In past years, a tower of stacked lumber has started rising on Town Green in early November. The boards are cut to one length and laid crosswise, layer on layer, like a Jenga tower shaped into a Christmas tree. Strings of white lights wrap the frame. For a few weeks it stands at the center of Water Street, lit after dark. Then on a December evening it is set on fire.
Most people know the tree as that one December night. The work that comes before it has been carried by the neighbors who started the tradition and the ones who stepped in over the years. This year, on Saturday, November 21, the Carlton Landing Foundation is opening that work to everyone.
Every board comes from a job site
The tree has never used new lumber. On the town's own site, Carlton Landing describes how local builders donate scrap wood for the project. Each piece is cut to a uniform size and stacked into a "Jenga-esque tree adorned with white twinkling lights." The Foundation's 2024 bonfire page names the source more exactly and thanks the Carlton Landing Builders' Guild for "donating the scrap lumber that is used to build the tree."
In a town where new homes go up every year, that matters. The offcuts left over from a year of building turn into the town's Christmas tree. Then the town gathers to watch them burn.
From one pocket neighborhood to Town Green
The bonfire started with our family. The Foundation credits Clay Chapman with starting the tradition. Carlton Landing's year-round guide describes it as "started by the Clay & Katie Chapman family." The first fires were in The Borough, a pocket neighborhood. In time the event drew more people than that small space could hold, so it moved to a larger site.
The Foundation's event pages trace the move year by year. The 2024 listing called it the second year on Town Green. The 2025 listing called it the third. That makes December 2026 the fourth fire on the green.
The people doing the work changed too. By 2024, the Foundation wrote that "the torch has now been passed from father to son," and that Clay's son Staughty was designing and building the tree. It added that the Carlton Landing Foundation "has stepped in to help orchestrate this event." The same page invited neighbors to "come visit the progress of this masterpiece beginning in early November." That 2024 invitation asked neighbors to come see the build.
What changes on November 21
The 2026 schedule turns those visits into work. On October 15, the Foundation published Why Friendsgiving Matters, announcing the town's first Community Tree Building Day. It also explains what the day is for:
"The tradition of building the bonfire tree began with members of our community who gave their time, energy, and creativity to create something special for everyone to enjoy. Over the years, others have stepped in to help keep that tradition alive. This year, we're inviting the entire community to become part of that story."
The building session runs from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Town Green. According to the Friendsgiving Weekend 2026 event page, it will be led by Clay Chapman, Staughty Chapman and Raddec Dunn. The Foundation calls it a casual working session for "community members of all ages." You don't need any skills to join. The listing names three ways to take part:
- Stack wood alongside the build crew.
- String lights on the frame.
- Lend a hand for a few minutes, or simply stop by to visit.
The Foundation promises cider and snacks, plus photos and stories from past years. Part of the afternoon is meant to recognize "the neighbors who started and continue this beloved tradition." The Foundation also writes that it hopes the day "becomes a new tradition of its own." If it does, building the tree will become a yearly event for the whole town, in addition to the evening it burns.
Then everyone sits down to eat
Building Day is timed to end right before dinner. The event page says that "after the work is done, we'll naturally roll into our Friendsgiving gathering and community potluck."
The dinner has changed shape, too. The 2024 Friendsgiving listing described a ticketed dinner catered by LeSalt, with live music by Brandon Birdwell and the tree's twinkle lights switched on at 7:30 p.m. The 2026 version is a potluck with no tickets. The Foundation is providing the venue, live music, water and iced tea, and two main dishes. Guests bring a favorite side dish or dessert to share. The event page says the dinner is open to Carlton Landing homeowners and their guests.
Dinner starts at 5:30 p.m. The Foundation's two pages give different locations, though. The October explainer lists the Pop-Up Shops Lawn from 5:30 to 7:30. The event page's venue field lists Carlton Landing Community Church at 58 Water Street, while its description says the location "will be announced closer to the event date and is weather permitting." Late November weather on the lake decides a lot, so check the Foundation calendar that week before you carry a casserole across town.
The whole weekend is billed as Friendsgiving Weekend 2026, running from 5:00 p.m. Friday, November 20, through 7:30 p.m. Sunday, November 22. Saturday is the day with events scheduled.
The tree's three weeks on the green
In 2024, Friendsgiving was the point where the tree was finished and switched on. The Foundation wrote that the tree would be complete by Friendsgiving on November 23. Its twinkle lights would be lit for the first time that night, and the tree would glow "until we set it ablaze after sunset December 14th." The Foundation hasn't posted the same lighting plan for 2026. The calendar has the same shape, though, with the build and Friendsgiving on one Saturday and the fire three Saturdays later.
| Date | Time | What happens | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 21 | 2:00–4:00 p.m. | Community Tree Building Day | Town Green |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | 5:30 p.m. | Friendsgiving potluck | Location to be confirmed by the Foundation |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Noon–4:00 p.m. | Holiday Home Tour, benefiting Carlton Landing Academy | Throughout town |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Noon–7:00 p.m. | Christmas in Carlton Landing Holiday Market and Foundation Pop-Up Shops | Water Street |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | 6:00 p.m. | Community bonfire | Town Green, Water Street |
The bonfire starts earlier this year. Both the 2024 and 2025 fires were lit at 7:00 p.m. The 2026 Holiday Home Tour and Bonfire Weekend listing sets it for 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 12. On Water Street, the holiday market's live music runs from noon to 4:00 with Kennedy Fine, then from 4:30 to 7:00 with Bison Band. The fire now starts while the second set is still playing.
The bonfire listing already thanks "everyone who helped during our Community Building Day to make this year's bonfire possible." The Foundation wrote that thank-you before anyone has stacked a single board. Anyone who shows up on November 21 will be part of it.
After the fire
Once the embers cool, the town calendar goes quiet. December 12 is the Foundation's last Pop-Up Shop date of 2026, and the shops come back March 13, 2027. After the holiday weekend, the next event on the Foundation calendar is March 12–13, 2027.
I've watched this tree go up from the first fires in The Borough to the crowds on Town Green, and November 21 is the first year everyone gets to lay a board in it. If you're new to town or have just bought a weekend cottage and would like an introduction around the build site, Katie Chapman would be glad to meet you on the green that afternoon. Contact Us.
