On Wednesday at 10 a.m. the Montauk Historical Society's executive director, Mia Certic, will discuss the fascinating story of Leisurama during a two-mile excursion through the Culloden Shores neighborhood.

Covid continued clinging when the 2022 winter sports season began here, but soon thereafter the constraints of the past two years were shrugged off as local athletes went toe-to-toe again in scholastic competitions, rubbed elbows again in road races, and, when it came to athletic ambitions, frequently put their best feet forward.

According to an extensive report published in November by the New York State Board of Regents, survey respondents by and large said they felt the exams “were no longer an adequate measure of student understanding.” Instead, they favored the creation of a new system of high school graduation requirements that give students more options for demonstrating their mastery of “21st-century” skills and knowledge.

During this Christmas/New Year’s interlude, I offer a fun challenge: Take a walk in the woods at night. Try it. You may hear a great-horned owl, who, despite the cold, is starting its courtship ritual. Its classic hooting call — offered in the cadence of “Who is awake? Me too!” — can be heard for miles, the song of the blue winter night.