The First Congregational Church of Greenwich will fill its lawn at 108 Sound Beach Avenue with balsam and Fraser firs for the 60th time this year. The sale runs Friday, November 27 through Sunday, November 29, from 9:00am to 4:00pm each day, and the church's announcement in the Greenwich Free Press says it plainly: "Unlike in past years, the sale will run one weekend only." This year the sale has no days in December.
Four Days Across Two Weekends, Now Three in a Row
For the last few years the sale was split. It opened on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, closed for the week, and reopened the next weekend. Patch listed the 2024 dates as Nov. 30, Dec. 1, Dec. 7 and Dec. 8. The 2025 announcement set November 29–30 and December 6–7. The church's annual events page still describes the sale as running for two weekends after Thanksgiving.
In 2017 the sale stretched even longer. That year Patch reported that in recent years most trees and wreaths had sold during the first two weekends of a three-weekend sale.
| Year | Sale days | Trees on the lawn |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Three weekends, opening Sat., Nov. 25 | About 500 |
| 2024 | Nov. 30, Dec. 1, Dec. 7, Dec. 8 | More than 500 |
| 2025 | Nov. 29–30, Dec. 6–7 | More than 500 |
| 2026 | Fri., Nov. 27 through Sun., Nov. 29 | 440 |
Two things changed at once. The sale now opens on a Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, which adds a weekday the recent schedules did not have. The sale days now run back to back, so the whole sale takes place over a single holiday weekend. Shoppers who planned for the first weekend of December will be too late.
Fewer Firs, the Same Wreaths
This year's order is 440 balsam and Fraser firs, according to the 2026 announcement. That is at least 60 fewer than the "more than 500" of the last two years, a drop of roughly an eighth. Spread across three days, 440 trees come to about 147 a day. In 2025, more than 500 trees were spread across four sale days.
The wreath count has not changed. The lawn will again carry 300 wreaths with custom-made bows, plus pine and boxwood roping. The church's events page gives 300 wreaths as the standard figure. Wreaths, roping and a tree have different deadlines, and a household that wants all three should come early and shop once.
The trees come from New Hampshire. Patch reported New Hampshire-grown trees in 2017 and in 2024, and the 2025 announcement described them as fresh from New Hampshire. The Greenwich High School Freshman Football Team will unload them for the 11th year under Coach Frankie Wells. In 2017, when Patch reported it was the players' second year in a row on the job, it described Wells as looking forward to "a rematch with 500 fresh-cut Christmas Trees" and said the team was aiming for a "speed record" getting them off the truck.
Sixty Years of Proceeds, and a Record Last Year
According to the church's timeline, the sale began in 1966 under Betty and Harry Woodman, with proceeds going to local charities. Since then it has raised more than $940,000 for local, national and international nonprofits and for projects at the church. Averaged over 60 sales, that comes to roughly $15,700 a year.
The 2025 sale was well above that average. It sent more than $60,000 to local charities, the largest gift in the sale's history and nearly four times the long-run yearly average. The sale is getting shorter right after its best year, so this weekend carries a full year's giving in three days.
Net proceeds from the 2026 sale will go to eight nonprofits serving children and families in Greenwich and Fairfield County:
- Greenwich Alliance for Education
- Mothers for Others
- Pacific House Young Adults Program
- The Undies Project
- Greenwich United Way
- The YWCA Harmony Project
- Call A Ride
- New Covenant Center
Rev. Patrick Collins, the church's senior pastor, explained the sale's purpose in the Greenwich Free Press announcement:
"For six decades, this tradition has brought people together for a meaningful purpose, with proceeds supporting local charities. Every tree purchased helps make a difference, spreading hope, joy, and support to those who need it most."
Planning Around Friday Morning
With three days and 440 trees, the church encourages shoppers to arrive early for the best selection. The details:
- Where: First Congregational Church of Greenwich, 108 Sound Beach Avenue, across from Binney Park.
- When: Friday, November 27; Saturday, November 28; and Sunday, November 29, 2026, from 9:00am to 4:00pm each day.
- What's for sale: Balsam and Fraser firs, wreaths with custom bows, and pine and boxwood roping.
- How to pay: The church prefers cash and checks, and also accepts all major credit cards and Apple Pay.
More information is on the church's website at fccog.org.
Six Days Later, the Same Avenue Lights Up
The tree sale ends on November 29, and Sound Beach Avenue's next holiday event comes six days later. The Old Greenwich Merchants Association is bringing back holiday lights on the trees along the avenue after last winter's community-supported effort, according to the Greenwich Free Press. The costs are shared. Local merchants pay the electricity bill, and donations to the Lights on Sound Beach campaign pay to install and maintain the lights. The association is asking for help to keep them lit through February. Contributions go through the association's donation page.
The association also plans to plant a permanent evergreen at the Old Greenwich firehouse in time for First Light. The annual celebration is scheduled for Saturday, December 5, from 5:00pm to 8:00pm along Sound Beach Avenue, with caroling, fire truck rides and a tree lighting at the firehouse.
For many of our clients, a Greenwich house becomes home in late November, when the tree comes in and the street lights come on. When a holiday move, a seasonal sale or a first winter in town needs careful planning, Charles Paternina & Associates offers senior-level advice with the same attention to timing. Request a Private Consultation.
