Lobster Trap Christmas Tree in St. Andrews by-the-Sea Raises Money for a Good Cause

In the heart of Saint Andrews by-the-Sea, a unique Christmas tree tradition has taken root, but this tree has no roots to speak of. 20 volunteers gathered in Market Square on Tuesday to build the annual lobster trap Christmas tree, made from 105 lobster traps secured together with zip ties and stacked like a pyramid to resemble a Christmas tree, fitting for a seaside town on the Bay of Fundy in the height of lobster season. The tradition was started by lobster fisher Allisan Bailey Spear seven years ago. Spear decided to put her older lobster traps to good use by giving them a second life at Christmastime.

"We started the tree in 2017, and it was just an idea that we had because we had seen other lobster trap trees built and being shared over social media," said Spear. "And I knew I had piles of traps that were sitting in our yard, and I thought it was a great idea just to save a tree here in town, not cut one down every year and build a tree out of our lobster traps that we no longer use. And then we figured we could turn it into a way to raise money for the local food bank."

Once the lobster traps are stacked, the tree is then decorated with festive lights and dozens of buoys painted by locals, all of whom pay $30 for the chance to make their own signature holiday buoy. All of the funds collected from buoy sales go towards the local food bank. The fundraiser raises thousands of dollars annually and kicks off the holiday season with an initiative that embodies the true spirit of Christmas.

"It's really magical, actually, to see the community come together," said Spear. "It's very community minded. We've even expanded into the other communities of Charlotte County by donating some money to their food banks as well. So we're hoping as it grows that we can also expand more into those communities and donate more money. But again, it's just all part of St. Andrews and how magical it is at Christmas, and it's just nice to be a part of it."

Tim Taylor has been volunteering to help build the Christmas tree for its entire seven-year history in the community and considers the event the official start to the holiday season.

"It's a real magical community in the Christmas season to begin with, and this seems to start everything off," said Taylor. "People start to see that Christmas is coming, they start to buy buoys, and then I think it's this coming Friday, the lights go on and that really clicks the switch for most people in the area."

Saint Andrews' tree lighting ceremony takes place on Friday, November 24th, in Market Square between 5 pm and 6 pm and is also the official kickoff to the first major holiday weekend celebration in the community known as Sparkle by-the-Sea, a weekend full of late-night shopping, ice sculptures, and live music throughout town from Friday to Sunday.

NBCC Saint Andrews students are getting in the holiday spirit by giving back to their community. This semester, students have been working on creating a focal point installation for a new holiday event called Christmas Fest, which will take place in Market Square.

If you want to check out NBCC's Christmas cabin in action at Christmas Fest, be sure to visit Market Square on December 9th from 1 pm to 7 pm.

Finally, schools across Charlotte County have been getting in the spirit of the holidays this past week recording performances of Christmas songs, which will be broadcast on CHCO-TV on Sunday, November 26th, during the annual Santa's Helpers telethon. Every year, Santa's Helpers raises thousands of dollars for families in need from Charlotte County to ensure everyone from our part of the world has a magical Christmas. If you'd like to watch the telethon, be sure to tune into CHCO on Sunday, from 2 pm to 5 pm, or you can also watch Santa's Helpers live on CHCOTV's YouTube channel.