Is it too early for Christmas music, holiday decorations and trees? Some people say it's way too early. Many others say 12:01 on Thanksgiving evening is fair game. For the Zoological Society, the first weekend of December is prime time.
The Zoological Society partnered with Hawks Landscape to bring holiday decorating to Milwaukee youth groups. (Read more below)
Listen to the community story below.
Hawks Landscape donated 63 trees. Youth groups such as the Girls Scouts of Wisconsin and students from different schools across the city participated in the decorating.
Groups and organizations registered to participate months in advance. They spent days and weeks crafting ornaments with their groups based on a theme. This year’s theme is “animals from around the world.”
Different trees represented different ecosystems. Walruses, moose, snow owls and penguins were among the favorite ornaments in the Girl Scouts troop. Other groups used googly eyes for their giraffes or big cats, rather than winter animals.
The Zoological Society hosted over 1,100 students last week over the course of two days. The event brought in a diverse group of children to decorate, enjoy snacks and listen to holiday carolers sing seasonal classics.
For many of the children, this is the best way to kick off their holiday season, says Jenn Trissel, the Special Events Assistant with the Zoological Society. It immerses them in the creativity, allows them to make new friends from different communities, all while putting each other in the holiday spirit. The Zoological Society has hosted this event since 1999 and plans to continue the tradition for years to come.