Santa, real reindeer, caroling, and holiday boat parade!

Despite concerns from one board member about setting an unwelcome precedent, the East Hampton Town Board voted three to one — with one recusal — to exempt the planned senior citizens center in Amagansett from local zoning and land-use regulations.

East Hampton lifeguards performed a record number of rescues, 226 total, during the 2024 season at town beaches, according to the town’s chief lifeguard, John Ryan Jr. Of that number, 202 rescues occurred at protected beaches, while 24 took place at unprotected beaches. Both of those numbers doubled from last year’s totals.

It’s fitting that the winner of East Hampton’s first Holiday Spirit storefront-decorating contest should be a business known for having fascinating windows: The Monogram Shop on Newtown Lane has made national headlines not for its holiday décor but for the tally of political cup sales that, in election cycles past, has been a notoriously accurate predictor of presidential outcomes. The window cup count was wrong in November, but the window display in December is, according to a panel of judges, oh so right.