Mandy Miles

Preston Brewer, who shot and killed Garrett Hughes in February 2023, sits at the defense table during a break in a Dec. 10 hearing to determine whether the shooting was done in self-defense. MANDY MILES/Keys Weekly

The Irreverent Warriors’ annual Silkies Hike, to combat veteran suicide with humor, takes place from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14 in Key West. The hike starts at Hurricane Hole and finishes downtown at Simonton Beach. CONTRIBUTED

Key West’s annual Holiday Parade makes its way down Truman Avenue and Duval Street on Dec. 7. Featuring 101 entries, the event included marching bands, dancing groups, singers, snow machines, the Grinch, and, of course, Santa and Mrs. Claus. Photos by LARRY BLACKBURN and CAROL TEDESCO

A good friend (and colleague) here in the Florida Keys needs help, but is afraid to ask. There’s the stigma and the sense that people will look at him differently. So I decided to step in. Here’s the deal.

I remember learning as a kid that not everyone celebrated Christmas. There were places in the world, kids living on the far side of that giant map the teacher always pulled down at the front of the classroom, who had never decorated a Christmas tree or sent a letter to some guy named Santa.

Runners take to the road on Dec. 14 for A Positive Step’s 16th annual Rudolph Red Nosed 5K Run. Proceeds from the event, which started and ended at the Southernmost Beach Café, support the nonprofit’s Idle Hands Summer Youth Employment Program and the Southernmost Fatherhood Initiative. CAROL TEDESCO/APSMC.org

Classic holiday figures — plus a Key West rooster — shine from the M/V Izzy Rose in Key West Harbor, garnering the boat the second-place honors. CAROL TEDESCO/KeyWestHolidayFest.com

The Basilica School of St. Mary Star of the Sea celebrated the completion of its new high school building with a dedication ceremony on Dec. 13, making it the only Catholic high school in the Florida Keys. MANDY MILES/Keys Weekly

My mom made Christmas magical. Still does. And my dad has always given her all the credit — picking and decorating the perfect tree, buying, hiding, then wrapping all our gifts, always in two different kinds of wrapping paper to distinguish mine from my brother, Kevin’s.

City commissioners on Dec. 12 voted to hire Key West native Brian Barroso as the next city manager. MANDY MILES/Keys Weekly