Susan Morrison Cluley with her beautiful array of home-baked holiday desserts
Unit Four Holiday Open House
Connie Kotke
On Dec. 5 more than 60 residents in Unit 4 gathered at the home of Linda Holt for another successful Holiday Open House. This is the third year in a row that Linda has graciously hosted this well-attended event, and we appreciate her generosity. Stepping into the front door, party-goers were immediately struck by how cozy, sparkling, and beautifully decorated her home was—as always!
Everyone contributed to and enjoyed a huge array of savory appetizers, sandwiches, and spreads. But the star of the show was the dessert table. It was brimming with cherry cobbler, bread pudding with crème anglaise, puff pastries, cookies, candies, and more. Susan Morrison Cluley, the Unit 4 Social Committee chair, single-handedly did the baking. Her husband Tom made sure everything was transported from her kitchen to the party without a hitch. Dick Ashwood was the official beverage host, while his wife LaVonne greeted guests and distributed name tags.
Unit Four has a diverse mix of folks who have lived in SaddleBrooke for two or three decades, just a few years, and only a few months. We enjoy getting together for a variety of social events. Happy 2026 to all!
Winners of the Mailbox Decorating Contest receive poinsettias.
Unit 6 Celebrates the Season!
Lorie Gregor
Holiday festivities abounded as Unit 6 gathered at the home of Chris and Larry Crum for a holiday potluck. About 70 neighbors enjoyed each other’s company, as well as some magical entertainment by Brian Gregor whose vocals and guitar playing added to the holiday spirit! The beautiful evening was enhanced by the warm conversation and friendly atmosphere while celebrating the winners of the Mailbox Decorating Contest and the two winners of the 50/50 raffle.
In the spirit of giving, the unit decided to support the Outreach Holiday Adopt Program for 2026 and give back to our surrounding communities! Raising over $200 that evening, we will collect donations at all of our events throughout the year and donate the full amount to the program next season.
Unit 6 wishes everyone in SaddleBrooke a Happy New Year!
Units 15 and 17 Jingle and Mingle
Barbara Barr Bengen
Merriment abounded as friends and neighbors in Units 15 and 17 gathered at the RoadRunner Grill to jingle and mingle. Dressed in holiday finery, these SaddleBrooke residents shared holiday cheer as they listened to the soft background music of Michael Holper.
Our buffet dinner was delicious, with two kinds of lasagna, an amazing Caesar salad, and zesty seasoned bread. The dessert was the crowning glory, with slices of cheesecake with raspberry sauce. After dinner, residents danced the night away to the music of Michael Holper.
Our thanks to our Social Chair Linda Gray. Linda planned and organized an amazing evening of fabulous food, friendly neighbors, and marvelous music. Units 15 and 17 celebrated the holidays in style.
Book Club members: Back row: Dee Zellinger, Suzanne Donlan, Nancy Hanna, Lea Stocks, Ruth Leman, Cheryl Fay; front row: Sue Colby, Midge Mollenkopf, author Kim Fay; members not able to attend: Pat Broers, Marilyn Lombardi, Ann Vernon, Elizabeth Tancock
Unit 21 BrookeWorms Book Club Hosts Best-Selling Author
Jerry Fay
The Unit 21 BrookeWorms Book Club had a special guest author at their November meeting. Kim Fay, who wrote the national best-selling novel Love & Saffron, spoke about her new best-selling companion novel released by Putnam in March, Kate & Frida.
Kate & Frida has received numerous accolades. It has been on the USA Today Bestseller List, and People magazine named it a Top 10 novel about the 1990s. In the publisher’s description, “Twenty-something Frida Rodriguez comes to butter-soaked Paris in 1991 with visions of becoming a war correspondent. But when she writes to a bookshop in Seattle, she meets bookseller Kate Fair—and they inspire each other in unexpected ways. Through the most tumultuous years of their young lives—personally and globally—Kate and Frida show each other how to overcome self-doubt and embrace joy even through their darkest hours in the last precious years before the internet changed everything.”
