On Thanksgiving night, winter obligingly dropped a festive amount of snow across some of coastal and all of interior Washington County, making a perfect setting for Christmas tree seekers rolling up to Johnson’s Tree Farm in Robbinston the next day. The farm is located at 568 Ridge Road and is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Trees cost $30, cash or check only. Photo by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

The intense fragrance of fresh balsam was so out of place in the Hannaford check out line that it took me a minute to understand what I was smelling. When it clicked, I spun my head to find its source, then smiled to realize it was coming from two wreath makers bagging up their groceries.

There are worse things to bring home with you from work.

Pickup trucks stacked high with balsam tips are Washington County’s first sign that the holidays are approaching in earnest. Throughout November and often into December, they’re making their way to the wreathmaking factories, some of which look like factories, and others that look like barns, greenhouses, or sheds.

Local shops are stocked with wreathmaking supplies because lots of locals fashion their own wreaths, sometimes shipping them off as Christmas gifts. We did that once or twice, but it turns out it's a lot of work, so now we ship them from local businesses like Gay’s Wreaths, Whitney Wreath, or Mingo’s, and they all do a beautiful job.

Maine produces millions of balsam wreaths each year and though I can find few statistics, one source says Maine produces 90% of the world’s evergreen wreaths. I believe most of those millions come from Washington County, and some from neighboring Hancock County.

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What luck to look toward the Centre Street steeple in Machias at just the moment of golden hour on Friday, Nov. 29. Thanks to Machias Savings Bank for hanging their enormous wreaths, completing the seasonal image. Photo by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Yesterday we drove to Johnson’s Tree Farm in Robbinston for our annual Christmas tree pilgrimage. First, we stopped at Johnson’s True Value in Calais, which is one of those wonderful “if we don’t have it you don’t need it” hardware stores, where our eldest invested in some green wool pants – winter-in-Maine essentials.

Then we stopped at the St. Croix International Historic Site, in part because it’s beautiful, and in part because I recently read that the island’s small French colony was the site of the first documented Christmas celebration in North America, held in 1604.

The rest of their winter did not go very well, with almost half the colony dying of scurvy. The French did not know what the native tribes knew, that a simple tea made from the island’s pine needles would be just the ticket. 

Today, we know about that Christmas because cartographer Samuel Champlain was an excellent record keeper. He described the way a summer on the coast of Washington County didn’t hint at what was to come in winter.

“It was difficult to know this country without having wintered there; for on arriving in summer everything is very pleasant on account of the woods, the beautiful landscapes, and the fine fishing for the many kinds of fish we found there,” wrote Champlain. “There are six months of winter in that country.”

It’s hard to read that without hearing Champlain’s astonishment. Six months of winter. Well do we know it, Samuel.

But now, we’re in the very best part of a Washington County winter, when all the lights are coming on, all the cookie, carol, and tea parties are before us on the calendar, and all the slippery winter driving is a distant theory, not a present reality.

Maine’s scallop season opens for the year on Monday, Dec. 2, when local fisherman will head out into the frigid cold and waters. Because of the season’s timing, it’s traditional in Washington County to feature local scallops on holiday tables, and to give them as gifts in December.

It’s frightfully cold and sometimes dangerous work, as you can imagine, looking at fisherman Ben Crocker’s snow-covered prow at sunrise last year.

Save a thought for them in the morning.

Scalloping out of Bucks Harbor. Photo by Ben Crocker Jr.

The future of the Machias dike remains uncertain after a recent announcement from the Maine Department of Transportation. I am paraphrased in this article on the subject, though not as precisely as I would like. This article goes a little bit deeper into the Upper Machias Bay Master Plan.

The Machias Ambulance Service is hiring a paramedic, and is offering a sizable signing bonus as an incentive!

Do not miss the Christmas lights show put on by Troy and Lynn Huffman in East Machias. I haven’t been out yet this season, but I know they were turning it on the day after Thanksgiving. Here’s a video that gives you an idea of its scope, but it’s much better to see it at nighttime. You’ll find them by turning left onto Hadley Lake Road from 191 near the Elm Street School, then look for the glowing sky a mile or two up.

