Student Aid Fund and the Seasons of Change Community Center.

Fines were light this week, mainly going to me for not knowing the difference between Phil Chapman and Phil Webster. (Hey, I'm new here. Give a guy a break.)

Wally Reed won this week's cheer raffle. There was no winner in the 50/50, so the pot gets rolled over to our next meeting. Lion Alan Tilton closed the evening by leading us in a chorus of 'Silent Night.'

Looking ahead, we're skipping our December 26 meeting, so we can all spend time being with our families (or recovering from being with our families). That means that our next meeting will be held Wednesday, January 9, 2008. The guest speaker that night will be Alix Tower Thorne, Founder and President of the Ocean Classroom Foundation, which recently relocated its offices to Boothbay Harbor.

The kitchen crew for January consists of Greenleaf, Harrison, Soler and A. Tilton. Remember, if you can't make a meeting, it's your responsibility to find someone to fill in for you.

The doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and dinner will be served promptly at 6:30 p.m. Guests are always welcome. We hope to see you there.

Finally, a reminder that this year's Super Bowl raffle tickets will soon be available. Don't get left out in the cold (literally). Ask a Lion for details.

For more information about the Boothbay Region Lions Club (including how you can become a member), contact King Lion Tom Nickerson, or visit our Web site at www.lionwap.org/boothbay .