This Thursday night, the 19th, at the Holiday Inn, East Somerville Main Streets Holiday Celebration takes place. They celebrate the holidays and another successful year for the East Somerville community. The Holiday Celebration will feature live music, hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, and various door prizes, including a one night ‘Stay-cation’ at the Holiday Inn. The Holiday Celebration will be held 6-9 p.m. at Metropolitan Square inside the Holiday Inn at 30 Washington Street in Somerville. Please RSVP to info@eastsomervillemainstreets.org. A suggested donation of $10 will be accepted at the door. Just some of the Door Prizes: Gift certificates to East End Grille, Mount Vernon Restaurant, Some ‘Ting Nice Caribbean Restaurant, a wine basket from Joe’s Liquors, and a $100 gift certificate from our friends at Empire Tattoo.

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We want to thank everyone for all the calls to the office over the past week in recognition of having all those boxes out there so that it was easier for you to find the paper. Remember, we’re the paper with Ms. Cam’s Olio, Jimmy Del Ponte, Doug Holder, and so much more. We stationed a little over 20 boxes so far and are working on another 10 to 20 more over the next few months. If you have a location where you’d like to see the paper boxes, or see the paper dropped off, let us know at 617 666-4010. We are revamping our delivery across the city and improving to add more locations. We thank Rite Aid stores as well as other stores and locations here in Somerville for requesting papers.

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Welcome aboard to David Smith as our new Editor/Reporter for The Times. David comes to us as a seasoned reporter/editor for many years. He’s very familiar with Somerville and Somerville will become very familiar with him. We wish Dave the best of luck in his new position here in Somerville with our paper. We’re sure the public will get to know him and like him.

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Happy Birthday this week to some of our Villens here and elsewhere: To some nice East Somerville ladies celebrating this week, we salute and wish Maria Curtatone, the present Registrar of Deeds, and a very familiar face here in Somerville. Also, East Somerville’s Ann Cassesso Ercolini from another well known local family, we wish her a Happy Birthday.  To Pam DeMaria, formerly Lewis, we wish happy birthday as well and to each of these well known East Somerville ladies we give a salute. Also celebrating this week is Kim Brown, who works at the city. A good friend and a great guy, Zack Wells is also celebrating this week. Another lady, Patricia Zirpolo, is celebrating her birthday.     Happy Birthday to Dennis Moynihan, another local celebrating this week. Happy Birthday to Cindy Santos, who works at Cambridge Hospital. To these and many others who are celebrating this week we salute you and hope everyone had a great day for themselves.

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Make sure to check out Local is for Lovers: Holiday Market 2013, this Sunday, the 22nd, at the Arts at the Armory on Highland Avenue from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Get your local shopping on! Still have some last minute shopping needs? Well, you can supply them locally with Somerville Local First! Shift your shopping. Featuring local music by Jeff Jam and David Tanklefsky, caricatures by Alejandro, a photo booth with Jeremy Heflin Photography, and a giant play space by Knucklebones Also featuring an amazing beer tasting by Slumbrew! As always, FREE admission.

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Don’t forget, we mentioned this before but a great birthday present this year is the The Spirit of Somerville book written by our own Eugene Brune, former Mayor and holder of many titles. It’s a great book on the Ville, good reading, and those of us who lived in those times will enjoy reading it. Those who are recent Villens here in Somerville should get the book and get a feeling for what Somerville was, is and can be. Contact Eugene C. Brune, 25 Lowden Avenue, Somerville 02144 for a copy of the book, which is $23.99 plus tax. It’s great reading for those cold wintery nights.

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The DPW did a great job with our first snowstorm of the season. The streets looked fantastic, and if you don’t think so, go and visit some of our neighbors in other communities. Hats off the DPW crews, bosses and of course Stan Koty, the commissioner. Great job.

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Following a fan vote, the Boston Public Library overwhelmingly won the Legoland Discovery Center’s Miniland contest and will be immortalized in Lego bricks alongside other Boston landmarks when the attraction opens in May at Assembly Row in Somerville.

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If you missed the Trolley Tours, not to worry! Illuminations Tour Maps are available for $3 at Magpie in Davis Square and Blue Cloud Gallery in Ball Square.

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Donations of gently used winter coats, clothing, books, toys and art supplies for Somerville families are being accepted at the Parent Information Center (42 Prescott St., Somerville). Coats and clothing for infants, children, teens and adults are requested (no broken zippers or permanent stains, please). Items can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday or 10 a.m. Fridays. Use the Parent Information Center main entrance at the school tot lot for item drop-offs (do not leave items on the sidewalk).

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‘Tis the season for the schools to hold their annual winter concerts. The West Somerville Neighborhood School’s concert takes place at 9 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, at the school at 177 Powderhouse Blvd. The Healey School, (5 Meacham St.) concert begins at 9:15 a.m. Dec. 19, and the Somerville High School (81 Highland Ave.) Winter Concert is also that Thursday at 7 p.m. The Argenziano School (290 Winter St.) concert is at 9:15 the following morning. The Kennedy School (5 Cherry St.) Winter Concert takes place at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30.

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Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and Alderman Maureen Bastardi invite you to the second community meeting for Symphony Park (corner of Pearl and Florence Streets). Let’s Talk Ideas. Thursday, December 19, 2013, 6 p.m. in the Community Room at Bryant Manor, 75 Myrtle Street.

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BeardFest 2014 will be taking off on Sunday, February 2 and interest is rapidly growing! Contestants will vie for prizes in 5 categories: natural full beard, free-style full beard, free-style moustache, free-style partial beard, and for follicle challenged, best fake beard. Food and drink, scratchy music, whimsical prizes for our contestants, a make-your-own beard table, and a room full of artistic facial hair.  Competitors who choose to be shaven on site at our Beardfest will be eligible to compete in the “6-month Sprint” category at the Regional Championships on August 2. General public invited.  $5 for general entry and for registrants. Go to http://www.somervilleartscouncil.org/beardfest for info.