Dear Members,

With the hustle & bustle of the holiday season over, it's time to prepare for the upcoming year of HNN civic activities, social get-togethers and fundraising events. With that, it's important to reflect on why HNN does what it does. Our goal is to foster a sense of community among our residents, local businesses and organizations; build relationships among members; and give back to our town.

Our efforts help Holliston remain a thriving community and contributes to its desirability as a place to live, work & play. We are so glad to have you as a member, and are grateful for your participation and personal contributions that have helped us achieve this goal.

I look forward to a successful and fun 2023 with HNN and all of you!

Best, Jennifer

Jennifer Mott President

We are in the process of contacting businesses in Holliston and the surrounding communities to support us in 2023. Thank you to the businesses that have already responded!

•  Silver - Franks Appliance & TLC Painting
• Bronze - Fiske’s General Store
• Club Donation - Tom’s Auto Body

If you or someone you know would like to sponsor HNN, please email committee.newcomers@gmail.com.

Come join us for an authentic and tasty dinner on Friday, February 17 at Mexico City Taqueria, 1 West Union St. in Ashland. It is a quaint family run business where the delicious food is made from scratch and the drinks are top-notch. We hope to see you there!

Please RSVP to Christel at christellize@yahoo.com so we can reserve a table for our group.

December is a bright and joyful time in our little town, and HNN loves to join in the fun this time of year! We're excited to see families at our annual Gingerbread House Decorating Fundraiser on December 10th in-person at Mt. Hollis Lodge. Don't forget to reserve a seating and gingerbread house! We also can't wait to toast glasses and exchange gifts at our annual Holiday Party Yankee Swap the evening of Dec. 10 at a member's home. Lastly, please join us on Dec.3rd to support our local theater troupe, The Washington Street Players in It's a Wonderful Life! And don't forget to check out HNN's decorated tree at Blair Square!

November was a bountiful month for HNN because of our many members, who graciously gave their time and energy throughout the month. These members worked hard to collect generous donations from Holliston residents and businesses for our Thanksgiving Baskets drive, as well as deliver delicious turkey meals to wonderful senior residents. We are grateful for all of you. So, let's have some fun together this holiday season!

Best, Jennifer

Jennifer Mott President

Let’s get into the holiday spirit and watch Holliston’s very own Washington Street Players as they perform the beloved classic, It’s A Wonderful Life. We will be attending as a group on Saturday, December 3rd at 8:00 p.m. at Holliston Town Hall 703 Washington Street. Tickets can be purchased online at https://washingtonstreetplayers.org/tickets/ .

If you can’t join us on Dec. 3rd, please consider attending 12/2, 12/9 or 12/10 all at 8:00 p.m. The Washington Street Players put on great performances and are a hidden gem in our town. I know this local theatre group would appreciate our support! We hope to see you there!

HNN is very excited to bring back our much-loved Holiday Party Yankee Swap in-person!!!! So, mark your calendar, shop at one of our wonderful local boutiques for the perfect Yankee Swap present ($25 limit), and bring a dessert or wine to share!

• Date: Saturday, December 10th, 2022
• Time: 7pm to 9pm
• Yankee Swap Theme: Shop Local ($25 limit)
• Location: Member's home (address will be emailed to those who RSVP)
• Couples Encouraged!

The Thanksgiving Baskets Drive is one of the most important community events that Holliston Newcomers and Neighbors leads every year. Historically, in cooperation with the Holliston Pantry Shelf, our members gathered to make bountiful baskets of food in honor of Thanksgiving for community members who needed them.

More recently, still in cooperation with the Holliston Pantry Shelf, we use the generous donations from Holliston residents and businesses to contribute grocery gift cards to residents who need them. Grocery gifts cards allow residents to plan a Thanksgiving meal consistent with their family traditions.

In cooperation with the Holliston Senior Center, HNN volunteers ensure that elderly Holliston residents, who request it, have a delicious Thanksgiving meal delivered to them close to the holiday.

We are grateful to the volunteers who make this happen and invite you to consider helping with this endeavor next year. It's because of members like you that HNN is able to carry on these traditions and contributions to our community every November!

Best, Jennifer

Jennifer Mott President

Holliston Newcomers & Neighbors is once again helping the Holliston Pantry Shelf and other local organizations that support Holliston to make this Thanksgiving a happy one. Many families have depended on the generous donations of all the fixings in past years but once again they will be receiving gift cards to create their special holiday meal. Last year, close to 200 families were recipients of a gift card through the Holliston Pantry Shelf or organizations such as Head Start and Wayside Youth. 

This year the ‘HNN Thanksgiving Meals for Seniors’ civic activity is returning as well. We support the Holliston Senior Center and other locations by assembling and delivering Thanksgiving Meals to the homes of a number of our seniors on the day before Thanksgiving. More information will be available soon on how and when you can volunteer for this community program.

To support both these efforts, we are once again asking for monetary donations. Please visit the HNN Donations webpage  http://www.hollistonnewcomers.org/donations and select Thanksgiving or if you would prefer to mail your donation, please send a check made out to Holliston Newcomers & Neighbors to Katrine Giroux, 147 Mohawk Path, Holliston and note that it is for Thanksgiving.

We are also collecting handmade Thanksgiving Cards which can be dropped off at 922 Highland Street, Holliston - a bin will be at the front door. Please submit your donation or drop off your cards by Sunday, November 13.

Debbie & Katrine

Thanksgiving Drive & Thanksgiving Senior Meals Committees

Debbie Colburn         cd.mp@verizon.net

Katrine Giroux          katrinegiroux@gmail.com

We welcome members new and old, at our next HNN book club meeting on Wednesday, November 16 at 7:30pm. Enjoy great conversation, and chat about this month’s shared read, The People We Keep, by Allie Larkin. Even if you didn’t get a chance to read the book, you’ll still have a great time! Registration is required to receive meeting information so please check out our HNN book club Facebook page, or message Beth at the address below if you can attend. Books are in stock for HNN book club members and available to check out from the Holliston Library. See you soon!

          “April Sawicki is living in a motorless motorhome that her father won in a poker game. Failing out of school, picking up shifts at a local diner, she's left fending for herself in a town where she's never quite felt at home. When she "borrows" her neighbor's car to perform at an open mic night, she realizes her life could be much bigger than where she came from. After a fight with her dad, April packs her stuff and leaves for good, setting off on a journey to find a life that's all hers. Driving without a chosen destination, she stops to rest in Ithaca. Her only plan is to survive, but as she looks for work, she finds a kindred sense of belonging at Cafe Decadence, the local coffee shop. Still, somehow, it doesn't make sense to her that life could be this easy. The more she falls in love with her friends in Ithaca, the more she can't shake the feeling that she'll hurt them the way she's been hurt. As April moves through the world, meeting people who feel like home, she chronicles her life in the songs she writes and discovers that where she came from doesn't dictate who she has to be. This lyrical, luminous tale "is both a profound love letter to creative resilience and a reminder that sometimes even tragedy can be a kind of blessing" (Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author).

Looking ahead, we will take a break in December, and reconvene in January with The Midnight Library.

Beth and Sue, Book Club Co-Chairs