The last cannery in the United States is ceasing operations. Looks Gourmet was still canning seafood in Whiting until recently.

RJ Heller tells the story of a local school teacher’s memories of teaching in Cutler and Whiting, shared at an event at Lubec Memorial Library.

Thinking of Cutler made me think of lighthouses, which made me think of this wonderful children’s book which, like so many of them (my children will tell you) always makes me cry. It’s not based in Washington County, but it is based in Maine, and was out of print for a few years. I’m relieved to see it’s available again here.

While I’m hard at work in the Machias Town Office, I’ve begun writing these postcards bi-weekly, and I want to be sure to give you a sense of what’s going on until I’m back again in two weeks. But there is so much, trust me that this is not a comprehensive list!

The Machias Christmas Parade of Lights is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 7th, and it is fantastic. Thank you to Dean McGuire of McGuire Seasonal Services (yes, plowing!) for organizing it this year! 2023 Parade Photo courtesy Ryan Malagara, Drones Eye View Inc. You can shop for some of Ryan’s wonderful aerial prints here.

There are a couple of Downeast events that take us back in time, and one of them is the Ruggles House Society Annual Christmas Tree. Prepare to feel like you’re in a Dickens novel, or Little Women, except in beautiful Columbia Falls. Details above.

The other is the Annual Gates House Christmas Party, which is set for 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8. Details in the flyer below. We never miss it!

The Town of Danforth will host its 2024 Christmas Light Parade at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6. The theme of this year’s parade is “Put a Little Holiday in your Heart.” 

Jumping back to the west and ahead in the calendar, Cherryfield will host its Fourth Annual Parade of Lights on Saturday, Dec. 14. Details here!

The Ella Lewis Festival of Trees & Craft Fair will support the school’s PTO and will take place at 15 Village Road, Steuben, from 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6 to 4 p.m. on Dec. 7. 

As ever, there is a robust schedule of events at the Eastport Arts Center. See them all here.

Also an impressive array of classes and programs happening at the wonderful Cobscook Institute. See them all here.

The Annual Wesley Tree Festival is a flagship event of the Machias Community Christmas Weekend. This year it will be held from 4 p.m. on Dec. 6 to 3 p.m. on Dec. 8 at the Lee Pellon Center in Machias. There you’ll find trees lavishly decorated with gifts on display. You just buy your tickets and put them in front of the ones you hope to win – I think this must be my year! All proceeds to benefit the Wesley Foundation, a nonprofit which serves the needs of Washington County youth.

Two more fun events are set for the Machias Community Christmas weekend – the Machias Arts Council’s Winter Art Show & Sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7. Here’s your plan – get your coffee or cocoa, hit the ATM for cash, then head to the Machias schools campus on Court Street. Start at the Art Sale in the high school, then wend your way back to the 51st Annual Down East Community Hospital Auxiliary Craft Fair in the Rose M. Gaffney gymnasium. This year, they will bring it back for the 51st time from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Rose M. Gaffney Elementary School in Machias. 

Don’t miss the Machias Valley Baptist Church’s Living Nativity, also on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 4 p.m. Drive by or stop for cocoa and treats!

Then at 6 p.m., get thee to Main Street in Machias for the Annual Parade of Lights.

The following weekend, there’s a chance to see a bespoke Downeast Christmas play presented by the Machias Arts Council Theatre. Scroogeport: A Downeast retelling of A Christmas Carol will play in Machias on Friday, Dec. 13 and Saturday, Dec. 14, and in Eastport on Friday, Dec. 20, Saturday, Dec. 21, and Sunday, Dec. 22. Buy your tickets at the links in this paragraph!

The Milbridge Theatre and Community Arts Center will host the Narraguagus Winter Concert at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 11, free to attend! The Center is also offering a free program for families. At 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 15, see the Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers perform the Grinch. Free! See the rest of the Theatre’s December events here.

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