Charlie, left, and Johnny Dresdner, both 12, light the eight Hanukkah candles Dec. 6 at their house in Auburn for Temple Shalom’s Hanukkah party, held for the second consecutive year over Zoom. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Xander Labbe of Buckfiled thinks about what he wants for Christmas as he sits Dec. 7 on Santa Claus’ lap at the Turner Town Office. Xander and dozens of others watched Santa arrive on a decorated fire truck and light the town’s Christmas tree in the parking lot. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Lina Wakali of Portland High School, left, dives for the ball Dec. 10 as she and Lewiston High School’s Koval Morin, center, and Maiya May gain control of the ball during a game in Lewiston. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Jordan Schanck of the Lisbon Parks & Recreation Department decorates the town Christmas tree Dec. 9 at Graziano Square. Schanck says Eric Metivier of 196 Auto Sales donated the tree. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

“I live for this day,” David Hackett says of the first day of ice fishing. Hackett of Turner is fishing Dec. 8 in a cove on the Androscoggin River in Turner. “This is Mother Nature’s way of saying, ‘Stop and see what is going on,'” he says. “The only problem you have out here is when you run out of bait.” Hackett is fishing on more than 4 inches of ice. “Stay in the coves and check the ice first,” he says. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

“I remember Pearl Harbor Day,” says 97-year-old John Crumpton of Oxford. Crumpton was a senior in high school when Pearl Harbor in Hawaii was attacked Dec. 7, 1941. “The whole world changed on that day,” Crumpton says. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Skiers and snowboarders hit the slopes Dec.5 at Sunday River in Newry. The Santas gathered for the 21st annual Santa Sunday, which raised more than $4,600 for The River Fund Maine, which seeks to increase educational opportunities and bring community members together by supporting organizations in western Maine. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Lewiston firefighter Troy Cailler checks a candle that filled a Sabattus home with smoke Dec. 7 after the Lewiston Fire Department responded to assist Sabattus firefighters when it was believed to be a building fire. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal