• A young lad was a keen collector of toy cars and was constantly vrooming them all through the house and hiding them in places only known to him. His mother noticed one day that these little cars were conspicuous by their absence and she asked her son where he had hidden his favourite playthings. He gloomily responded that he had parked them in the garage but the elevator didn’t seem to be working and he was unable to retrieve them. He lifted up a flap in the living room wall and pointed to the mysterious parking spot. The little boy had been “parking” his cars down the hole for the central vac, not realizing that there was no way of retrieving them since the system had never been activated and the treasured cars were forever sealed in the walls of the new house. Could this be considered a hidden defect if the house is ever sold?

• Imagine showing up at the grocery store to take delivery of the 20-pound fresh turkey you have ordered for Christmas and to be told that it has already been picked up by someone else. When the turkey recipient was described, it did not match the description of any member of the family or anyone the purchasers knew. Panic struck the mother and daughter as they waited for the butcher to locate their turkey or, as it turned out, find another one of the same size.

• We all know that, this year in particular, Midnight Madness was a great event but did you realize that tourists were bussed in from Varennes on the south shore. Knowlton events are gaining popularity far and wide.

• The Knowlton Food Bank has been the winner at various parties over the Christmas season. Instead of bringing cards or gifts, event attendees have been asked to contribute a financial donation to the food bank. There are more people in need than we realize and the money collected will really help to feed more families during the cold winter months.