On a Monday evening in late November, a few dozen people will be twisting bows onto live wreaths inside a hall on Goodhill Road. Eleven days later, a ticketed crowd will be doing the same by the fire in the Offutt Center at Lachat Town Farm. The task is the same at both. The money goes to two different places.
In Weston, the season's two wreath nights belong to the town's two farm institutions. Norfield Grange No. 146 dates to 1896 and spends its proceeds on its hall and a Weston High School scholarship. Lachat Town Farm spends its proceeds on the gardens and workshops that teach ecological land care. The wreath on your door this year pays for one of them.
A Grange Hall That Came From New Canaan
Norfield Grange No. 146 was organized on January 6, 1896, which makes 2026 its 130th year. The Grange is shorthand for the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry. Granges first appeared around the country in 1867 to offer education, fellowship and support to farmers.
The hall at 12 Goodhill Road is older in Weston's memory than it is in Weston itself. A 2010 Weston Forum story by Patricia Gay reported that the building came from New Canaan and was moved to make room for construction of the Merritt Parkway. Teddy Coley and his family moved it to Weston.
That same Weston Forum piece showed a Grange working to rebuild itself. As farming declined across the Northeast, many Granges shrank or disappeared. Norfield's members hoped renewed interest in gardening and growing food would make the Grange a resource for the town again. Member Lyn Kimberly told the paper, "I think Norfield is the poster child for attempts to revive a Grange." At the time, the Grange's fair was in its 42nd year, and the group had already given a scholarship to a Weston High School senior.
Sixteen years later, the Grange's own updates describe a full calendar. Its March 2026 news post on the Connecticut State Grange site opens with a line its members clearly mean:
"There's always something happening at the Norfield Grange in Weston. In late November Wreath Decorating, our ever popular annual event, brought out 30 members, friends & neighbors to decorate live wreaths to adorn their homes/ doors and make great holiday gifts."
The same update says last December's holiday party collected unwrapped gifts for Toys for Tots, hosted by the Weston Police Department, plus non-perishable food for the Weston Food Pantry. It also announced a new run of trivia nights the Grange hoped to hold once a quarter through 2026. The wreath night is how the Grange pays its bills. The update says net proceeds from its events go partly to buildings and grounds and the rest to its high school scholarship fund.
What the Grange Version Looks Like
This year's party is on the Town of Weston calendar for Monday, November 23, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Norfield Grange, 12 Goodhill Road. The Grange's March update says it now takes reservations and asks members, guests and neighbors to prepay for all of its events.
The Town's November 2025 newsletter described last year's party in detail. Those were 2025 terms:
- Everyone was welcome.
- Guests brought their own decorations, either artificial or cut from their own gardens, and shared supplies were on hand.
- A bow-making expert helped at the tables.
- Tickets were $50 per person and included a live wreath, drinks, appetizers and sweets.
- Proceeds went to the Weston High School Grange Scholarship Fund.
An earlier 2025 Town newsletter asked for prepayment by the Friday before the party and gave [email protected] as the contact. That address is the place to ask about this year's ticket. The party is the Monday after this post goes up, so it's worth writing soon.
The bring-your-own approach suits the Grange. Its founding idea was neighbors putting what they grow to use, and here the wreaths are trimmed with whatever came out of members' own yards.
Lachat's Version Is Built Around the Land
Lachat Town Farm's 4th Annual Winter Greens Wreath Decorating Event is on Friday, December 4. Doors open at 6 p.m., and decorating runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Offutt Center. Lachat supplies all the materials: fresh greens, natural materials, baubles and bows.
Tickets are $85, with a senior rate of $75. Each ticket includes the wreath, greenery, decorations and refreshments, among them a charcuterie board from Lachat's own Traci Baker. The Jingle Bar is back with signature cocktails and a curated wine list, both sold separately. Guests can pre-order a second wreath to make another for the house.
The money stays on the land. Lachat says the proceeds support its Giving Garden, its Pollinator Garden, its Pulling Together invasive plant workshops, and other programs that bring in local experts to teach Weston residents and students about ecological land stewardship.
Some practical details from the listing:
- Workspaces go first-come, first-served, and Lachat can't seat groups together on request.
- A group can reserve a full table for five to guarantee sitting together.
- Groups of 20 can ask about a separate space by emailing [email protected].
- The evening is for adults only, and every attendee needs a ticket.
- Lachat doesn't offer refunds, but tickets can be transferred to someone else.
The Two Nights Side by Side
| Norfield Grange | Lachat Town Farm | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Monday, November 23, 7–9 p.m. | Friday, December 4, doors 6 p.m., decorating 6:30–8:30 p.m. |
| Where | Grange hall, 12 Goodhill Road | Offutt Center, Lachat Town Farm |
| Materials | 2025: live wreath provided, guests brought their own or garden-cut decorations | All greens, natural materials, baubles and bows provided |
| Ticket | 2025: $50, including a live wreath and refreshments | $85, seniors $75 |
| Proceeds | Hall and grounds, plus the Grange's Weston High School scholarship | Giving Garden, Pollinator Garden, Pulling Together workshops, stewardship education |
| Contact | [email protected] | [email protected] |
Between the Wreaths, the Town Lights Its Tree
The town's own gathering falls between the two wreath nights. The Town calendar lists the Annual Holiday Music Festival and Tree Lighting for Thursday, December 3, on the Town Green in front of Town Hall at 56 Norfield Road. In 2024, Weston Today reported that the festival started at 5 p.m. with the Charles Dickens Carolers and Weston school music and choral groups, and the tree-lighting countdown came at 6. Last year's festival was held on December 4, 2025, and Weston Today ran a photo recap.
After the tree lighting, the season moves back to Lachat, and the gatherings stay hands-on:
- Tuesday, December 8, 7–9 p.m. Festive Prints: DIY Your Own Holiday Gift Wrap is led by Christy Gibb. Participants choose from hand-carved blocks and leave with four to five sheets of wrapping paper and eight to ten gift tags. Crafters 12 and up are welcome with an accompanying adult, and it isn't a drop-off class.
- Sunday, December 13, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. The Lachat Winter Market brings local vendors selling art, clothing, jewelry, housewares, baked goods and locally made food, along with hot food to eat at the farm or take home. The Barn Bar serves festive craft cocktails, wine and hot cocoa all day. You don't need a parking reservation. Park on the lower field at the main entrance, 106 Godfrey Road West, where spaces are first come, first served and staff direct cars to overflow parking if the lot fills.
That gives the calendar a clear order. You can make a wreath at the Grange on November 23, watch the tree light up on the Green on December 3, make a second wreath at Lachat on December 4, print gift wrap on December 8, and shop the market on December 13. The Grange pays for its hall and its scholarship, and Lachat pays for its gardens.
If one of these wreaths ends up on your door this year, we'd love to see it. Vickie Kelley and the team at Camelot Real Estate have watched these traditions grow from our office in Weston Town Center. We're glad to talk anytime about this town, its old halls and its farm, and what it all means for your home.
