Longboat Island Chapel prepares for Christmas in the Garden

By Dana Kampa
| 5:00 a.m. November 26, 2025

Lesley Rife, one of this year's organizers of Christmas in the Garden, said visitors have plenty to look forward to at this year's festivities, which start Nov. 30 at the Longboat Island Chapel garden.

Longboat Key
Neighbors

Longboaters looking to get in the festive spirit have long looked forward to the month-long celebration of spirited music that takes place in a magically decorated garden, and that tradition returns Nov. 30 at Longboat Island Chapel.

Christmas in the Garden is set to feature nine evenings of musical guests leading up to New Year's Eve. The gardens are also open daily from 5 to 9 p.m. to visitors.

Renee Fannin, Lindy Terry, Lesley Rife and Lisa Fannin work to set up trees for this year's Christmas in the Garden at Longboat Island Chapel. The month of music and festivities kicks off 5-9 p.m. Nov. 30.

Last year's festivities were particularly meaningful to Longboat Key residents as they worked to recover from hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Lesley Rife, one of this year's organizers, said visitors will have plenty to look forward to as they make their way through the garden pathways.

Harry's Continental Kitchen shows off its culinary craftiness with a brightly decorated tree included in this year's Christmas in the Garden, which starts Nov. 30.

From a tropical tree decorated to honor the memory of Jimmy Buffett to an evergreen made to look like a large-scale snowman, this year's lineup includes plenty of creatively decorated Christmas trees.

"We've been doing this for five years," said Rife, who has chaired the event every time.

However, this will be her last year taking the lead.

While some sponsoring businesses and individuals choose to decorate their own trees, chapel volunteers assemble the majority of the displays.

Beyond the trees, Rife encourages visitors to keep an eye out for the special displays featuring favorite holiday characters.

She noted the festive display celebrates other religious holidays as well. A tree decorated to celebrate Kwanzaa recognizes the holiday that takes place from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.

The festivities conclude with a New Year's Eve celebration on Dec. 31 in Fellowship Hall, where John Rinell will perform.

John Patti entertains with his steel drums during the cocktail hour.

Photo by Janet Combs

Musical lineup

Christmas in the Garden includes the following musical events for the holiday season. Performances begin at 6 p.m. in the Longboat Island Chapel garden at 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive, unless otherwise noted.

Nov. 30: Opening Night - Island Breeze with Greg and Steve
Dec. 4: Lido Beach Commodores jazz ensemble
Dec. 9: Sarasota Academy of the Arts Chorus led by Director Bryan Egan (in the sanctuary)
Dec. 11: Fort Lonesome ft. country western singer Robbie Ahlbrandt
Dec. 15: John Patti, steel pan artist
Dec. 16: Brian Gurl Trio, specializing in piano, violin and cello (in the sanctuary)
Dec. 19: Soprano singer Alyssa Adamson and pianist Stephen Fancher, accompanied by the Pine View Elementary School Chorus (in the sanctuary)
Dec. 22: Boris & Sax, saxophonist
4:30-6:30 p.m. Dec. 31: New Year's Eve Spectacular with The Voice of Solid Gold, John Rinell; complimentary appetizers; free but donations appreciated.

author

Dana Kampa

Dana Kampa is the Longboat Key neighbors reporter for the Observer. She first ventured into journalism in her home state of Wisconsin, going on to report community stories everywhere from the snowy mountains of Washington State to the sunny shores of the Caribbean. She has been a writer and photographer for more than a decade, covering what matters most to readers.