RobertXGillis

RobertXGillis

25+ years of published Op/Ed columns, professional photography, my first book and more from the 28 known galaxies!

RobertXGillis
  • About Me
  • My professional photography
  • Nana – my first published book
  • Gillis Photo and Nana Videos
  • Site Map
  • Nativity

Foxboro Senior Center Christmas fair

  • Christmas
  • Foxboro
  • Foxboro Reporter Image
  • Seniors
Helping out at the Foxboro Senior Christmas Fair; Foxboro Reporter Image
Helping out at the Foxboro Senior Christmas Fair; Foxboro Reporter Image

Robert Gillis
Published in The Foxboro Reporter November 2000

Every year, it seems like the Christmas sales start earlier, and the decorations are in the stores sooner. The corporations begin their annual holiday blitzkrieg, inundating us with sale after sale.

It’s easy to become jaded as Christmas becomes more and more commercialized and arrives sooner every year. Many people choose to ignore the pre-Christmas hype.

However, there is a special Christmas event that takes place quite early (yet for a very good reason) and one that is well worth a visit. The Foxboro senior center will be holding its annual holiday fair at the center on Saturday, Nov. 4 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Why have a Christmas fair when the trick-or-treat bags aren’t even empty yet? Lorraine Garland, senior center director, explained that the fair is held so early in November because she needs to immediately switch into high gear to coordinate the multitude of details associated with the two food basket assemblies and deliveries for the needy (both Thanksgiving and Christmas) and at the same time coordinate the Christmas toy delivery to needy children.

The latter project is huge; I recall stopping by Lorraine’s and her husband Stanley’s house a few years ago and seeing the two hundred large plastic bags filled with toys for needy kids.

For two months or more—allowing precious little time for sleep and the day jobs – Lorraine and Stanley make phone calls, compile lists of children’s names and needs, solicit donations and volunteers, and shop: And shop. And Shop.

It is truly a staggering endeavor and not for the faint of heart. Lorraine and Stanley and their helpers are truly special people who define what holiday spirit really means. Their enormous generosity and kindness has made – and continues to make – a great difference for so many people.

Lorraine’s passion, of course, is Foxboro’s seniors. Along with Jerry Rodman, Lorraine led the drive and fought tirelessly – and against many hardships and setbacks – to oversee the construction of a permanent home for Foxboro’s seniors.

That dream became a reality a few years back, with the creation of a modern and impressive building that serves as home to both Council on Aging and Human Services, and provides a multitude of activities for Foxboro’s growing senior population.

This Christmas fair is the major fund-raiser for the senior center. This year, the proceeds will go toward building a recreational/ exercise room, which will include a pool table, at the senior center.

The annual fair is a good time. Sue and I like to help out by serving food, but there’s always plenty of time to wander through the many rooms, see the good friends, and shop for merchandise, gifts, and goodies.

The seniors have been hard at work for months, making crafts and gifts for the fair. As you wander the halls, you’ll find Christmas and household crafts, jewelry, wonderful home baked diet- bashing goodies such as cookies; breads, jams, and candy, a silent auction featuring dozens of impressive baskets, a white elephant table, Christmas ornaments, homemade gifts like gloves and hats, Foxboro magnets, and of course, delicious food (last year’s menu included quiche, lasagna, chowder, hot dogs, beans and desserts! )

The fair is a nice opportunity to see friends, do a little Christmas shopping, and benefit a terrific organization that does so much for a special part of Foxboro. I encourage you to mark your calendars for Nov. 4, and get into the Christmas spirit a little early. You’ll be glad you did. And try the chowder. It’s incredible.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Related Posts via Categories

  • My very first Reporter Column; Support your seniors!
  • Why Local Newspapers Are So Important
  • Be part of the LIGHT this holiday season in Foxboro
  • Father Steve Madden leaving Saint Mary’s Foxboro in 2015
  • A little Christmas miracle as the Foxboro Jaycees decorate Foxboro Common
  • Remembering Tom Sawran, Foxboro Jaycee and so much more
  • Celebrating the remarkable clergy of Saint Mary’s Foxboro
  • Foxboro town election 2013 — some thoughts, some advice, and a reminder to VOTE!
  • [Updated] Foxboro double power outage: Forgotten already?
  • ‘Tis the season to be generous
Spread the love
November 1, 2000 Robert Gillis 0

Post navigation

Thoughts on Election 2000 → ← Foxboro Jaycees Haunted House 2000: Frontier Fright

My Professional Photography

Buy My Book!

Go to Nana Book website

Follow Me!

  • Facebook

RobertXGillis.com Categories (Drop Down Menu)!

