Some stories just seem to always strike a chord with readers. Near the top of the list has to be UFO stories. Readers (not to mention journalists) find them irresistible. So when Kimberly Wavey sent us an e-mail during the early hours of Boxing Day saying she saw "three unexplained reddish orange lights in a triangle" Christmas Eve at 7:47 p.m. in the night sky over Thompson, it was like manna falling from heaven during an otherwise slow news week between Christmas and New Years.

In the days since the story ran, we've had all kinds of e-mail and comments on both our Thompson Citizen website and Thompson Citizen Facebook page from other readers who have had similar experiences and sightings throughout much of December - both before and after Christmas Eve - from Bird, two hours north of Fox Lake, between Gillam and Avery on the Bayline, to Nelson House to Thompson. A few have sent pictures.

Inevitably, the debunkers also quickly jumped forward to snow on our UFO parade (you know who you are ... and we know who you are.) OK, the UFOs in the night sky may well have been Chinese lanterns. The initials UFO after all stand for Unidentified Flying Object - not flying saucer.

Two of the nicest and most thoughtful unsolicited e-mails we received were from two gentlemen quoted in the story, who both devote a good part of their lives to pursuing their interests in UFOs. Chris Rutkowski, research co-ordinator for UFOlogy Research of Manitoba (URM), wrote to say, "I would like to congratulate you on a good article about UFOs. Media tend to treat UFOs as frivolous, so it was good to see a good piece with accurate information ... One thing I should note: the 'UFO Interferes with Trains' story near Fox Lake may be a hoax. VIA Rail has informed me that no such interference was reported, and that: "While we did have a train delay - it was related specifically to train equipment/traffic on the line."

Brian Vike, creator of The Vike Factor into the Paranormal blog, who reported on the Thompson UFO sightings, also wrote to us: "It appears that these were Chinese lanterns. It makes good sense to me as on Dec. 17, while doing my regular guest spot on the Jeff Rense radio show, I predicted that there would be a huge upswing in the number of "orange/red light sightings" between Christmas and New Years. Now I am certainly not physic that is for sure, but looking back at the beginning of 2010 (Christmas and New Years) the same thing happened, a huge number of reports came in over orange/red light sightings."

Rutkowski says, "Although there's no question some sightings are due to Chinese lanterns, as Brian Vike told you, it's not an automatic explanation, I'm afraid. The report sent to you from 'Danielle' accompanied by the video is likely not a lantern, as she said it hung in the sky for more than two hours, and lanterns can't last that long."

Indeed, scoffers! Remember, not the Alamo, but the Roswell, New Mexico "incident" near Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF) on July 8, 1947? Or how about the U.S. Air Force's Project Blue Book from 1947 to 1969, headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio?

The Truth Is Out There.