Last month Scott McDowell worked late into the night to meet his Christmas orders. For those wandering the waterfront, along the Menemsha Basin Road, there was the familiar ringing of the Menemsha Bight buoy in the distance but much closer came the continuous sound of a tapping hammer. Mr. McDowell runs a workshop and store called The Copperworks of Martha’s Vineyard. This is his fifth year at his current location.

For Vineyarders and their visitors, it was a dream year for weather.

They enjoyed plenty of sunshine, with most of the Island’s rain falling at night. They also dodged some of the region’s most dramatic weather, including the remnants of a large hurricane and heavy snowstorms that landed elsewhere in New England.

Farmers saw their gardens flourish, only occasionally needing to irrigate. Charter fishing captains seldom had to cancel trips because of high winds or high seas, except for a few days during the fall striped bass and bluefish derby.

Last spring, when a local angler wanted to catch Atlantic mackerel in Vineyard waters he had to get in a boat and motor more than a mile off Gay Head. This week there is no need for the boat. For the first time in many years anglers are jigging for mackerel off Memorial Wharf in Edgartown and they are getting quite a few; some have caught enough for a holiday dinner. Plus, they are catching plenty of Atlantic herring.

Dredging is nearly complete at the Joseph Sylvia State Beach. For much of the fall, the Edgartown dredge has been pumping sand out of Sengekontacket, deepening a channel on the Oak Bluffs side, with the spoils trucked to Cow Bay for beach nourishment.

Norman Rankow, chairman of the dredge committee, said last week that the work in the area is winding down. The dredge will be removed from the pond probably by mid-January.

Island veterans held a patriotic wreath-laying ceremony at Oak Grove Cemetery last Friday morning before an audience of some 70 children from the Tisbury School. The event was part of a nationwide observance that took place Saturday. Jo Ann Murphy, the Island veterans agent and a Viet Nam era veteran, spoke about those who have served this country and the need for all people, especially the young, to remember. The American flag was raised with the help of Cole Houston, 12, and Maggie Burke, 11 of Vineyard Haven. They assisted Gregory Spain of Vineyard Haven.

In a ceremony of remembrance and appreciation, the trees around the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital were lit for the holiday season late Wednesday afternoon. Fred B. Morgan Jr., 90, of Edgartown was this year’s official lighter for what was billed as the Trees of Lights ceremony. Following a short speech, Mr. Morgan, wearing a green bow tie shaped like a spring of holly, lit the tall tree in the hospital lobby.