While some are preoccupied with their Christmas shopping list, others deal with a far more comprehensive bucket list. For some it may include an exotic vacation to Christmas Island, Santa Town, or Time Square. Others may have their movie lists such as Home Alone, It's A Wonderful Life, or even a live performance of Handel's Messiah. Having crossed most of these off our bucket list, we find that the list doesn't seem to diminish, nor does the bucket get smaller. Some you can't erase; they are perennials. These would include the trips to the attic or shed to retrieve treasured decorations from Christmases past, many hand- made, each containing its own unique story. After a few days they have been craftily blended in with the decor of each room giving it a distinctive holiday flavour for the Christmas season. Other traditional items on the list may include the Christmas cards or the annual e-mail news update to some relative, to others a phone call. There are special cookies to be made for the grandchildren, the muffins or cakes to drop off to some senior or anyone else who happens to cross one's mind. In most of these activities I'm mainly a bystander; Dora does most of the heavy lifting. She seems to have a knack of transforming our commonplace, mundane world to one that is extraordinary and celestial. Another tradition on the list each year is the drive around town to see the houses all aglow with Christmas lights. A new item added to the list last year was a drive to the picturesque town of Salvage to see the lobster pot tree. Since 2008 the town has put together a tree made out of lobster pots. The lobster pot tree is decorated with lights, evergreen branches, bows and wooden buoys. As we entered the eerily silent town in late afternoon, still too early for the lights to be turned on; the evening light struggled through the murky cloud, and the air was of course cold. It didn't take long to catch sight of the Christmas tree though partially camouflaged by the rugged background of greens, browns and blue. How odd, yet pleasant, it was to view something so familiar and yet so different. The number one item on Dora's bucket list for Christmas 2017, and her prematurely announced Christmas gift, was to drive to Port de Grave for the town's 19th annual Boat Lighting. We arrived at our B&B in late afternoon of December 8, to find that my brother Max and sister-in-law Phyllis had already arrived. We had been advised on several fronts it would be wise to get there early as parking space could be a problem. I tried to emphasize the point by appearing to count the vehicles in the steady stream of traffic that had gone along the road leading into the harbour. With less than half an hour before the due starting time of 6 o'clock, and some prodding, we finally made our way to the harbour. As expected, there was very little parking space. Brother Max happened to mention his handicapped sticker, only to be informed that all handicapped spaces had been taken. I don't know if they saw the distress on our faces or if they knew we were strangers in town but a couple of friendly guys responsible for parking helped us park in a space on Marginal Wharf within thirty feet of the band stand and the NTV van. As expected, the immediate area was crowded, people dressed in warm clothes were standing, waiting patiently for the official opening ceremonies. Dora noticed there were quite a number wearing fur. One could not help but detect the unique and distinct dialect as some carried on some friendly banter. After a few brief speeches and Christmas songs while still nursing our hot chocolate, the big moment arrived. After the count down, the switch was pulled and the entire harbour was a spectacle to behold, about sixty boats each displaying between three to four thousand lights. The reflection of lights on the water made for a magical Christmas in the harbour. Getting out of the harbour was not easy, as one can imagine, with so much traffic. We waited in our vehicle on the only road out of the harbour with uncharacteristic patience. I think the pedestrians going by were so jolly, upbeat, and filled with Christmas or community spirit it seemed contagious. Just before ascending the hill leading out of the harbour we stopped to get photos of the garden of the Candy Cane man. It was a welcomed relief when we reached our B&B to enjoy a cozy wood fire burning. As we made our way out of town the following morning, the Santa Claus Parade was set to begin. We passed several floats and decorated ATVs. We could not help but get the impression that there was something positive and special about this community. There is a sense of pride and camaraderie, of working together and enjoying it. I would not venture a guess as to what might be on Dora's bucket list for next Christmas. Submitted by Charles Beckett, Gambo, NL   Submitted By: NULL