With Thanksgiving in the past, thoughts will now turn to the Christmas season, as illustrated by these decorations on the front of the Et Cetera Shoppe in downtown Freeman. The holiday season is also being marked tonight by the performance of the first part of Handel's "Messiah" by the Swiss Choral Society. It was presented at the Salem-Zion Mennonite Church at 7:30 p.m.

Here's a blast from the past — an image of the original Saxatones, a local group that played various venues, including nursing homes in its later years, through the late 1990s. Glenn Gering was the last of the original group to pass away; he died in 2016. Dan Graber played with the last of the Saxatones until his freshman year at Freeman Academy. "I learned a lot," he said. "It was wild."

Marion-Freeman head wrestling coach Chris Sayler visits with his team at the conclusion of practice Monday evening, Dec. 21 inside The Hanger — the Rebels' new practice facility that is part of the Freeman Public campus. Wrestlers have been practicing since last week and will open their season at Kimball on Saturday, Dec. 3. Girls basketball practices are also underway — the first day was Monday — while boys basketball begins next week. Watch The Courier for more information on the upcoming seasons at Freeman Academy/Marion, Freeman Public and Menno.

The "Have a nice day" sign that greets passers-by in front of the home of Dr. Dennis Epp is pictured on the Monday morning before Thanksgiving. 

Toys are assembled under a Christmas tree at the front of The Courier office as part of the newspaper's Toy Box Toy Drive for the Bethany Food Pantry. Children's items are being collected through the month for distribution at the local food pantry the first two Fridays of December. Gifts can range from toys to games to clothing and may be dropped off a the Main Street office during regular business hours Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Scenes like this have been a full display inside the Danny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls since the all-class State Volleyball Tournament began on Thursday, Nov. 17. This photo was taken during the national anthem just prior to the start of Friday's consolation round that included Freeman against Northwestern (center court), as well as the Class A (top) and Class AA matches. All three classes have been playing simultaneously since action began.  Today's final Class B matches include: For seventh place: Freeman vs. Colman-Egan (11:30 a.m.)

The Freeman volleyball team takes the court at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls on the 30 minutes leading up to their match against Northwestern Friday morning. The No. 8 Flyers are gunning for a spot in the consolation championship on Saturday after their 3-1 loss to top-see Warner on Thursday. Northwestern is the No. 4 seed. 

Amanda Mettler smiles for a photo behind the Salem Home sign that anchors the corner of the assisted living facility that will be merged with Freeman Regional Health Services by the end of the year. Mettler, who has been the director of social services at FRHS the past 13 years, now takes on the title of FRHS Senior Living Assistant Administrator and will split her time between both health care facilities. Read more about her new role in the Nov. 16 edition of The Courier.

Lori Uecker writes the names of the volleyball players on the window of the bus that is transporting the team to Sioux Falls for the State B Volleyball Tournament. The Flyers enjoyed a pep rally/sendoff Wednesday morning before leaving town around 9:50 a.m. Their one-hour practice was scheduled to start at 11 a.m.

Freeman Academy students Estelle Waltner and Jayson Allison work together to box up cans of chicken that will be distributed for worldwide relief through Mennonite Central Committee. Waltner and Allison were part of a larger contingent of volunteers taking part in the MCC meat canning effort at C&B Operations Tuesday morning. Work began early Monday morning, and by the time it is finished Tuesday afternoon, 10,000 lbs. of chicken will have been prepared, cooked, canned, labeled and boxed as part of the local effort.