My four brothers and I were born in Arnold's Cove, NL to Edgar and Astella (Best) Hollett. Arnold's Cove at that time was a small community consisting of approximately 45-50 families, a school (one-room, later a new two-room), two churches (Anglican Church and Salvation Army Citadel), three grocery stores, three taxi services and a post office. Within such a small community, there was the feeling of closeness, being surrounded by love and the security of family and friends. Christmas was a special time of year, when all of the community pulled together to ensure each child had a special visit from Santa. Recently, my brother (Clarence) and I were discussing how commercialized every occasion has become. This led to reminiscing about the "good auld days." Although money was scarce, everyday life functioned around family, friends and community. Clarence said his "best memory of Christmas was the Santa Claus Parade." The Santa Claus Parade was generally held in the afternoon of Christmas Eve. It was planned by the Salvation Army and devoted members of the community and generally carried out no matter what the weather conditions were. The parade's main attraction was, of course, Santa, who rode in the back of a truck. Santa truck was followed by delighted children and the young at heart. Santa stopped at every household with children, as well as individual homes with the elderly. Santa jumped from the back of the truck and ran to every home. This was no easy feat at times after a "BIG" snowfall and high easterly winds off the Atlantic. Poor Santa! Santa would arrive at each home to find children filled with anticipation and faces aglow with the magic of Christmas. Each child was given a small paper bag containing an apple, an orange and some candy. As Santa left each home, he shouted a "Merry Christmas" in his loud Santa voice. As we recalled this special Christmas event, we remember two special people, Uncle Llewellyn and Aunt Mildred Guy, who worked with their volunteers to make this possible. Clarence and I have lived in Ontario for several enjoyable years; we still enjoy our visits home. However, while recalling our childhood years, we realize the amount of hard work and devotion required by the people of a small community... devotion and hard work for a successful community!! Thank you for the memories.   Submitted By: NULL