THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – WEDnESDAy, DECEmbEr 24, 2025 Page 13 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good morning, Saugus Writing this week’s column is one of my final tasks of 2025 as editor of The Saugus Advocate. It’s been a productive, but challenging year. And I just can’t wait to meet my deadline so I can begin enjoying a much-welcomed vacation until it’s time to begin work on our Jan. 9 edition of The Saugus Advocate, which is about two weeks from this past Monday (Dec. 22). Best wishes for a happy, healthy and safe holiday and an outstanding New Year. For those folks who observe and celebrate Christmas, I am including a copy of a special Christmas card with this week’s column. On Wednesday, Dec. 3 after wrapping up that week’s edition, I was going to walk outside to get some fresh air. As I looked out my storm door window at the front of the house, I saw a family of five deer walking down my driveway. One of them headed to a pumpkin I had cracked open a few MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR: Best wishes to all of our Saugus readers for a safe, healthy and happy holiday season. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) weeks earlier in my front yard. In just a matter of seconds, I spotted four of the deer feasting on the scattered pieces of pumpkins. Immediately, I grabbed my cell phone and began snapping away photos of the lead deer, probably the mother, who had her back to me. I banged on the bottom of the screen door to get her attention and, hopefully, get her looking at me without scaring her and the other deer away. It worked. And as the deer walked toward my backyard, I continued snapping photos and got several of her looking in my direction as she walked away. It didn’t take me long to figure out that I had my Christmas card for this year. So, I’m making that a lead photo for this week’s “Sounds of Saugus” column. I learned something from my latest deer encounter. Squirrels and birds aren’t the only wildlife that enjoy nibbling on pumpkin pieces. Deer do, too. And I have the photos to prove it. Christmas and New Years combined In this week’s issue, we RANDOM KINDNESS: “The Sketch Artist” wishes you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (Courtesy art of Joanie Allbee, aka “The Sketch Artist”) combined some holiday stories with our “Year-In-Review for 2025.” Early next year, we still plan to do a few year-end wrap-up stories and do our annual Cover Photos of the Year. But in this week’s paper, you will find a month-bymonth breakdown of the stories that made Page One this year. We also reached out to the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee and invited them to share their thoughts on what the top story of the year was and to share their New Year’s resolutions or goals for 2026. It’s a great time of the year for the town as residents look forward to happy holiday get-togethers with family, relatives and friends while counting their blessings for good health and happiness. It’s also a great time to engage in acts of kindness to brighten up the lives of less fortunate people whose lives are plagued by poor health, hunger, illness, poverty and sadness. Fortunately, there are untold people who live in town who strive to contribute in their own way to make the world and their hometown a better place. My personal resolutions and goals for 2026 As I told readers in this column before, I will continue to work as Editor of The Saugus Advocate as long my health permits and as long as my publisher, Jim Mitchell, wants me to continue to oversee our weekly newspaper. With our first paper next March, I will have worked a decade as the newspaper’s editor. My goals for the new year are to strive to work to make the paper even better than this year, as best as I can with the resources I have. It’s been a difficult environment for newspapers these past few years. Saugus is fortunate to have a publisher who wants to maintain a high-quality weekly newspaper that covers the town exclusively. Saugus United Parish Food Pantry The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry will be closed on Friday, December 26, and Friday, January 2, in observance of the holidays. The food pantry will reopen on Friday, January 9, from 9:30-11 a.m. at 50 Essex St. in the basement of Cliftondale Congregational Church. The food pantry welcomes all neighbors facing food insecurity on Friday mornings. Volunteers are also welcome. Please call the Food Pantry Office (781-233-2663) or go to the website (cliftondalecc.org) for details. Legion Breakfast on Fridays There’s a good breakfast deal for Saugus veterans and other folks who enjoy a hearty breakfast on Friday mornings. The American Legion Post 210 at 44 Taylor St. in Saugus offers Friday morning breakfasts for the 2025-26 season. Doors open at 7:30 a.m., with breakfast served from 8-9:00 a.m. for an $8 donation. Veterans who cannot afford the donation may be THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 15
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