Garden Club celebrates ‘Songs of the Season’

In 1956, the Canton Garden Club began a tradition of decorating local homes for the holidays as a way to both celebrate the season and raise funds for its beautification and educational projects. These days, touring the beautifully decorated homes has become a tradition in itself for some of the visitors. This year’s holiday house tour was held last Friday and Saturday, December 7 and 8.

Mother and daughter Cele and Gail Trykowski of Canton take the tour every two years and then go out for dinner. “It’s a beautiful way to kick off the holiday season,” Gail said.

Members of the Garden Club made all of the arrangements for the homes with fresh greens. The “Songs of the Season” theme was also reflected in different ways in each of the three homes on the tour.

The bells from “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” decorated the Williams Street home of Alan Freedman and Cheryl James. A recording of chiming bells greeted visitors as they stepped into the blue foyer and then the formal living room. The mother of house chairperson Joan Driscoll crocheted white bells that decorated the Christmas tree. Club members created bells for the dining room by turning wine glasses and a champagne bucket over and trying ribbons to their stems.

“I loved the Williams Street house,” said Canton resident Sue Gibbs, who was on the tour with her husband, Mark. “It’s so beautiful. I loved the arrangements.”

The home of Albert and Diane Callahan of Messinger Street was the second house on the tour. The family has a large collection of the figures of carolers, who appeared to be singing “O Holy Night,” the theme of the house.

Club members incorporated the carolers in the decorations throughout the home. Ornaments that Diane had given to her mother decorated a tree in the kitchen with memories of past holidays. A large Christmas tree in the family room was decorated with “Annabelle” hydrangeas from the gardens of club members.

“It was beautiful,” Peggy Lynch of Stoughton said of the home. “All the colors. I think it’s wonderful.”

Carole Cody of Stoughton has been coming to the holiday house tours for the past 20 years. “I look forward to it,” she said. “I loved the Sherman Street house. What a beautiful house that was.”

The Sherman Street home of Michael and Sarah Nemetz reflected both “Deck the Halls” and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” The home was built in 1878 for Charles Endicott and still has the original tin ceilings, hardwood floors, and stained glass windows on the first floor. Club members decorated the home with greens, swags, grapevines, white lights, poinsettias and flower arrangements. The Christmas tree in the living room was draped with tulle and covered with twinkling lights.

“Each house has been so different,” said Donna Smith of Canton. “The members were very creative,” added her friend Barbara Walsh, also of Canton. “They bring quite a bit of warmth to the houses and to greeting the people.”

Carol McCoy of Acton was part of a group of 12 friends who were on the tour together. “I took pictures of a lot of things,” she said. “They’ll want to replicate them for next year.”

The tour ended at Pequitside Farm on Pleasant Street. The farmhouse was ready for a Christmas Eve celebration with a tree decorated with musical instruments. Visitors enjoyed wassail and cookies while looking at ornaments, wreaths and greens that the Garden Club was selling.

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Dec 13 2012. Filed under News. Both comments and pings are currently closed.