Meet the Craigie Man Who Has Kept the Same Unlit Sparkler Since Bonfire Night 1989 ‘for a Special Occasion’
Graham Doig, 61, says he's never quite found the right moment. He's had several very nice moments, but not the right one.
A sparkler, unlit, as it has been since 1989. Photo: Kota Fujii, “Firework (1354606028)”, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Graham Doig, 61, from Craigie, has owned the same sparkler since 5 November 1989, and he has never lit it, because he is saving it “for a special occasion”.
“I was 24,” he said. “There was a box of ten. I lit nine. I looked at the last one and thought, ‘No. Not tonight. This one’s for something big.’ I’ve been waiting ever since.”
Graham has had several big moments since then, including getting married, the birth of his two children, and St Johnstone winning the Scottish Cup. Each time, he has decided it was not quite special enough.
“The wedding was lovely, but it was raining,” he said. “The Scottish Cup in 2014, I was in Glasgow and I’d left it at home. Then in 2021, they won it again, and I thought, ‘Well, if they can do it twice, it’s not that special.'”
His wife, Sandra, says she has stopped asking. “It lives in a drawer with the batteries and the takeaway menus,” she said. “Sometimes I take it out and look at it and think about how much of our marriage it’s seen.”
Graham says he may light it this Thursday. He said the same last year.
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Letters to the Editor
The views expressed are those of the reader, and frankly that's on them.
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Graham’s sparkler has been in more house moves than me. I’m desperate to see it lit one day.
— Derek S., Craigie, 1 November 2026 -
It’s a good thing to have a sparkler in reserve. Like a spare key. Or a spare pound for the trolley.
— Lorna K., Scone, 1 November 2026 -
Light it, Graham! Life’s too short! Unless it doesn’t light. Then it’s a bit of a let down.
— Tam D., North Muirton, 1 November 2026
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