Sunbeam Steward Siobhan Harrity shares more about the Sunbeam’s Christmas trip this year. 

Christmas by the numbers: 76 cookies, 32 scones, three pork tenderloins, two breakfast strata, and one spice cake with cream cheese frosting. Told another way: 40 knots of wind, six to nine-foot seas, two sick crew members, and one very sticky ramp.  

It’s a real testament to the crew of the Sunbeam (which this week included Derrick, a lobsterman from Isle au Haut, as stand-in deckhand) and to the islanders themselves that the two days still felt so joyful. Our time on Matinicus coincided with the arrival of the fuel barge, a once-a-quarter event that brought nearly the whole island down to the dock to fill up their barrels and gas cans, and many of them joined us on the Sunbeam for a festive brunch. We distributed gifts and received some ourselves, including delicious homemade chocolate truffles and some ornaments for our tree.  

Then we headed off to Isle au Haut, where a Christmas surprise awaited us: the ramp to the float had just been resurfaced with tar, which Sunbeam Nurse Simone and I learned the hard way when we tried to leave the boat. Stuck aboard the Sunbeam in our sock feet, the crew ate dinner together and laughed at the unpredictable nature of the work. By the next morning, luckily, the tar had cured, and we were able to come and go freely, dropping off gifts and food. A strong west wind meant we had to leave before the island’s potluck and pageant, events that I was sad to miss. But the islanders know that Christmas with the Sunbeam means a mix of tradition and improvisation.  

We may be bringing the same white paper packages tied up with red string that families have been receiving for generations, but every year the seas and the wind will be different, or something will arise to alter our best-laid plans. As we pulled away from the dock, we were in for one last surprise: an urchin dragger in the middle of the thoroughfare was preventing us from taking the quicker and more protected route home. So, Mike backed the Sunbeam up, and we turned and headed out onto the high seas, spray covering the pilot house windows, cushions sliding from the benches, and, above it all, our Christmas lights shining brightly.  

Learn more about the work the Sunbeam does as well as the Mission’s Christmas Program. 

A few minutes after the Sunbeam tied up on Frenchboro, islanders made their way onto the boat. They were there for Covid and flu vaccines. While some islanders just stopped by to get their shots and maybe grab a cookie, others stayed to enjoy lunch or dinner and chat with the crew and other islanders. 

The Mission’s short time on each island went a long way for each community. During the winter months, with some island populations dropping to around 20 people, the Sunbeam provides a welcome respite. And it was clearly a celebration: on Frenchboro, a young boy came on to play with the toy pirate ship, expressing joy that it was back. Sometimes both tables in the salon were filled with people discussing the latest island news. On Matinicus, one resident joked that the whole island stopped by to see the boat. When the Sunbeam is in port, it becomes an unofficial community center, with neighbors catching up with each other. With many islanders wearing multiple hats, they often lack the spare time to socialize; yet a visit from the Mission gives them a chance to pause and get together. 

Learn more about the Mission’s Island Health program and the Sunbeam.  

Last year, the Mission received more than 2,000 handcrafted hats, mittens, scarves, socks, and lap blankets from around the country. While it is not clear when the first knitted item was given as a Christmas present on the Maine coast, as early as 1910, the Mission noted in its Annual Report that knitted mittens and hats were donated to its Christmas Program alongside clothing, dolls, and books. Now, more than a century later, a knitted item is included in every gift given by the Mission and has become a staple of the Christmas Program.  

n later years, Alice began making mittens of her own to donate to the Mission. Many coastal residents still remember the years when the Mission might have given them their only Christmas gift and always included was either a hat or a pair of mittens. They fondly share the importance of the Mission and many would go on like Alice, to continue to support the Christmas Program for years to come.  

By the 1920s, knitting had become integral to the Mission’s work and in the Annual Report the Mission specifically asked for donations of knitted items. In 1935, the Mission thanked knitting groups for their donations including one group that sent 464 items to the Mission. Knitters and crocheters have continued to make and send items to the Mission for decades, sometimes sent with notes that speak of generations of grandmothers, mothers, and daughters.  

And while mittens might not be at the top of most kids’ wish lists today, they often are a favorite of many kids. Douglas Cornman, Director of Island Services, says many times kids overlook the toys and go straight for their new hat and mittens. “It amazes me when they do this. They love their new hat and mittens and want to know how Santa knew their favorite color. Their wonder and amazement adds to the magic of Christmas.”     

Now, the Mission is reaching out to current knitters and crocheters to find out more about their connection to the Mission. If you have created handmade items for the Mission, please let us know by filling out this survey. And because the Mission still gives thousands of knit items to people living on the coast each year, new knitters and crocheters are welcome to send their items to Maine Seacoast Mission Christmas Program, PO Box 428/ 6 Weald Bethel Lane, Cherryfield, ME  04622. 

To learn more about the Christmas program and its impact here. 

The Bulletin underwent a redesign to better reflect the work the Mission is doing, with more dynamic colors and design, the new Bulletin features community and partner profiles alongside a longer feature story, introductions to Mission people and more stories about our programs. These profiles help give a face and story to the people who both help the Mission and receive Mission services. 

The Bulletin walks readers through the changes made on the campus from the new Downeast Engagement Center to the pole-based challenge course to the new cabins down by the Weald Bethel Community Center. Along the way, community members share what the improvements have meant to them.   

To read the full issue of the Bulletin visit Our Publications page.