One of the many exciting attractions of the Wilmington Festival of Trees each year is the Senior Tree Decorating Competition.
Senior centers and assisted living facilities from around the New Castle County area partner with Delaware Hospice and decorate beautiful 3-foot trees to be proudly displayed during the festival. As visitors walk through a Christmas wonderland sparkling with lights and tinsel, they can vote on their favorite tree. A one-dollar donation amounts to one hundred votes.
This year, the competition raised nearly $1600 and was a very close race. The winner of the decorating contest took home bragging rights knowing the community chose their organization as having the year’s most festive tree.
A new champion was crowned in 2024. Saint Patrick’s Senior Center received the most votes! Saint Patrick’s has competed in the Senior Tree Decorating Competition for over twelve years and after a few years of coming oh so close, finally received first place.
“The seniors look forward to this event every year,” said Linda Brennen Jones, a Social Worker at Saint Patrick’s Senior Center. “At least twenty or more seniors made ornaments for the tree and another three or four helped to put them on.”
Linda works part-time for the Center and is also a vital member of the Delaware Hospice Festival of Trees Committee. Each year, she encourages the seniors to participate in the decorating competition. This year, the seniors were more than ready to compete.
Linda leads an opportunity to create crafts each month. In November, their task was to construct the gorgeous ornaments that would be strategically placed on their soon-to-be, first-place tree. Lovely designs such as red cardinals, ice skates, holiday desserts, and many other Christmas-themed images filled the tree. Red and green polka-dotted ribbons and bows complemented the rest of the tree’s design. The tree’s skirt donned a friendly-looking Santa Claus with rosy red cheeks.
Saint Patrick’s Senior Center is a non-profit organization that has served Wilmington’s East Side neighborhood since 1971. Their mission is to build community, address poverty, and restore hope by meeting basic needs with respect and dignity. In 2024, Saint Patrick’s served over 330 people per day through their food program. The total amount of food they distribute in meals and groceries exceeds 500,000 meals a year. The Center is free to seniors. They receive complimentary breakfast and lunch and may take home food each day of the week from the Center’s food closet.
The Center also covers any events that the seniors elect to attend. This year, over forty seniors from Saint Patrick’s visited Brantwyn Estate to get into the Christmas spirit and to receive an up-close look at the tree they worked so diligently on. By the end of the weekend, their hard work paid off.
Saint Patrick’s Senior Center will look to compete again next year in the Senior Tree Decorating Competition, this time as defending champs.
Delaware Hospice would like to thank each individual who cast their vote and donated to their mission. The seniors and the staff at Saint Patrick’s Senior Center are a shining example of how teamwork can create beautiful holiday masterpieces and raise money for a worthwhile cause. We already cannot wait to see next year’s trees!
It is not too late to support the Festival of Trees. Click here to learn more about Delaware Hospice’s signature event.
