Now that we have survived Thanksgiving and the chaos of Black Friday, Christmas and all its pomp and circumstance have arrived front and center at our house.

I am sure you are pondering what gifts to send Little Jason or Elizabeth and just when you should entrust them to the ever efficient U.S. Postal Service. So I thought I would make a suggestion. Why don’t you purchase a subscription to my favorite newspaper and send it off to your kids, grandkids and your friends who can’t wait to visit you in the summer?

Why not send your local paper to them at their home, or school, or on a military base, or a ship at sea? It is the only way they can keep up with the local government, schools and businesses that we all love to follow, applaud and, sometimes, criticize.

Week after week, our reporters wear out the seat of their jeans as they listen to, and report on, the doings of this board, that commission, or non-profit community group.

It is the only way you can keep up with local events that affect your homes. Whether you live in a trailer tucked into the woods, a traditional family summer cottage, or a splendid seaside villa, the actions of local boards and commissions affect you every day. And we know you care about your friends, neighbors and community. That is why we do what we do for you.

Where else could you learn of plans to string wires through the heart of East Boothbay to carry electric power from floating windmills to the grid? How might this project affect our local fishermen? Where else would you know of plans to allocate millions of dollars to upgrade schools, the Y, or businesses? Mr. COVID and its cousins have slammed our nation and Mother Earth. How has it affected the Midcoast and your communities?

And where else could you learn of the demise of beloved friends and neighbors? The answer to all those questions is your local newspaper. Every day, TV pundits opine on this or that political or business event. And, if you pay attention, these “journalists” begin many stories by reading stories published by other newspapers.

Just for fun, for the next week or so, keep track of the right-wing pundits or the left-leaning prognosticators who begin their rants with the phrase “According to a story in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times or the Washington Post.” Unless there is a war, fire, flood, natural disaster, or (God forbid) a mass casualty event, much of the day-to-day TV news depends upon the work of newspaper reporters. They sift through the bull put out by expensive PR “experts” and political operatives to bring you real news, not just the opinions of this or that talking head who happens to agree with the pundit.

If you don’t believe me, watch Fox News pundits nod as their “experts” bash Democrats, or watch MSNBC authorities slam the GOP. And I am not mentioning the goofballs and knuckleheads who populate the fringes of the internet asserting that men from mars are getting ready to take over your local school board. It seems they are all just looking for the shiny object that will grab your attention for a few moments so they can sell you this or that miracle potion guaranteed to ... You get the idea.

Lots of you read the Boothbay Register and Wiscasset Newspaper when you scroll through a news feed on your device. We know that because the magic of the internet tells us which stories you selected.

While you can read it while sipping your morning coffee, it doesn’t cost you a dime, that is, after you shelled out a thousand bucks for a smartphone, iPad, or laptop. But back in Wiscasset, Westport Island, Boothbay, Southport, or Edgecomb, your local paper pays good reporters to gather, write and edit your local news. It costs money and, to be honest, we could use your support. That is one reason I suggest you sign up for a subscription to your local newspaper.

Last night, my family watched public television bring a series of great musicians into our living room. Along with the opera and show tunes, they presented talking heads asking for money. Please support public TV because we bring you good programs, they said.

The Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper brings you great local news, too, but we don’t have a stable of celebrities asking for support. I guess you will have to settle for pro editors like Kevin Burnham and Susan Johns, local experts like Jeff Wells, Bob Mitchell, Phil Di Vece, or old scribblers like me to ask for your support.

A subscription to the Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper would make a great Christmas present. Don’t you think?