Friends of Laurelwood Arboretum Volunteers Decorate Skylands Manor for Holiday Open House

Alice Moskowitz

Once again, Friends of Laurelwood Arboretum volunteers are decorating the main entrance and grand staircase at historic Skylands Manor for the annual Holiday Open House, sponsored by the New Jersey Botanical Garden. This year’s theme is, “A Magical Holiday.” The Manor will be decorated floor-to-ceiling to create a warm and welcoming start to the holiday season.

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Sara McHugh, chairperson of the Friends of Laurelwood Arboretum Holiday Open House Committee, with some of the “Fantasy Forest” decorations.

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Mary Jo Sichak with the raffle piece she created for the Holiday Open House.

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“Fantasy Forest” is the theme of Laurelwood Arboretum’s decorations. Friends of Laurelwood Arboretum volunteers have been busily fashioning whimsical decorations to create a magical entrance for the open house. In the Educational Greenhouse at Laurelwood, they made 43 fairies, 25 gnomes and 50 “fantasy trees.” More than 22 volunteers worked on the project under the direction of chairperson Sara McHugh.

The Holiday Open House will be open November 30 through December 3 from 10 am to 4 pm daily. An evening reception is scheduled for Saturday, December 2, from 6 pm to 8 pm with reservations required. For information go to www.njbg.org or call 973-962-9534.