* * * BUSY WEEK AHEAD! * * *
THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

This coming week is packed with activities at our council! We know this is a busy time of year, but our activities should help you relax a bit, enjoy the wonderful Christmas season with your brother Knights, and also do some good for needy families in our community. So read on!

Before we get to the fun stuff, we have an important announcement for families who may wish to reserve our hall for a First Holy Communion or Confirmation party this coming spring. Our home corporation is holding open rental reservations for council members only until January 15, 2017. After then, the hall will be rented on a first-come, first-served basis. St. James parish First Holy Communions will be April 22 and 29, and Confirmations will be May 6, 13, and 20. Please contact our Rentals Chairman to book your party today, as these dates go very quickly
We Got Sunday Football Eats!

The race for playoff slots is on, so come on down to our Lounge tomorrow to watch the football games on our big screens. We're pleased to announce that once again, our own Chef Mike McDonald will be whipping up a selection of hot and tasty finger foods for all to enjoy. We hear the menu includes gourmet sliders (hamburger, cheeseburger and chicken-bacon-ranch) and homemade pigs in a blanket. Food will be served around half-time of the 1 p.m. games, so get there early!
Orders due for council-wear this Wednesday at our  Membership Meeting!

Join us for our monthly members' meeting this Wednesday, December 14th. We'll be serving dinner at 6:30 p.m., and our meeting will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. Our monthly meetings are your chance to find out what's going on and be a part of the action. Our members are what make our council so great, so join us at the meeting and get involved!

Also: Last call for short-sleeve polo shirts, long sleeve polo shirts, Sport Tek Dri-Mesh polo shirts , and full-zipper fleece jackets with our Council name and number and the emblem of the Order beautifully embroidered on the front, personalized with your name or initials.

Please print out this order form and return it at our membership meeting on Wednesday, December 14th.    All orders must be prepaid!
Fourth Degree Meeting Thursday 12/15
 
Calling all Sir Knights! Mother Cabrini Assembly will be holding its December meeting at our council this Thursday (12/15). Please arrive by 7 p.m. to help with the annual dues notice and newsletter mailing. After we fold, sticker, stuff and stamp, the meeting will begin, including the drawing of the Grand Prize for the Assembly's Knight Out on the Sir Knights Year of Dinner Raffles. Tickets for next year's raffles will also be available.
Adults' Christmas Party & Food Drive - Friday, 12/16

Our annual tradition continues with our Christmas Party for members of our Council and Ladies Auxiliary this Friday, December 16th at 7 p.m., jointly hosted with Mother Cabrini Assembly. We'll have a complimentary, informal, but very tasty hot buffet dinner (more free food - yay!), with a cash bar. All we ask is that each person bring a gift for the less fortunate in our community, to brighten their Christmas season by helping them put good meals on the table for their families.

This year we are collecting donations for the St. James the Apostle Church Food Pantry. The pantry is well stocked with canned goods and other non-perishables, but what they need is supermarket gift cards so families can buy perishable items like milk, meats, and frozen foods, which the pantry cannot stock. So, please bring $10, $20 or $25 ShopRite gift cards to our party, and we will present them to St. James on behalf of the Knights and our families. 
Holiday Cash Bingo
Tuesday 12/13
 
Have BIG fun and try your luck at winning CASH for the holidays at our Holiday Cash Bingo fundraiser on Tuesday, December 13th, presented by our Ladies Auxiliary.

Admission is $50, which includes admission, all-nighters, 2 specials, and a door prize ticket. Coffee, tea and cake will be served.

Bell Jar tickets available for purchase.

ALL PROCEEDS GO TO BENEFIT LOCAL CHARITIES!

Click here to send an email for payment details or more information.

The location is our Council Hall (10 Fair Street, Carmel NY). Doors open at 5:45 p.m., house rules read at 7 p.m., first game starts promptly at 7:15 p.m.

Sorry, no persons under age 18 permitted into the game.

Finally, a few notes of heartfelt thanks...

Thanks to everybody who made Holiday on the Lake at our Council on December 3rd such a great success! There were boy scouts selling wreaths out front in the morning, and in the afternoon we opened our doors to the community for kids' crafts (and free hot cocoa for all!). We then held our Children's Christmas Party with a great pot-luck dinner and a visit from Santa! After that, we marched in the Parade of Lights with our own float (with Frosty & McGruff!), and lots of glow necklaces handed out by the Knights and our children. A great time was had by all!

Thanks to all of our volunteers and participants, and very special thanks to our event chairman, Anthony Falco (pictured here with Santa!), for orchestrating such a wonderful event for the kids!

Thanks also to everybody who turned out for our Light up For Christ tree lighting on December 6th. We had lots of good cheer and a lot of fun caroling, including an epic version of The Twelve Days of Christmas !

And a great big congratulations to our Ladies Auxiliary for their tremendously successful Penny Social! They raised an impressive amount of money for charity and -- as usual -- had a great time and involved our community in the effort. Join us in a shout-out: "Well done, Ladies!"
Remember, a full calendar of events can always be found on our website: carmelknights.org under the Upcoming Events tab, and check out our Breaking News page. And don't forget to "like" our Facebook page for up-to-the minute announcements, photos, event listings, and items of interest.