Photo Gallery: Delaware Hospice Festival of Trees

The Festival of Trees is an annual fund raiser for many hospice centers throughout the country. This hub will focus on the Delaware Hospice Festival of Trees but readers should keep in mind that they can probably find and sponsor similar fund raisers in their own localities.

Festival supporters can participate in many different ways. They can sponsor a tree and/or wreath such as the ones pictured in this hub, honor loved ones by creating a "Remembrance Tree", attend auctions where donated trees may be purchased, buy raffle tickets, participate in the festival's activities or contribute by purchasing a ticket to one of the festival's events.

Delaware Hospice is the largest and the only nonprofit hospice in the state and the Festival of Trees has been its main fundraiser since 1987. Each county in the state sponsors an event.

The photos in this hub were taken by Gail Sobotkin at the 2011 Kent and Sussex County, DE Festival of Trees but events are held annually in all 3 counties in the State of Delaware.

For information about this year's festival (2014), including opening ceremonies, special fundraising activities and events, plus sponsorship information go to the Delaware Hospice website at: https://www.delawarehospice.org/donations/fundraisers/festival-of-trees/ .

As anyone who's lost a loved one knows, the Thanksgiving through Christmas holiday season can be bittersweet. Linda White's husband, Wally, died 8 years ago and she has honored his memory every year by sponsoring and donating a tree in Wally's honor. Because Wally was a "Harley" guy she's been using a Harley Davidson theme for her donated trees. You can see from this pictorial that she pays attention to details and the end results are a very unique and fun tree.

"How Will I Get Through the Holidays?" by James Miller. Includes quotations and 12 ideas for getting through the emotionally charged holiday season. Available at Amazon.com and there is also a Kindle edition.

"A Decembered Grief: Living with Loss While Others are Celebrating." by Harold Ivan Smith. Teaches the bereaved how to alter traditions instead of abandoning them and how to appreciate the grief styles of others. Available at Amazon.com as a gift book edition and there is also a Kindle edition.

Of course not all grievers are up to participating in the Festival of Trees the way Linda White does and you may know someone who is grieving but feel unsure of how you can help them get through the holiday season. Hospice professionals suggest a number of other things that anyone can do to help others deal with grief and loss at this time of year including: being supportive of any way that a grieving person chooses to handle the holidays, offering to help the grieving person with decorating and holiday cooking, offering to help with shopping, inviting the person to join in your own family's holiday, asking if the person is interested in volunteering with you during the holidays, encouraging the person to speak about their loved one and encouraging the person to donate money or gift items to others in need as a way of honoring the memory of their own loved one.

Walking through the long, wide halls of Dover Downs Hotel & Casino during the Festival of Trees was a stunningly visual treat as the corridor was lined with many beautifully and elegantly decorated trees and wreaths. Each tree had its own theme and many local businesses and individuals sponsored and/or created them. I hope you enjoy the gallery of photos that are posted here.

I give this event a 5 star rating because it is professionally co-ordinated, raises funds for Delaware Hospice, is a festive, fun event with many different activities going on throughout Delaware during the months of November and December, and it also gives those who have lost a loved one a special way to honor their loved one's memory.

Please add your own rating by clicking on the stars.

I end this pictorial with a few photos of the Delaware Hospice Center in my hometown of Milford. The center has been used by some of my neighbors and friends who had loved ones who passed away. The center also sponsors many educational and community programs and I have been able to attend some of them and can attest to the fact that the staff and a large number of dedicated volunteers are a true blessing to our community.