THE SEASON: Like you have nothing else to do in December

Three things to put on your December calendar:
1. The Christmas tree lighting ceremony will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, December 6, at the Martin's Tavern park in downtown Marshallton. It is sponsored by Friends of Martin's Tavern. a group dedicated to preserving the town's historical structures.
2. On Saturday, December 6, Unionville native Gillian Grassie will perform on her Celtic harp at London Grove Friends Monthly Meeting. A potluck supper at 5:30 (all are welcome, just bring a dish to share) will precede the concert, which starts at 7:30. This is the final event in London Grove's year-long 300th-birthday celebration.
3. Elliot Engel will speak at 3 p.m. Sunday, December 14, at Kennett Friends Meeting. His topic: "How the publication  of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in 1843 changed forever the way we celebrate Christmas. Using biography, anecdotes, analysis, and LARGE doses of humor, Professor Engel brings back to life both the wild popularity of this most famous Christmas story and the marketing genius of its remarkable author. The profits of his book-signing sales will go to a children’s hospital founded by Charles Dickens himself in 1852." The free program is sponsored by the Hadley Fund, which has brought this entertaining lecturer to town several times. He has such a following, in fact, that one of my readers wants the event moved to a larger venue!