Fay started the evening by describing the background and inspiration for the novel, and then the process of writing the novel and publishing it. An interactive discussion took place, with Book Club members asking numerous questions and discussing aspects of the novel. A social time concluded the evening, with Kim mingling with the Book Club members and responding to more specific questions. All in all, the evening was a lively, fun-filled event.
Fortunately, access to the busy author was easier than you may think. Kim is the daughter of proud Unit 21 parents Jerry and Cheryl Fay.
Unit 21 Light the Night
Dana Eckhardt
Dec. 1 seems to be the start of the festive season, and Unit 21 always delivers. Light the Night is a progressive party that runs through the whole unit so we can see all the homes’ lights. There were two homes that offered appetizers, the Yoders’ home and Jeff Luftig and Barbara Lawton’s home. Then we went to the two homes that had soups, the Anseys’ and the Mollenkopfs’ homes. No fun-filled festivities would be complete without having a dessert house, which was at the Pachis’ home. All attending were encouraged to embrace the holiday spirit with either their outfits or their golf carts, and we were not disappointed. Thanks to all the volunteers.
Unit 25 Ladies Cookie Exchange—How Sweet It Was!
Ron Mazurek
There were sugar buzzes galore on Dec. 13 when the sweetest ladies in Unit 25 (mind you, they’re all pretty sweet) got together at the beautiful home of Carol Conway for her annual Christmas Cookie Exchange. Willie Wonka has nothing on these gals, as not only did they bring a plethora of Christmas goodies to share but, once again, champagne was flowing freely! What could possibly go wrong? And nothing did, as everyone in attendance had a splendid time. And all their husbands had to do was sit and wait at home for each of them to bring home a tray of assorted deliciousness. Talk about a win-win! Maybe the guys could talk them into a Pie Exchange?
Next up for Unit 25 is the New Year’s kick-off Potluck Party where we will throw around ideas for parties and events for 2026!
Unit 27 Ladies Holiday Lunch at SaddleBrooke Ranch
Unit 27 Activities
Sue Case
Like other units, Unit 27 for years held a holiday party in December. Back in the day, SaddleBrooke One did not offer table or other decorations, and unit residents had to create their own. Some of those decorations were over the top! Everything has a shelf life, and the enthusiasm of residents for the unit holiday party was waning. Therefore, it was generally agreed that there would no longer be a unit holiday party.
However, Unit Rep Jeff Depka and his wife Eileen, the masters extraordinaire (some may say “maniacs,”) of holiday decorating, filled that void with what has become an annual Holiday Open House. 2025’s Open House was no exception. As always, the house and yard were filled with large holiday items, including blow-up Santas and snowmen, with the entire dining room dedicated to several Christmas villages with a train running through them. This year they added some life-size Star Wars characters. The kitchen was filled with food, both hot and cold, and savory as well as sweet, and the laundry room was filled with beverages of all kinds. Seating was in the garage, around the house, and on the heated patio. To say that this endeavor took a lot of work is a huge understatement! Unit 27 owes Eileen and Jeff a big thank you!
Another annual holiday tradition for Unit 27 is the Ladies Holiday Luncheon. For the past several years, it has been held at Vivace, but some of the group wanted to try something different. Therefore, in 2025 it was held in a private room at SaddleBrooke Ranch. Janie Grinstead and Anne Doyle took over the arranging duties from Fira Stout who had been doing so for many years. The luncheon was well attended, and it’s always nice to have the opportunity to enjoy the company of neighbors. While waiting for lunch to be served, Janie and Anne, with help from Eileen Depka, hosted a trivia contest for the attendees. The questions were holiday-oriented; however, the answers weren’t always straightforward, or even agreed to by the hostesses, which led to some laughter and headshaking. It appeared that the attendees enjoyed themselves and their meals, although there seemed to be many take-home boxes. Perhaps the attendees had more fun talking than eating! Thanks, Janie and Anne!
