HOULTON, Maine — Houlton entrepreneur Barbara Ganem is not about to let COVID-19 ruin her plans for celebrating the Christmas season.
After hearing that the Health Services Foundation was not able to host its annual Festival of Trees event this year because of the coronavirus, Ganem took it upon herself to decorate two trees and sell raffle tickets from her restaurant, A Step in Time.
Located in downtown Houlton, next to the Temple Cinemas, a room in the back of A Step in Time restaurant has been converted into a Christmas wonderland, featuring two trees Ganem is raffling off.
“I have done trees for the auction since I first learned about it,” Ganem said. “It was important for me to still do this. I just love doing it.”
This “Charlie Brown Tree” is one of two being raffled by Barbara Ganem, owner of A Step in Time restaurant in downtown Houlton. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Ganem said she loves decorating for Christmas, so doing a tree for a worthy cause like the Health Services Foundation was a no-brainer for her this year.
One of the trees is a white tree tastefully decorated with white lights and green ornaments that comes with a bundle of toys ideal for young children. She said she plans to continue adding toys to the pile as the holiday season approaches.
The second tree, Ganem referred to as her “Charlie Brown Tree,” is a small branch with a single red ornament, much like the tree in the beloved animated holiday special “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” That tree comes loaded with gift cards and lottery tickets.
Much like the Health Services Foundation’s raffle, tickets are $1 each and can be purchased at her restaurant. The ticket will then be placed in a box next to the tree the person wishes to win. All of the proceeds from her ticket sales will go to the charitable organization.
For information, call A Step in Time at 207-538-8084.
