West Bridgewater BuzzAround

December 22, 2024



~ Building Community One Positive Story at a Time.

Music is in the Air This Holiday Season!

Music has been in the air in West Bridgewater. In case you missed it, we have the full videos from the First Church of WB Christmas Carols and the West Bridgewater High School Winter Concert below:

Videos Courtesy of West Bridgewater Community Access Media

Historical Tidbit:

The Twelve Days of Christmas

In the Middle Ages, as Christianity gained popularity, the twelve days between December 25 (Christmas) and January 6 (Epiphany*) were named "Christmastide."

Winter celebrations have long been a part of our world history in the parts where darkness overcame daylight. In ancient Rome, Saturnalia marked the onset of the winter solstice. Brumalia was a Greek winter holiday associated with Dionysus and wine. In Norse mythology, a boar was presented to the Vanir god Freyr at the solstice.  

From its earliest days in England, the Twelve Days' Festival involved masked dancers and actors, known as mummers, roaming the streets begging for holiday treats and drinks.  In the 9th century, King Alfred the Great of England mandated the observance of the Twelve Days by outlawing all work and fighting during this time.

King Haakon the Good established the Christian observance of the festival in Norway in the 10th century.  In the 14th century, King Richard II of England held a Christmas tournament drawing knights from all over Europe for feasting and jousting for nearly two weeks. Shakespeare's play, Twelfth Night, was written to be performed at that celebration in 1601/1602.

Medieval Christians either took down their decorations after the 12th night or kept on celebrating for all of Candlemas. 40 days after the birth, until the feast of the presentation of the baby Jesus at the Temple. Keeping the feasting and celebrations going was a big way to make it through the long, dark days of winter! 

Compiled by J. Rose

Information entirely from those incredible, dedicated folks at Wikipedia (donate if you can) Wikipedia's volunteers create and verify the pages, supported by tools that undo vandalism within minutes, ensuring the information is trustworthy.

Town Hall

  508-894-1200

WestBridgewaterMa.org

WB Public Library

508-894-1255

westbpl.org

Council on Aging

508-894-1262

COA

Food Pantry

Proof of residency is the only requirement.

1st & 3rd Wednesday each month

1:45 - 3p & 5:30 - 6p

457 rear, South Main St., Suite #1

508-510-5274  westbridgewaterfoodpantry@gmail.com

Congratulations!

Kristen Weaver

won

a 45 page FarmYard Christmas

Coloring Book

with Daily Affirmations and Family Traditions

by Nwanneka Udeka

of Unique Strides Therapy

Bee sure to play our Historical Tidbit Trivia Game at the bottom of this newsletter.

Enter for this week's prize of

One free children's party at the She Shed, 396 Ashland St, Abington. $299 value.

thesheshed.info

School Building Committee Meeting

12/10/2024

Video Courtesy of WBTV

WB Board of Selectmen Meeting

12/04/2024

Video Courtesy of WBTV

Million Dollar

Christmas Tree Raffle

The West Bridgewater Lions Club is hosting an exciting Scratch-Off Lottery Raffle! One lucky winner could take home over 125 winning holiday scratch-off tickets, with prizes ranging in amounts from $1, $2, $5, $10 & $20.

Raffle Tickets $10 each

Drawing: December 23

Winners will be contacted directly.

This event is sponsored by the West Bridgewater Lions Club. To find out more, call/text 617-970-6731 or email WBLionsClub@aol.com

WB Parent Teacher Organization Meeting

Jan 7, 2025

7p

Rose L MacDonald School

Interested in supporting the PTO? All Donations go toward classroom enrichment.

WB PTO FB

Climate Can Do:

Eco-Friendly Gifting

This holiday season, let’s give our communities the gift of zero waste! Here are a few things to look out for and a few tips for giving (and wrapping) earth-conscious presents:

Shop recyclable: most shiny wrapping paper and glittery cards are not recyclable. Try brown or recycled paper or reusable fabric totes or sacks.

Save energy: holiday lights make wonderful decor, but we should be mindful of their impact on the environment. Keeping your lights on a timer or setting aside time to turn them off can save you money on your electric bill and energy. Also, consider what types of lights you’re using. LED lights consume up to 80% less energy than traditional incandescent lights and last 10 times longer. Switching to LEDs will reduce your carbon footprint and present a lesser risk of fire.

