I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. My Thanksgiving this year was limited to just the First Lady and me. No, it’s not what you are thinking (I did shower twice that day). I got to live a childhood dream of riding in an ambulance. Believe me – it’s not as glamorous as you might think. They didn’t even put the siren on, but they did tell me that if I was a good boy and didn’t bite anyone, I would receive the special treat of staying in the hospital for a few days. When it came to food, I really missed the beautiful Columbian Home. The hospital menu featured a lot of things, but I was sorry to see that none of the items contained bacon. I complained to the nurse. I told her I loved bacon and that sometimes I eat it twice a day because it takes my mind off the terrible chest pains I’ve been getting. The nurse ran out of the room. I really did miss the Sunday breakfast at the Columbian Home. I would like to thank everyone for their prayers and let you know that I’m almost back to normal (the psychiatrist told the First Lady this is the best he can do). There are some words that I constantly misspell – one of which is “pneumonia” (I forget that the “p” is silent – I won’t ever forget that again). The other word is “knowledge,” but I know why I forget the silent “k.” My friends in Northampton tell me that in Northampton, the “N” stands for knowledge. They also tell me that they forget to pay their Columbian Home dues on time. So, don’t be like them. Pay your Columbian Home dues before December 31 or you could be locked out (no silent letters there).
The beautiful Columbian Home is now resplendent with decorations for Christmas! (For those of you from Catasauqua, “resplendent” means “real pretty.”) Many thanks to the hard-working decorating volunteers: Ed Barry and Sandy Biery, Erma and Bill Dantonio, Jim Gallagher and Diane Weber-Gallagher, Joe Brogan, and the First Lady. On Saturday, December 16, the great Columbian Home Christmas Party will take place, with great food and music on the agenda. We originally booked Pot Belly and the Flat Bottom Girls as our entertainment for the party, but due to a scheduling conflict, they can’t attend. Instead, we were able to book a very talented group, The Royal Pics, who will be making their Columbian Home debut. Make your reservations now. It’s going to be a lovely evening.
On New Year’s Eve, the beautiful Columbian Home will open at 4:00 PM. Everyone who enters will be charged $10.00 at the door. You will receive a wristband that allows you to stay for the evening. Dinner will be served between 5:30-8:00 PM and it will be spectacular. A special menu featuring Prime Rib, Crab-Stuffed Shrimp and Chicken Marsala will be available. The entertainment will be provided by the fabulous KATO, who will take you through the last hours of 2023 and help you ring in 2024. Make your reservations early so you don’t miss out on the best New Year’s Eve Party ever.
You will soon be receiving information in the mail about our new kitchen fundraising strategy. Just to give you a heads up, we will be establishing “The Columbian Home Family Tree Project,” which will be located in the dining room. You can purchase engraved leaves for the tree to memorialize a loved one, honor a special person, as a gift for a family member or friend, or share a message for future generations. Each leaf will hold up to three lines of text, with 21 characters/spaces per line. It’s going to be very special addition to the beautiful Columbian Home, and the proceeds will be used for the much-needed kitchen renovations we’ve been discussing for so very long. I would personally like to thank Board Member Mike Keenan for spearheading this project. Again, watch for the mailing in the new year. Information will also be available on the website.
The Turkey Raffle was our best ever. Our net profit was a little over $7000.00! All funds were distributed to local charities supported by the Columbian Home and K of C Council #528. I would like to thank everyone who helped that day, including Jim Gallagher, Diane Weber-Gallagher, Bonnie Batchelder, Susan Walsh, Erma Dantonio, Karen Gabryluk, Sandy Biery, Joe Brogan, and the First Lady. We’re already looking forward to the Ham Raffle in March when we get to do it all over again. Thank you so very much for your generosity. You helped a lot of people in need.
May God bless you. I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy, Happy New Year. As always, I will keep you in my prayers.
All the best,
Joe
Joe Mascari, President