Against a golden sunset, a Sikorsky VS-44 approaches the harbor at Phillips Bay. As the brisk night air descends on this first night of December, Santa Claus arrives at the Watchman Hill Inn, heralded by two men in Revolutionary War dress and the traditional firing of the cannon. During the Revolutionary War, a citizens’ militia kept watch over the Outer Bay from the hill. If they spied British ships on the horizon, the cannon’s voice would alert the townsfolk to prepare a defense. These days, the sounding of the cannon is a cause for merriment. The holiday season in Phillips Bay is filled with the traditional joys of colored lights, caroling, feasting and church services, accompanied by a fresh blanket of snow. - WP