Community members came out in full force for The Garden Club of Newtown’s Holiday Greens & Gift Sale on Saturday, December 7.

Held in The Great Room of Newtown Congregational Church, the annual sale has been a long-standing tradition in town for over 30 years. Many tables were spread throughout the room, filled with hand-crafted, holiday-themed centerpieces, kissing balls, boxwood trees, and more.

The group also decorated numerous wreaths that ran along the room’s walls. The wreaths themselves came from Caruluzzi’s, according to The Garden Club of Newtown President Paula Toi, but they were all personally arranged by club members.

By the time they hung the wreaths on the walls of the church, each one featured decorations such as pinecones, ball ornaments, additional greens, dried and painted material, and large bows in various patterns and beautiful colors such as red, silver, and gold.

All of the hand-decorated arrangements were prepared over the course of several workshops held before the big sale. The Garden Club of Newtown members even collect unique, holiday-themed items throughout the year to prepare for the special occasion.

Toi said that the group arranged all wreaths the day before the sale, while the boxwood trees and centerpieces were made that Thursday.

The goal, according to Toi, is to make something homemade and special for people to take home.

“People in the town love this event,” Toi said. “Within less than an hour, we’ve already sold out four-to-five tables.”

The sale also had several different auction items, such as a snowman cookie jar, a wine tower, and a gift basket arrangement, that were donated for sale during the event. Toi even personally contributed an asymmetrical, cozy poncho that she made to the auction.

As people roamed throughout the room looking for the perfect thing to buy, The Garden Club of Newtown member Joan Alexander could not help but gush about how beautiful she thought all the wreaths came out. She said that the girls “just did a marvelous job.”

“We put so much into it to make them extra special,” Alexander said.

Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.