Rain cut the evening short, but it didn’t dampen the cheer at the Longboat Island Chapel on Sunday night.
The garden was lit up like a Christmas tree, or 24 of them to be exact. Christmas in the Garden is a community undertaking. Local families and businesses decorated trees with their own signature styles.
Ornamental tape measures drape the branches of the Longboat Ace Hardware tree, while the Lazy Lobster’s tree is adorned with anchors and buoys.
The chapel members added lights, wreaths and a Whoville kiddie area to kick the Christmas spirit up a notch. Visitors were greeted with a gift bag of goodies and were treated to hot cocoa, sugar cookies and live entertainment.
“There’s nowhere on the island to see lights, and that’s what it’s all about,” Rev. Brock Patterson said. “We live in condos; we can’t hang our own Christmas lights. But we’ve got the property to do something great.”
The garden is open to the public from 5 to 9 p.m. through New Year’s Day.
Angela Molaro at the welcome table handing out gift bags to visitors that include "The Legend of the Candy Cane" and a shell ornament.
Photo by LESLEY DWYER
Joyce Welch, Peggy Lammers, Karen Pashkow and Lesley Rife
Photo by LESLEY DWYER
Karen Pashkow, Iris White and Lesley Rife
Photo by LESLEY DWYER
Lights and ornaments decorate the Longboat Island Chapel's garden.
Photo by LESLEY DWYER
Susie Hettmansperger by the Lazy Lobster tree.
Photo by LESLEY DWYER
The tree from Realtor JoDene Moneuse with Michael Saunders & Company is aptly decorated with homes and keys.
Photo by LESLEY DWYER
The Chapel has four of their own trees decorated in the garden.
Photo by LESLEY DWYER
Scott and Tatiana Bridges
Photo by LESLEY DWYER
The local Ukrainian community got together to see their tree.
Photo by LESLEY DWYER
Donna Heffner and Greg Fiore
Photo by LESLEY DWYER
Christmas in the Garden is a family affair for the Gubernats.
Photo by LESLEY DWYER
Carol Pacheco, Deborah O'Connor and Marge Geiger
Photo by LESLEY DWYER
They're not all Christmas trees. This one celebrates Hanukkah.
Photo by LESLEY DWYER
Stroll through the Longboat Island Chapel's garden from now through New Year's Day to see Christmas in the Garden.
Lesley Dwyer is a staff writer for East County and a graduate of the University of South Florida. After earning a bachelor’s degree in professional and technical writing, she freelanced for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Lesley has lived in the Sarasota area for over 25 years.
