Remember the scene in “A Charlie Brown Christmas” when the main character’s scant but thoroughly loved little pine tree sags under the weight of a single decorative red ball? Moments later, moved by their friend’s attempt to find more in less, Linus and the rest of the gang seize the holiday spirit and turn that little tree into a magnificent display of Christmas cheer — and, more importantly, a demonstration of the power of community.
The television special is a decades-old favorite for a reason: Who doesn’t want to believe in the goodness of our fellow humans this time of year? As the calendar winds down it’s nearly impossible, in between all the hullaballoo of the myriad holidays, not to have some moments of reflection — on our lives, on the state of the world and, often, on the state of our neighbors right here at home.
Since 2020, you might say that Community Action Southold Town has brought the spirit of that Charlie Brown classic to life. But instead of creating one beautiful tree for CAST’s annual Festival of Trees, they festoon and auction off more than 20 of them via an army of volunteers, donors, sponsors and big-hearted community-minded friends and neighbors, who all come together to make sure that seasonal spirit of giving can, and does, occur all year long.
CASTing Out Poverty
A stroll down Southold’s Main Street reveals vibrant businesses eagerly visited by financially stable locals and tourists alike, but it doesn’t illustrate the full picture of the town’s demographic. About 14% of the Town of Southold’s population (which includes Orient, East Marion, Fishers Island, Greenport, Southold, Peconic, Cutchogue, New Suffolk, Mattituck and Laurel) is at or below the poverty level, with over 30% of that number represented by children. For 60 years, it’s been CAST’s mission to lift up and support that vulnerable population on the North Fork, helping with food and nutrition, shelter, housing, health care, education and even job attainment.
Taking on that mantle of responsibility means they need funding, and lots of it. Back in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic put the kibosh on their usual indoor winter fundraiser at Greenport Harbor Brewing Co., the organization knew they had to think up something else —and fast.
“We had to come up with another idea so we wouldn’t lose the funding that we relied on. So we decided to do the Festival of Trees,” says Cathy Demeroto, former executive director for CAST. The idea: to get different businesses in the community to sponsor an artificial tree and decorate it to the hilt. Then, the weekend before Thanksgiving, the trees would be bid on, with the money raised going to CAST.
“We put our heads together and said, ‘You know, let’s try to pull this off.’ And it was really quite remarkable! We put the whole thing together in six weeks,” Demeroto says. “It was much smaller than it is now, but people loved it.”
From the get-go, Treiber Farms volunteered their Peconic facilities to host and have continued ever since.
“Peter [Treiber] was new to the board of CAST and we proposed the idea to him and he was all on board,” says Demeroto. “He just jumped at the chance. And they’ve just been so generous with their property because we really come in and take over for several weeks.”
Today, the fundraiser has grown into a weekend-long festival that’s nothing less than a winter wonderland that raises upward of $150,000 per year for the organization and the people they serve.
“It’s quite a feat. We rely on hundreds of volunteers to make it happen, but each year we’ve added a little something,” Demeroto continues. “We’ve added the silent auction, we have the marketplace and the cookie cottage. We’ve added the wreaths in addition to the trees. We’ve expanded to more trees!”
And those trees? Well, let’s just say they’re a far cry from a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.
Lights, Stars, Disco Balls and Barbies
The tree designs may change every year, but one theme has remained as clear as scented pine since the Festival of Trees began in 2020: Go big or go home for the holidays.
Instead of a big-ticket gala with the requisite mini crab cakes, long speeches and polite rounds of applause, the Festival of Trees is unique each and every year — two days full of wonder, creativity, community and, of course, the heartfelt rush of giving.
Current CAST executive director Erica Steindl, her staff and a multitude of volunteers began meeting and planning in mid-August to make this year’s Festival the best yet.
“It’s great to see how dedicated people are to making the best experience for visitors and to raise as much money as possible,” says Sarah McNaughton, co-chair for this year’s event.
If you’ve never had the pleasure, the gist is this: the Festival is a two-day event held at Treiber Farms on Route 48, where expertly, often wonderfully over-the-top decorated Christmas trees and wreaths are auctioned to raise money for CAST, with the fun added bonus of a holiday market and cookie cottage filled with warm beverages and locally made sweet treats.
What goes into creating this wintry spectacle? According to McNaughton, it takes a team of 28 committee members, more than 60 volunteers and over 100 local businesses contributing in a multitude of ways to pull off CAST’s biggest fundraiser of the year.
“It’s been a blast for us. I sponsor a tree as a business, but it’s something I do because, as a member of the community, I believe in the cause,” says Arden Gardell of Little Fish, who last year created a disco-themed tree that was a hot ticket. “My staff is a really big part of it. Little Fish is a family-run business and the staff front to back reflect that. They find the ornaments and custom items to put with it and even help find additional sponsors.”
Sponsors run the gamut from restaurants to realtors to artists and local purveyors, all with the same thing in common: goodness and generosity that doubles and triples on goodness and generosity.
Planning starts about six full months in advance, with weekly meetings that turn into bi-weekly meetings that turn into a daily stream of calls and emails, rife with multi-page, constantly updated Google Sheets. And that’s all before the week of assembling and decorating happens, not to mention preparing the trio of barns in which the events are held.
“I think I’ve been spending more time on this than on my actual job,” laughs McNaughton.
So far this year, there will be 22 7 ½-foot-tall trees on display. As far as themes, they range from the very traditional to the very local to the downright far-flung: 12 Gifts of Christmas, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, the Nutcracker, Ginger Wonderland. Last year, there was even a Taylor Swift tree (and with her recent engagement, who knows — there could be a repeat this year for Swifties who want to celebrate the upcoming nuptials). Bidding typically starts around $350 and goes up — and up — from there. If a tree is in very high demand, the final bid can hit into the thousands.
The silent auction also isn’t your ho-hum cache of gift certificates.
“Over 100 local businesses are donating everything, either as sponsors or giving goods and experiential items for the silent auction — it’s very special, not just a gift card. These are very curated, bespoke experiences,” says McNaughton.
The night before the event, all that work and help gets rewarded with a Friday night reception for the sponsors and tree and wreath designers, hosted by the North Fork Country Club, gratis.
Last year saw fun, high-competition items like your very own namesake cocktail created by Brix and Rye owner Evan Bucholz, a three-night stay at the Pink Palm Hotel in Saint Thomas donated by American Beech owner Brent Pelton, the homespun wreathmaking and pizza party at Rowan Craft Boutique and even a special multicourse chef dinner with Grace & Grit.
“We love stuff that ties back to community,” McNaughton says. “Going into the winter months, CAST really supports our residents of need — with food, housing, provisions and programming. For a lot of local businesses, it’s crunch time at the end of the year, but they are so generous and they make it happen. It’s really awe inspiring.”
The 2025 Festival of Trees will be held Saturday, Nov. 22, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 23, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Treiber Farms (38320 Route 48, Peconic). Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids and seniors. Children 5 and under get in free.
