This year marks the 15th annual Festival of Giving Trees, an exhibit held at the LaSalle Reception Center on Main Street in Southbridge, November 29th through December 2nd. I had never been, so I decided it would be a good thing to do today. All proceeds are directed toward breast cancer research and advocacy; this year’s beneficiaries will be the Silent Spring Institute, the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition, and the Cancer Center at Harrington Hospital.
The entrance fee is only $3, but most people buy raffle tickets which allow them to win a specific tree. I didn’t really understand the system, so I didn’t participate. Instead I enjoyed the music by singer-songwriter Noah Lis and tried to take photos of the trees that struck my fancy. My camera doesn’t take good photos indoors, so I apologize for the quality. There were over a hundred trees, each decorated by a person or organization. My exhibit booklet lists them all, but I didn’t take notes, so I’m not captioning either the tree name or the creator; I don’t want any egregious errors to creep into this post.
This tree has an Italian theme; the garlands are made of pasta.
Here’s a Valentine’s Day theme.
I used to enjoy making these “Eye of God” yarn ornaments.
This tree has a Hawaiian theme; the garlands are leis.
I thought this was an unusual design.
Little girls love pink.
Here’s nostalgia for the 80s.
The garlands are made of sheet music.
This was the most lavish tree-topper; it’s quite patriotic.
I only stayed in Southbridge for about an hour, because I had planned to attend another seasonal event today. Shortly before 6 pm, I dragged myself out of the house to our town center. At the intersection of School Street and Main, we drank hot cocoa and ate cookies while we waited for Santa Claus to arrive. He came in a horse-drawn carriage, which was very cool.
We’re waiting in front of the Town Hall, listening to the school band play carols.
Then the lights came on, and our tree looked so beautiful against the dark night.
The North Brookfield Tree is lit.