It is five days before Christmas as I write this and I didn’t have a clue what to write besides wishing our readers a Merry Christmas. But I figured it out as the next deadline loomed.

Besides the wonderful staff I work with – editorial, production, advertising and business workers – this newspaper wouldn’t be complete without our contributing columnists and news contributors. So I am offering Christmas thank you’s to the following:

Our news contributors Phil Di Vece (and columnist), Jane Carpenter, Isabelle Curtis, Michael Leonard, Edna Miller and (newbie) Candi Joneth;

Feature columnists Robert Mitchell, Joe Gelarden, Jeff and Allison Wells, Barbara Rumsey, Shawn Lewin (AARP);

Area columnists Leigh Sherrill of Southport, Maryellen Bertrand of Ocean Point; Louise Cowan of Trevett, Jeff Allison of Bayville, Elaine Fossett Ritterhaus, Mary Otto, Ralph Kimball (and others) of Sprucewold, Anne Dooley of Juniper/McKown Point, Susan Reece of Isle of Springs;

Club/organization columnists and contributors David Patch of the Legion, Karen Nickerson of the Lions Club, Allyson Goodwin of the YMCA, Joanna Breen and Shirley Sirois of Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library, Marty Helman and Irene Fowle (and subs) of the Rotary Club, Ruth Gilbert of Wiscasset Senior Center, Emily Adler of the Garden Club of Wiscasset, Lee Corbin (and the late Margaret Perritt) of the Community Center; Hollyanna H. Bates of Southport Yacht Club, Maggie Doyle of Southport Junior Yacht Club, Dana Mulholland of Down East Yacht Club; Alice Mutch of Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club and Southport Island Association, Jen and Tancy Mitchell of Community Lunch; Patty Seybold of Boothbay Region Health Center; Christine Selman of Boothbay Region Land Trust; Allan Crocker of Boothbay Region High School, Dennis Dacus of Boothbay Region Elementary School, Sheriff Todd Brackett and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office staff;

Thanks, also, to the local Democrat and Republican committees; to the Coast Guard Auxiliary; Boothbay Region Garden Club; St. Andrews Auxiliary; Harbor Theater and Lincoln Theater contributors, to Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens …

I will end it here. If I missed anyone, I apologize, but I thank you all for your contributions.