January 2026

NEWSLETTER

Tewksbury

Garden Club

Tewksbury, MA, USA

tewksburygardenclub.com

tewksburygardenclub@gmail.com

December Meeting Holiday Celebration!

Members enjoyed laughter, merry times, good company and loads of delicious food at our recent meeting. Appetizers, mains, sides and desserts were plentiful and scrumptious. Punch, mulled cider, sangria were the beverages of choice. The tables were decorated with poinsettias and trees. The walls glistened with holiday decor. We welcomed a new member, played holiday Bingo, and left with a cherished winning from our Yankee Swap. Clean up was swift. Everyone left with a smile on their face and a holiday song in their heart. Best wishes that the rest of your holiday celebrations were festive!

New Member Welcome!

We welcomed new member Kasia at our December meeting. Kasia sought out the Garden Club at the Welcome to Tewksbury event at the Senior Center in October, attended our November Program in November and our holiday meeting in December. We're happy to welcome her to our Club!

Heather has also joined our Club. We met Heather in September, and we'll be seeing her soon at an upcoming meeting, but until she's able to join us, she's been active with the Social Media Group.

Welcome Heather and Kasia!

Committee Highlights

ACE

ACE is busy even during Winter. After fluffing the wreaths and attaching the bows, ACE got busy decorating the Town Hall front stairs and containers in time to be festive for the Town's Holiday Celebration and Tree Lighting. The group also decorated the containers at the Town Hall public entrance, the Annex, the Library, and the Senior Center. The electronic sign also gets decorated for the holidays. We have some very busy elves!

Garden Therapy

Holiday Happiness at Blaire House

Making Merry at Bayberry

Happy Travelers

A group of Club travelers made the trip to Encore Casino in Everett to marvel at the extravagant holiday floral decorations. A feast for the eyes greeted the revelers as they enjoyed the displays.

Stay tuned for information on an exciting upcoming trip!

December Literary Blooms

Contributed by our own Jaine Marquis, a festive display of her popular hand-designed and crafted sleigh and reindeer. It was a delight to see every time we walked into the Library.

Dine Out - Kyoto in January

We enjoyed subs, pizza and meals at our recent dine out at Wicked Cheesy. Is it wicked cheesy to say their food is always wicked good?

Save the Date for our next dine out at Kyoto, Wednesday, January 21st. You'll need a flyer, which will be available in January.

Let Tammy know if you'd like to join the group going to dine together at Kyoto hibachi at 6:30.

Wreath and Boxwood Tree Fundraiser

Our Wreath and Boxwood Tree Fundraiser was held at the Greenhouses at Tewksbury Hospital. This year we offered wreath kits that included a selection of a box, ball ornaments, bells and pinecones. The customer could take their wreath home or have our talented Marie create their wreath while they wait. The boxwood trees were pre-decorated and were a hit. Thanks to the great team that got together to put the 'fun' in fundraiser!

Club Members in the News / Club Members around Town

Club members who are also members of the Tewksbury Congregational Church hold key positions in running 2 of the Church's holiday fundraisers. Pat T runs the fundraiser that sells wreaths, kissing balls, evergreen trees and baskets. Trisha oversees the pie social that runs at the same time as the Town's tree lighting on the Common. Both are extremely popular programs that help to support the Church.

Jenni and Susan met the public at a Community Market held on December 18th at the Senior Center. There was interest in the handouts and the native plant seeds collected from Susan's garden. About 6 people expressed interest in learning more about the Club and left their contact information.

Are you involved with a group or project in the area that our Club should know about? Submit your information to the newsletter for inclusion here!

Time to Select Your Board!

It's time to think about joining the Board for the 2026-2027 year. All offices are up for grabs, but Laetitia has said she's stay on with a co-VP, Jenni will stay on as treasurer and Pam will stay on as corresponding secretary if there are no other candidates. Come to a Board meeting (see info below) to see what's involved.

BIODYNAMIC GARDENING

Written by Joan H

There was a response to declining soil health, and that being the first modern

organic regenerative agricultural movement, starting in 1924. Following a series

of lectures by Rudolf Steiner it was formulated by Bill Mollison and David Holmgreen.

Biodynamic gardening focus is on enhancing the energetic quality and nutritional value of food.

One area is on compost preparation. Herbal preparations like Yarrow,

Chamomile, Dandelion, Stinging Nettle, Oak Bark., and Valerian can be added to vitalize the compost.

I might add a note here that the most efficient farming method isn’t one single

technique but a blend of technologies and practices. A healthy climate starts

with healthy soil.

To learn more about biodynamic gardening philosophy, principles and practices, visit the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening's website.

Federation News

FREE WEBINAR For GCFM Members The Future of Beech Trees With Dr. Beth Brantley JANUARY 14, 2026 7:00 PM EST

Tewksbury Community Pantry Donations

Donations were plentiful at the December meeting. Thank you to the membership for their generous support of the Community Pantry during this season of giving.

Please bring a coffee and/or tea donation to our next meeting if you can. Drip, instant and pods are accepted, as well as regular and decaf. Every donation is appreciated.

Is This You??

A purchase was made at Baystate on November 10th in the amount of $17.49 using the Club account. It's listed as unpaid. If you made this purchase, can you contact either Baystate directly or me to clear it up? The Club is liable for the amount.

An extension cord was left at the Club room after the December meeting. Let me know if it's yours.

Upcoming Board Meeting

The next Board meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 7, 2026 at Debbie M's house. The meeting will start at 6:30 PM. Please join us if you'd like to get a glimpse of how the Board works, if you have a matter you'd like to bring to the Board, or if you'd just like to join us. Let us know if we should expect you so we can have an extra chair by contacting Susan.

Newsletter Submissions

Post committee updates on our Facebook member's page so we can pull content from there and images are easy to grab.

Submit all info/pictures for inclusion in future newsletters to tewksburygardenclub@gmail.com by the 27th each month.

Thanks for all you do, and for contributing to this publication!