Celebrations Across MDI This Weekend Exemplify What Goodness Actually Is
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by First National Bank.
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND—When Lisa Parsons checked kids into the Neighborhood House to enter Santa’s extra workshop in Northeast Harbor, Saturday afternoon, she was all smiles.
A little after 2 p.m., more than 100 kids had headed behind the heavy wooden doors with personal elvish assistants—some from the MDI High School girls’ basketball team—to shop for their families. The children would journey from table to table, many manned by local elves and pick out presents. Local elves and ribbon makers and holiday present decorating experts wrapped those presents with finesse as the children picked out one of the more than 400 bows that Pat Foster had been making all year long.
Parsons’ daughter stood with her behind the entrance table for a bit. Parsons’ mom couldn’t make it this year, possibly for the first time in the over 20 years that they’ve doing this, but the family carried on, but kept thinking about her and missing her, because that’s what the holidays are about: community, stashing gifts in your own attic for an entire year so that children can learn about giving, too, and even when it doesn’t all work out exactly the way you thought it might? It’s about carrying on to still bring joy.
It’s about creating something that becomes a memory and a tradition all at once. Parsons and her family and all the volunteers at the Neighborhood House and throughout Northeast Harbor’s Christmas Festival didn’t just know that; they embodied it.
Parsons said that the Santa’s workshop event is her favorite event all year.
It’s easy to see why. The workshop embodies everything that’s good in a community: sharing, caring, connections, giving, friendship, volunteering, and joy.
That happened all over the island this weekend, and it’ll happen next weekend, too, because volunteers like Parsons and Foster and so many others took the time to create something special.
At Santa’s breakfast at the Tremont School that same Saturday, children ate food volunteers cooked, crafted presents and pictures, gathered with their families around circular tables, and visited with Santa.
“Welcome! Welcome!” the mother and daughter said as they took the $5 donations that will help fund a school trip.
There were a million little touches all around the school cafeteria. Holiday greetings made of wood and propped on a bannister. Glitter ball decorations encased in glass bottles and embellished with bow sat at the center of every table as people gathered around and ate and talked and colored and wrote letters to Santa as he sat at one end of the cafeteria waiting for them to come over and say hello.
A cafeteria was transformed because people cared enough to transform it, cared enough to raise money for Tremont kids, cared enough to bake goods and cook for their neighbors.
“This is so fun!” one kid said.
Later that night, the fire department gave Santa a ride to light the lobster tree. A toddler bundled in a snowsuit held their mother’s hand as they got used to walking while being so bulky. Town Manager Jesse Dunbar and his family looked on as firefighters helped Santa disembark Engine 4. Kids shouted hello and posed with Santa soon afterward.
Santa made it to towns on Mount Desert Island using a GEM in Bar Harbor for its holiday celebration and sale on Friday night. On Saturday afternoon, before Santa headed to Tremont, Santa and Mrs. Claus came to Northeast Harbor via the Maine Seacoast Mission’s Sunbeam, tying up at the marina before heading ashore.
“It’s Santa! It’s Santa!” became a bit of a mantra for the crowd.
Each event involved community and kindness, people volunteering their time to make festivals and celebrations and breakfasts and tree lightings happen. There were dances and musicals. There were hugs and bonfires. There was friendship and kindness and love.
Communities become positive and stay positive often through the compassionate action and communication and empathy of its members. It can be hard to remember that sometimes. But for the people who ventured out this weekend, who shared those events, who created those memories for other people here on this island? Well, it wasn’t hard to remember what community was this weekend. That’s because people didn’t need to remember it. They were living it.
For approximately two decades (and more) in places like the Neighborhood House, the Tremont School, Acadia Community Theater, the YWCA, and with organizations like fire departments and chambers and schools, people have been giving to each other on this island and in Trenton, over and over again.
That’s what community is. It’s about the little touches, the hugs hello, the joys of seeing Santa or a fire truck. It’s about building a lobster trap tree and a child’s holiday gift list, over and over again with joy.
HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS
Holiday happenings abounded on Mount Desert Island this weekend. We’ve compiled some photos from some of the ones we were able to get to. Apologies that we couldn’t make it everywhere.
BAR HARBOR’S VILLAGE HOLIDAYS AND SALE
Santa came via GEM to the Bar Harbor Village Green on Friday night and then headed over to the Mount Desert Island YMCA for photos, crafts and free books (the books were thanks to Sherman’s and the Jesup Memorial Library’s collaboration). From 6 to 10 p.m., participating businesses offered sales.
BREAKFAST WITH SANTA IN TREMONT
On Saturday, people were lucky enough to have both an amazing breakfast and crafts and time with Santa at the Tremont School. Money raised is helping with students’ upcoming trip to Quebec.
NORTHEAST HARBOR’S CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL
The festival began with the Neighborhood House’s Frosty 5K and ended with Clusterfunk & Company featuring The Burnett Brothers and Phil Kell. In between there was Santa’s Workshop, jingle bell crafts, caroling, open houses and treats, hot cider at the Great Harbor Maritime Museum, a bonfire, a tree lighting, and an Italian dinner fundraiser for MDI High School’s Italy trip.
And of course, Santa and Mrs. Clause arrived via Maine Seacoast Mission’s Sunbeam.
TREMONT TREE LIGHTING WITH SANTA
BAR HARBOR CRAFT FAIR AND DANCE
A broken pipe under the building caused an evacuation of the Island Arts Association’s craft fair for a bit on Saturday, but thanks to the Bar Harbor Fire Department and the staff at the Atlantic Oceanside, artisans and shoppers were able to go back inside again. The raffle supported the YWCA of MDI and its programs.
The Downeast Folk Dancers embraced Swedish dance and traditions at the YWCA Saturday evening. Santa Lucia brings light and treats to all during the cold, dark days of December. The night featured the Langdans, Hambo, and other Swedish dances plus holiday songs and dances from Armenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Serbia, and more. Carolyn Rapkievian and friends taught the dances and Kotwica provided the music.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
A list (that we keep updating) of holiday happenings is here. Also, every Monday, we have a story “Things to Do” that goes out in the early morning about events in the Mount Desert Island region. If you have an event that you’d like us to include, please let us know!
All photos and videos: Carrie Jones and Shaun Farrar/Bar Harbor Story, news for the MDI region
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