Category Cloudy Thingy!

A must read Avoiding Fraud Backstreets Boston Bruce Springsteen Catholic / Church Christmas CNN image Computers / Tech Current Events / News Commentary Current News Story Parody and Humor Dorchester Foxboro Foxboro Founders Day Foxboro Jaycees Foxboro Jaycees Haunted House Foxboro Reporter Image Halloween Holidays - Other Humor Life events, Gratitude and Giving and Little Miracles Mass Shootings Memorials Movies Music My fiction (80s/90s) Nana Book NASA Image New Hampshire News image from Web New Year Not The Best Pets Politics Scanned From Newspaper Microfilm Seniors September 11, 2001 Slow News Day Humor Sports Star Trek Superman Superman and Friends - Comic Book Humor and Parody Television Uncategorized Web / Email / Internet / Social Media

Robert Gillis Site Archives From the 28 Known Galaxies

Weekly Popular!

  • A dream come true, meeting Joanna Cameron, star of… (39)
  • Memories of an Intensive Care Nursery at Saint… (18)
  • Silver Age Comics: Spanking your super kids, a great… (11)
  • An historical quest fulfilled: Finding the Willey… (8)
  • More Silver-Age Lois Lane comic book madness! (7)
  • The Weakest Link (7)
  • Silver-Age Superboy comic book (in)justice! (7)
  • Grieving the Saint Kevin’s Property (7)
  • An interview with Joanna Levesque, aka “JoJo” (7)
  • Katy Perry’s “Firework:” A message every teen needs to hear (6)
  • Memo: Cost-cutting measures during these tough… (6)
  • Retro-Review: A Christmas Carol (1999) starring… (5)
  • You can go home again; my visit to Dorchester and… (5)
  • Thoughts on the J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie teaser… (5)
  • Silver Age Comic Books: Superman stops the… (5)
  • Foxboro Jaycees Easter Egg Hunt (5)
  • What was the Silver Age of comic books? Superman,… (5)
  • Win or lose, THANK YOU New England Patriots! (5)
  • Silver Age Superboy and Lois Lane presents: Comets… (5)
  • Letter I wrote to DC Comics when Superman died (4)
  • More Lucy Lane and Lois Lane Silver-Age Comics Sillyness! (4)
  • Another day with simple joys, little miracles (4)
  • Retro-Review “A Christmas Carol” (1951) (4)
  • A little Christmas miracle as the Foxboro Jaycees… (4)
  • More Silver Age Comics fun with Lois Lane! (4)
  • Popular posts by Top 10 plugin

Most Popular On This Site!

  • A dream come true, meeting Joanna Cameron, star of… (16,699)
  • An interview with Joanna Levesque, aka “JoJo” (6,149)
  • A letter to Mom on Christmas Day (3,654)
  • Memo: Cost-cutting measures during these tough… (3,296)
  • Silver Age Comics: Spanking your super kids, a great… (2,722)
  • Memories of an Intensive Care Nursery at Saint… (2,324)
  • Thoughts on visiting seven churches on Holy Thursday (1,716)
  • Father Steve Madden leaving Saint Mary’s… (1,623)
  • Grieving the Saint Kevin’s Property (1,528)
  • The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette in… (1,512)
  • The customer, most assuredly, is NOT always right: A… (1,396)
  • More Lucy Lane and Lois Lane Silver-Age Comics Sillyness! (1,212)
  • Silver-Age Comics fun: Going to the chapel, and… (1,042)
  • Katy Perry’s “Firework:” A message every teen needs to hear (1,038)
  • What was the Silver Age of comic books? Superman,… (1,035)
  • Popular posts by Top 10 plugin

Copyright and Legal

All site content copyright © 2020 by Robert Gillis except where specifically noted. All rights reserved. THIS IS A PERSONAL WEBLOG (“BLOG”). THE OPINIONS AND COMMENTARY EXPRESSED HERE REPRESENT MY OWN AND ARE NOT THOSE OF MY EMPLOYERS (PAST, PRESENT NOR FUTURE).

About images:

I do my best to use my own photos to illustrate a post (and copyright to all my images remains with me), but sometimes I need to use an image from, say, a sports logo, a TV show or movie, or something I could not possibly get on my own, for example, an image of the international space station. I always credit the original owner (if they can be determined) but in ALL cases, whether credited or not, any images I didn’t photograph myself remain the property of the original copyright holders. This site does not imply any ownership of such images or materials, and such images are used here for commentary / illustrative / entertainment purposes only, under what is believed to be fair use guidelines, and absolutely no copyright infringement is intended.

Powered by WordPress | theme SG Double