When Wayne Gillett, (my father) was four years old in 1961, his family purchased their very first television set. At that time a very popular program was “Lassie” and Wayne and his family would sit and watch this whenever it came on and young Wayne became very fascinated with the dog. He would often find himself drawn into the weekly plot and he would become devastated when Lassie would get herself into danger, always hoping that by the end of the program she would be alright - luckily she always was. After hearing how much Wayne loved the program, his uncle sent him the novel “Lassie Come Home.” Because Wayne had not yet learned to read, his mother would sit and read this novel over and over again, so many times that Wayne almost knew it by heart. As Christmas came near, the only thing that Wayne wanted was a dog just like Lassie. “Well in 1961 living in the small outport of Pike's Arm it was almost an impossible task to get a dog like Lassie. Not only that, money was scarce and could be put to better use. "In my mind I knew it was a long shot and a lot to expect to get a Lassie dog. But despite these odds, I firmly believed in Santa and nothing was impossible for him. So I dreamed of my Lassie dog as Christmas drew closer,” said Wayne, “and I was determined to make sure that nothing mean would ever happen to my Lassie like had happened to the Lassie in the book and on T.V.” Wayne counted down the days to Christmas and crossed his fingers that Santa would find a way to bring him a dog like Lassie. Finally Christmas morning came. The only heat in the house was a wood stove in the kitchen, so as WayneÂ’s father lit the fire, Wayne and his brothers got to open their stockings upstairs in the warmth of their beds. “And so it was, my stocking came with the usual gifts of an apple, some candy, scribbler and pencil, and maybe a colouring book and crayons if I was lucky. There was no indication of my Lassie dog. Not even a bark or a whine, only silence. Finally I went downstairs. I looked around but could see no Lassie. Boy, was I disappointed,” said Wayne remembering that Christmas day. As he peeked around the Christmas tree that had been trimmed with everything from candy wrappers to balloons, something caught his eye. “When I walked toward the tree, there she was, my beautiful Lassie dog in the form of a plush toy. She was lying on a branch of the Christmas tree. I found out later that my mom had found this toy in the Eaton's catalogue. It wasn't the real thing, but I have cherished that little plush toy ever since. Despite hard times, my parents, with Santa's help, did the best that they could. I still have my Lassie dog and every time I look at it, it reminds me of that special Christmas in 1961,” said Wayne as he reminisced about one of his favourite Christmases. Although things have changed quite a bit since Wayne was four, he still lives in that house in PikeÂ’s Arm and he loves to talk about all of his fond childhood memories. “Many changes have taken place over the years but I still believe in the magic of Santa to make dreams come true. Memories of Christmas as a boy growing up in a small outport are never far from my mind. They were special times and I hope that you will take the time this Christmas to enjoy past memories of Christmas with family and friends and make new ones that will last a life time,” said Wayne in true Christmas spirit.   Submitted By: jennifer randell