The people of Niagara-on-the-Lake seem to take Christmas decorating and holiday lighting very seriously.

How else to explain the amazing displays of decor around town?

If ever there was a year when we all could use a healthy does of cheer, this is it.

The Lake Report's photo display last week, featuring incredible pictures of decked-out homes all over town, drew raves from near and far as people revelled in the joy these splashes of colour and decor brought to an often joyless 2020.

So, thank you to everyone who has taken it upon themselves to bring a little light to our darker days.

In particular, thanks to Brenda McArthur, who selflessly opens her spectacular John Street home (the former Trisha Romance estate) to the public for the NOTL Rotary Club's holiday house extravaganza. 

You couldn't take it in this year, thanks to COVID, but we offer you some exclusive photos this week of what you would have seen, inside and out.

And kudos also to the owners of the famous “house up on York Road,” as we so often hear it called.

For about 20 years the owners, (who prefer not to be interviewed, so that way it's all about the lights), have put together an astonishingly impressive display that attracts drive-by visitors from all over Niagara. 

We also would like to single out the people from the Town of NOTL, Santa's helpers for the Santa Around The Town parade on Sunday. 

Thanks for your help and ingenuity, along with the Christmas parade committee, to ensure that the jolly old fellow put in an appearance in all five of NOTL's communities. It was a brilliant solution, well-executed. There's even an app for that.

No one needs to be reminded what an unforgettably forgettable 2020 has been. It will be memorable for many sad reasons, thanks to the upheaval it has created in the lives of literally everyone worldwide, and to the death and suffering it brought to so many millions of people. Many of us have seen the ravages of COVID up close or lost ones we knew or loved.

COVID made it a tough year for our municipal leaders, Lord Mayor Betty Disero, town council and senior management of the town. They faced unprecedented situations and did what they felt was essential to keep NOTLers safe. They succeeded.

Despite thousands of visitors, the result has been relatively few COVID cases in town (seven active at the last count and 71 total over about 10 months). And there have been no outbreaks in any of NOTL's long-term care homes, a remarkable achievement. More for which to be thankful.

As noted on Page 1, this is the final edition of the print edition of The Lake Report for this year (we'll still post news online as it happens). We are taking a two-week holiday from striving to bring you the most current, relevant and interesting news, features and information about NOTL, week after week.

That would be an impossible task without the faithful support of you – our readers – plus our loyal advertisers, and the numerous community contributors who generously help us tell stories. And all those who let us into their lives so we can tell those stories.

In turn, you reward us with your readership and support. 

Yes, Niagara-on-the-Lake is indeed one special community. 

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a joyous new year to all.