BURKE AREA NEWS
What's Going On In the Burke Area
Christmas Tree Contest Winners!
announced December 16, 2025
Burke, VT – It was a full day of holiday fun in Burke, VT on Sunday, December 14th. Santa kicked things off in the morning, arriving via wagon ride to the Community Building in West Burke with families waiting to greet him. While they waited to tell Santa their Christmas wishes, the kids enjoyed cider and cookies and did some arts & crafts. After meeting Santa, each child got to pick out a toy to take home. The toys were generously donated by Burke Cottage Rentals & Campground. Hayden Tanner and his horses, Lily and Jewel, were also at the event and took families for wagon rides through the village. The event was hosted by the Burke Area Chamber of Commerce with assistance from the West Burke Methodist Church.
Later in the day, folks gathered to check out the brilliant display of Christmas Trees lighting up the green in East Burke Village and learn the winners of the tree contest. The contest is organized by The Burke Area Chamber of Commerce. The Langlais Family Tree Farm provided 15 trees which were each ‘adopted’ and decorated by a local school or business. Impartial judges chose the winners at the Tree Lighting Celebration on Sunday. As usual, the judges had a hard time picking just 5 winners and had a tie in one category, making for six winners in total. Each winner received $100 for a charity of their choice.
And the winners are…
- Best Decorations – Thaddeus Stevens School won with a Nordic themed tree featuring Dala horses and other Nordic style ornaments hand-painted by students. They chose Arnold’s Rescue Center to receive the $100 prize.
- Best Lights – Kingdom Trails won with a string of lights featuring the colors of a rainbow, some blinking, some not, but all contributing to a fun and festive tree. East Burke Fire Brigade received the $100 prize.
- Best Business Tree – A TIE - Community National Bank won with a tree paying tribute to the forest featuring owls and other woodland critters as ornaments. They chose the Meals on Wheels program at the Burke Senior Meal Site to receive the $100 prize. The other winner was The Inn at Burklyn with a tree that was a Symphony of Blue. They chose Burke Mountain Club to receive the $100 prize.
- Best School Tree - Burke Town School won with their Tree of Inclusion featuring messages of respect and inclusiveness for all groups of people. They chose Kingdom Kids to receive the $100 prize.
- Best Overall Tree – Darling Hill Farm won with a tree featuring a pine cone tree topper and pine cones big and small decorating the tree. They chose Hand to Hand to receive the $100 prize.
Other contest participants include: Burke Mountain, Burke Mountain Academy, Century 21 Farm and Forest, East Burke Market, Passumpsic Bank, Tim Scott Real Estate, NEK Driving School, Liv & Wilder Property Management, and Field, Farm and Forest.
The trees will be up until mid-January. All are encouraged to take a walk on the green and get a close up look to check out the details, imagination and holiday spirit with which each one was decorated. Photos of all the trees are also on the Burke Area Chamber of Commerce facebook page.
