Seemingly overnight, Christmas elves decorate the Prairie and Meadow Lodges with the magic and whimsy of the holiday spirit. This year, these elves decorated over twenty trees at the lodges. Those elves are members of the Sun City Garden Club, the Shalom Group, the Railroad Club, and other groups that decorate the numerous trees, tabletops and put up the festive greenery around the lodges.
Overnight, the holiday magic came down just as quickly on January 4. How did this all begin?
Jean Christie said, “Around 2003, the Garden Club decided to give back to the community. We approached the association at Sun City and asked if we could decorate the lodge for the holidays.
The answer was yes.”
The association did not have any artificial trees at that time. The Garden Club had to purchase live evergreen trees for the lodge.
Ornaments made by Jean Christie incorporate photos of her grandmothers for an early theme holiday favorite tree. (Photo provided)
Christie said, “We would go cut the trees fresh. In the beginning, we only had six trees. We had a volunteer that formed a committee, and they decided where we could place trees and where we could put tablescapes and decorate fireplaces. A volunteer committee was assigned to each tree to keep it watered for the weeks the trees were up. This chore was from the end of November to the beginning of January.”
How did they get the decorations?
Christie said, “We asked anyone with extra decorations to donate, and we handmade many ornaments.”
Paulette Carrion, president of the Garden Club, said, “As the Garden Club began increasing many years ago, somebody suggested that smaller, backyard buddy groups be formed to foster camaraderie among an expanding membership.”
The group decorating a tree came up with a theme.
“I remember early on, Marge Sterrett and Shirley Brown and others came up with the theme, ‘Over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go.’ We decorated the tree with pictures of our grandmothers and hung them on the tree that year. I still have the ones I made and hang them on our tree yearly,” Christie said.
The club’s supply of decorations increased with donated decorations and shopping after the holidays for decorations. The club had an excellent supply to decorate the trees, tablescapes, and fireplaces for the following years. Live trees were used briefly, but it was decided for convenience and a potential fire hazard, the club went to artificial trees.
Christie said, “That was a sad decision for many of us who enjoyed the live trees for the holidays.”
As the clubs participated in the holiday decorating, the association pitched in, and the association and Garden Club worked together to store all the decorations. Each group has a bin for their tree and bins for fireplaces and tablescapes. The Shalom group decorates some tablescapes for Hanukah, and the Railroad Club features a large tree with train-themed ornaments. You can spot a ‘sewing’ tree in front of the Sew N Sews room.
Carrion said, “Today, the garden club has 18 buddy groups, with individual membership ranging from as small as eight to as large as 40. The groups are no longer geographically close, nor does everyone in the Garden Club belong to a buddy group. But it is the custom that each buddy group decorates its tree in the lodge, and the themes they choose most often reflect the name of their group. For example, Earth Angels is decorated with angels; Wild Roses is decorated with roses; Milkweed Monarchs is decorated with milkweed seed packets and monarch butterflies.”
Kathy Wendhack coordinates the buddy groups for the Sun City Sunflower Garden Club. Her buddy group, the Painted Pansies, decorated their tree with a red, white, and blue theme.
Wendhack said, “In my group, I have many fun ladies. Most of the ladies started with me three years ago. As most of the buddy groups do, we all take turns planning a monthly activity or outing. I was asked to become buddy group coordinator a year later. The coordinator places new members into buddy groups. The buddy group leaders all meet in July to review events, pick a monthly meeting to host, and brainstorm. The Sun Flower Garden Club officers are all great to work with.”
Carrion said, “The Garden Club’s first meeting was on April 14, 2000, with a beginning membership 48. This is our twenty-third year, and membership today is about 322.”
The lodges may seem a little empty today, but no worries, those elves will return next season.
