BRUNSWICK, Maine — Thanksgiving leftovers are still in the kitchen, but that didn't stop the Midcoast Tree Celebration from bringing Christmas cheer to people in Brunswick.
Hosted over two weekends, Sunday was the final day for the ticket raffles. More than $35,000 were raised, according to organizers.
Each of the trees at the St. John's Community Center represented a different organization and business, from All Saints Parish to Reny's. Trees were raffled off to residents, and ticket money went to three different organizations: All Saints Parish, Bath-Brunswick Regional Chamber, and Spectrum Generations.
The fundraiser organizers said these three organizations help midcoast Maine in diverse ways.
Lindsay MacDonald of Spectrum Generations said this was her first year helping organize the fundraiser, which had to pivot for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It's been a rush," she said. "It's a lot of work to set up, but it's been really incredible [to] help our three organizations putting in the time and effort, and of course the community coming together for the three different organizations."
MacDonald said this year raised the most money compared to the previous four years, calling it a renewal for the fundraiser.
No one knows how good a renewal of Christmas feels better than Santa Claus himself. When asked by NEWS CENTER Maine, Santa said even kids are wishing for some different things either.
"This year, it's looking like doll houses, Pokémon is taking off, and then video games -- sports are more than I expected," Santa said.
If you went to the fundraiser and bought tickets for any tree, organizers said they would inform people by Sunday evening.