“KINGSTON – After a full day of celebrating the holiday season in Kingston, some people may not have noticed a special detail at the Christmas Tree Lighting at Mike Wallace Park Saturday evening. At precisely the time the Christmas tree was lit, some other lights turned on: the Christmas lights on the boats lined up in the Kingston marina for the annual Christmas boat parade. Boat owners and members of the Kingston Cove Yacht Club welcomed people aboard for cookies and candy canes. They had spent the day decorating their boats inside and out, preparing for their night of spreading cheer, and talking about the possibility of snow. Hors d’oeuvres, hot chocolate and apple cider were served from a lighted gazebo at the end of the dock. Jeff and Val Grey’s boat, Fantaseas, had a lighted reindeer on the stern . Almost every boat had a Christmas tree in the cabin. Some boats had motored over from Edmonds for the event. It was the first or second time participating for some; others have been carrying on the tradition for years. Last year was our first year, said Theresa Swan, passing out different flavors of candy canes from the stern of the Sea Gem of Edmonds. We belong to the Edmonds Yacht Club. Other displays included a giant peace sign on the mast of one boat and a star hanging from the stern of another. Jennifer DeBoer and her dog Cayman, both of Kingston, greeted guests from her family’s boat, Jollymon. It’s been at least 29-30 years that (the boat parade) has been going on, explained her father, Pete DeBoer, a former Commodore of the KCYC. She (Jennifer) is third generation. My papa was #1 in the club. The parade used to go out on the water until there were problems with some of the boats hitting logs. Yacht Club members seem to enjoy having the parade at the docks regardless. This way, we can have the whole town tour the boats. We have had all kinds of kids come down, said Pete DeBoer. As the temperature plummeted, the festivities continued on into the night at the yacht club with hot chili and hot dogs for everyone. Some of the boats can still be seen lighting up the night in the Kingston marina. Others will sail back again next year. “