Wareham Emergency Medical Services got a $100,000 early Christmas present from Southcoast Hospitals. Seven Wareham citizens were honored for giving to the community throughout the year. And perhaps it is Elks who pull the sleigh?

The Selectmen call the annual acknowledgements the Spirit of Christmas Awards. This year, the awards included announcement of the hospital system’s gift of $100,000 to EMS to support the purchase of new, state-of-the-art "monitor defibrillators."

Kerry Mello, Southcoast Hospitals community benefits manager and a Wareham resident, was on hand to accept a Spirit of Christmas award on behalf of Southcoast. And EMS Director David Evans was on hand to express gratitude for Southcoast’s gift.

The defibrillators “are a desperate need for us,” he said. “Our current units are all over 10 years old and the manufacturer will no longer service these units.”

The new units, he explained, will assist in the emergency care of both cardiac and respiratory patients with sophisticated monitoring of everything from heart function to blood gas levels.

Also honored with Spirit of Christmas plaques from Selectmen were:

Paula and Charlie Barros. Seeing neighbor Cindy Jeffers struggle to raise two grandchildren, one wheelchair bound, the Barros offered hands-on help with things like laundry, then undertook a fund-raising and organizing effort to get Jeffers an expanded and rehabbed home to accommodate the family’s needs. The local “extreme home makeover” stunned – and thrilled -- Jeffers and her grandsons.

The Wareham Elks. The local lodge was honored for “always meeting the needs of the Wareham community” without asking anything in return. Exalted Ruler Charles Anson Jr. and Board Chairman Francis Wynn, on hand to accept for the Elks, said the award came as a complete surprise. “I got the e-mail yesterday!” Anson said.

Claire and Hodar (oops -- Howard) Smith. The couple were honored for decades of civic involvement. Claire, now town moderator, was the founder of the Wareham High School Alumni Association and is currently at the forefront of organizing the 2014 Summer of Celebration festivities celebrating Wareham’s 275^th birthday and the 200^th anniversary of the British landing during the War of 1812.

Howard Smith is a long-time call firefighter, “active civic participant,” and the man in the Hodar Viking costume at Wareham High School athletic events. Before Tuesday night, word was that Smith didn’t want anyone to know that he was Hodar. Asked about that after being honored at the telecast Selectmen’s meeting, Smith just smiled and shrugged.

Patricia Wylde. Honored for being “a quiet supporter of music and arts in Wareham schools,” Wylde is herself a musician and a supporter of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, New Bedford Symphony Orchestra and Tanglewood. The widow of John Wylde, she has continued to support his beloved Gatemen baseball team.

Frank and Susan Noonan. The owners of Onset Village Music and the newly launched South Coast Center for the Arts, the couple was recognized for their “efforts to promote the joy of making music.”