Eliminate excess: a family game of Secret Santa is not only fun and personal but can save you from buying a gift or two for everyone at the party. Additionally, if you are careful with your decor and the wrappings you receive with presents, they can save you time, money, and waste for next Christmas! Reuse and upcycle decor, wrapping, ribbons, string, and even Christmas cards, which can be cut up to make tags.

Buy Local: save time, get personalized attention, and make someone's dreams come true, spend your holiday dollars at a small, local business.

Source: www.thecommons.earth, www.wildlifetrusts.org

This Climate Can Do was written by Sara MacKinnon, BuzzAround Intern, Providence College.

New Grant Opportunity



The Taunton River Stewardship Council is proud to offer the River Stewardship Grant Program. The grant supports towns that are looking to improve river access by addressing woody obstructions in the rivers.

Large fallen trees and branches hinder fish passage and lead to flooding. East Bridgewater is the first recipient and was awarded $4,500 to address obstructions on the Satucket River.

To discuss a project idea, email Coordinator Gloria Bancroft at director@savethetaunton.org

Thankfulness

What are you thankful for this holiday season?

The holidays are a time to reflect and be grateful for what you have. Students from the West Bridgewater Middle High School Video 1 class have made a short film reminding everyone to be thankful this holiday season and don't forget to appreciate the little things.

Scratch Across America and Beyond

The West Bridgewater Lions Club is also raising funds for Lions Clubs at home and abroad with Scratch Across America and Beyond.

For just a $5 donation, you'll be entered to win over $1,100 in Scratch Tickets from just about every state in the USA* and beyond. All money raised will be donated to the Lions Club International Foundation. Drawing will be held January 19th.

.

1 entry for every $5 donated.

Drawing on January 18, 2025

Donations can be made with just a click!

venmo.com/JerryDLawrence

https://www.paypal.me/JLawrence

To make a donation by check please send to:

West Bridgewater Lions Club,

29 Ellis Ave,

West Bridgewater MA 02379

For more information Lions Club FB Vid

Thank You to the West Bridgewater Firefighters

A special thank you to the West Bridgewater, local 2610 firefighters, for their generous donation to the West Bridgewater Food Pantry. The funds will help many local families in need this holiday. A check was presented to Cheryl Chadwick, president of the food pantry. 

Post shared from WB Food Pantry FB

Providing Level 5 Service to Veterans

Old Colony Hospice and Palliative Care has been recertified as a Level 5 We Honor Veterans (WHV) partner. This distinction highlights their commitment to providing specialized care for Veterans facing life-threatening illnesses. Among the 8,000 hospice providers in the United States, only 251 have achieved this Level 5 status.

These partners are recognized for delivering exceptional, Veteran-focused care and for building partnerships with community-based organizations to offer comprehensive support. Additionally, Level 5 partners serve as regional mentors, helping other WHV partners enhance their programs.

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization's Senior Director Katherine Kemp stated, "Level 5 partners help shape the WHV program for providers across the country, serving as an example of what all hospice partners should strive to be." NHPCO, in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs, launched We Honor Veterans in 2010 to meet the growing need for Veteran-centered care, particularly as aging Veterans require greater access to high-quality hospice and palliative services.

Congratulations to Old Colony Hospice and Palliative Care, and thank you for your hard work and dedication.

Learn more about the We Honor Veterans program at www.WeHonorVeterans.org and about Old

Colony Hospice and Palliative Care at www.oldcolonyhospice.org.

Written by Bethani Jerke, BuzzAround Intern, SNHU.

Your BuzzAround supports the dignity of all human beings, is actively anti-racist, and supportive of good law enforcement policies. 

Copyright 2024 Buzz Around Brockton. You have our permission to share and copy this issue in its entirety as much as you like. If you take it in part, please give credit. ("Buzz Around West Bridgewater 12/22/24")

Your BuzzAround supports the dignity of all human beings, is actively anti-racist, and supportive of good law enforcement policies.  At the Buzz Around, we promote community. The links provided are for informational purposes. BuzzAround is not responsible for the media content of other organizations.