Christmas by the Sea

By Melanie Brooks

This past weekend, Camden celebrated their annual Christmas by the Sea celebration. My mother, Mary, sister, Jennifer, and niece, Ayda headed down to put a little jingle in our step. Luckily the rain held off so we could walk around town without getting wet.

There were Christmas wreathes up on every lamppost and on most storefronts. I wish we had been there at night to see what kind of light display the town had. We just missed Santa Claus, so we stopped into Cappy's for some lunch before heading out to Cellardoor Winery's vineyard in Lincolnville to catch him there.

Bettina Doulton, owner of Cellardoor Winery, decked the halls to the nines, including this gorgeous Christmas tree. When we stopped by she was upstairs with a group of kids, helping them decorate cookies.

Ayda and Jenn were right into it--and the cookies were really yummy. Just as they finished who walked through the door? You guessed it -- Santa Claus!

Ayda, who is three-and-a-half, was very proud of herself for how close she got to the "man in red." He was very patient with all of the kids and just the right amount of jolly.

While the kids enjoyed activities upstairs, the grownups enjoyed wine pairings downstairs. It was a fun event and we look forward to doing it again next year. For more events in the Camden area this holiday season, visit www.camdenme.org.