Holding to tradition, members of the Coupeville Garden Club worked to keep the ho-ho-ho spirit alive and well in Coupeville last week.

Gathering at the group’s greenhouse at the middle school Monday and Tuesday, members crafted nearly 20 festive wreaths for the decoration of two public facilities around town.

Club members have been doing it for years and as always, the holiday cheer was produced free of charge.

“It’s for the community,” said Bev Walton, a Coupeville resident. “That’s why we do it.”

A total of 18 wreaths were made for the Coupeville Recreation Hall on NW Coveland Street – one for each window — and another was made to spruce up the front entrance of town hall on NE Seventh Street.

Despite getting a wreath every year, the gesture is never lost on town staff and earned a few “ooos” and “ahhs” after it was put up.

“They are just the best,” Mayor Nancy Conard said.

How the tradition got started is unclear, but the wreaths are made in time for Coupeville’s annual greening, which was held this past Saturday.

The event included the morning Jingle run, road and water parades, and of course, the lighting of the Christmas Tree at Cook’s Corner Park.

But the wreaths aren’t made just for the event, said Garden Club Roberta Piercy. The organization’s central mission is to beatify the town and this is just one of the many things they do to accomplish that objective.

Of course, they have a lot of fun getting together and working on a mutually loved hobby.

“We love making the rec hall look gorgeous,” Walton said. “And it’s the hanging out here and yaking.”

Club members also spent time Thursday making wreaths with Terry Welch’s eighth grade students from the Coupeville Middle School. Like the wreath-making for the recreation hall and town hall, it’s become an annual past time.

Each year, middle school students make between 12 and 14 wreaths and then donate them to a charitable organization.

Welch said the children not only get a biology lesson but also learn the value of community.

“I always enjoy doing this and the kids have a blast,” Welch said.

This year, the wreaths were donated to Holiday House, a gift giving program managed by the Readiness to Learn Foundation for Coupeville and Oak Harbor.

Virginia Brown, a club member for the past 10 years and a former group president, agrees. She has served as the students wreath-making instructor for years and has a good time doing it.

“It’s fun,” she laughed.

It’s also a good way of giving back to the school district as the group’s greenhouse is located on school property, she said.