Unit 36 Yellow Ladies Cookie Exchange
Lori Hill
The ladies of Unit 36 Yellow assembled at Deb Reis’ home for a cookie exchange on Dec. 13. It was an afternoon of festive fun and camaraderie. Prosecco was passed, and then more than 540 cookies were sampled and divided among the participants. A great time was had by all, thanks to Deb and Margaret.
Holly Stroll Brings Holiday Cheer to Unit 36 Orange and Yellow Block
On Dec. 7 Unit 36 Orange Block truly captured the spirit of the season with its much-anticipated Holly Stroll, a festive evening that welcomed neighbors from both the Orange and Yellow blocks for a night to remember.
Five generous homeowners opened their homes—or more accurately, their beautifully decorated driveways and patios—transforming the block into a lively holiday stroll filled with warmth, laughter, and good cheer. Each stop offered its own delights, and the food alone was enough to make the evening legendary. Guests enjoyed hearty chilis; generous displays of cheese, crackers, and salamis; cheese and cocktail onions on sticks; irresistible sausage balls; mini quiches; pizza; and a tempting spread of festive homemade cookies.
Of course, no Holly Stroll would be complete without beverages, and this year did not disappoint. Wines flowed freely throughout the evening, joined by a very special highlight: authentic homemade German Glühwein, crafted by a bona fide German neighbor. Festive favorites also included peppermint schnapps, while the much-loved Moose Milk made its rounds, delivered by golf cart to each hosting home—much to everyone’s delight.
As the evening progressed, the music got louder, the dancing more enthusiastic, and, yes, karaoke made a memorable appearance. The result was an atmosphere buzzing with joy, laughter, and unmistakable community spirit.
A very big thank you goes to the Holly Stroll homeowners who made the evening possible: Cathy Preston and Bill Etter, Lynn and Bart Long, Mary and Chris Keenan, Cathy and Barry Meade, and Andree and Helen Amelsberg. Your hospitality and holiday spirit truly set the tone for an unforgettable night.
By the end of the evening, there was only one complaint—no one wanted the party to end. The Holly Stroll was a wonderful reminder of what makes Unit 36 such a special place: great neighbors, shared traditions, and plenty of reasons to celebrate together.
Unit 42 Social Event
Tim Gaule
Unit 42 residents enjoyed a potluck on Dec. 12 at the SaddleBrooke One Activity Center. The food was delicious, with plenty for everyone. Special thanks to the Unit 42 Social Committee for all their efforts to create a festive and enjoyable evening.
The Adopt site overflows with donations. (Photo by Dan Nordhill)
Unit 46 Holiday Donations Fill Santa’s Truck
Denise Cashmore
Did you ever wonder how Santa gets all those toys delivered? Dan Nordhill of Unit 46 can tell you. He spent a day as a volunteer driver picking up donations in a Golden Goose truck for this year’s SaddleBrooke Community Outreach Adopt Program (formerly Adopt-a-Family) and then delivering them to San Manual High School for distribution. Thank you to Sarah and Dani Kacer for organizing the Unit 46 drive and to all the unit volunteers who donated over $11,000, shopped, and wrapped holiday gifts for this worthy event.
Dan recounted his day, making two stops—the first to pick up Unit 48 donations and the second for Unit 46 donations at the Kacer home. Said Dan, “Between the two, we filled the Goose truck. When I pulled up and scoped out the load at Sarah and Dani’s, I started laughing to myself, wondering how on earth they managed to survive the past few weeks. Everywhere I looked there were bags of presents. The kitchen may have been spared. I couldn’t tell, because I couldn’t get that far into the house to see.” Dan said he hopes the Kacers will sign up again next year. “We brought a lot of joy to a lot of families.”
Unit 47 Women and Wine Gathering
Allison Lehman
On Dec. 4 more than 30 women in Unit 47 gathered at the home of Ginny Schneider. It had been a couple of years since the last Women and Wine gathering. They had a late afternoon of wine, favorite appetizers, and delicious desserts. It was a chance to catch up with longtime friends and to meet new women in the unit. Everyone agreed that we should do this more often. Mother Nature provided a beautiful sunset.