On December 9, the city of Cedartown wanted to spread the holiday spirit a little bit early, so City Hall decided to hold a Christmas tree decorating competition.
The images were then posted to the Georgia city's Facebook page with a short blurb about each tree. Followers were then instructed to simply click "like" on whichever one of the five trees they thought should win.
Each City Hall department designed a Christmas tree that represented their division, using elaborate decorations to showcase their team's creativity and work.
The teams did an amazing job with their trees, but one group soared above the rest.
The police department used the challenge as a way to honor their fallen brothers and sisters in blue. The message behind the beautiful tribute is to show the families of the officers who were slain that their loved ones' memories will continue to live on.
Image Source: Facebook / City of Cedartown
The finance and public relations Division "climbed the ladder of creativity" as they used a white ladder as their Christmas tree frame. The 'tree' had garland twirled around it, while dollar bills and keyboard dangled like tinsel.
The building inspection department created a cone-like tree, wrapping a protective plastic barrier around a wooden base. They then hung various tools from it and topped with a neon yellow vest and hard hat.
The administrative team adorned the branches of their tree with paper clip icicles, and artwork from students that served as ornaments, along with glass bulbs filled with fake snow and featuring photos of each commissioner. A bright red old-school phone surrounded by rulers acted as the topper.
The garbage department threw theirs in the trash…literally! They then coated it in garbage – everything from egg cartons to cereal boxes, while plastic bottles and newspapers filled in the spaces between the branches.
The small blue tree represents the water department, which decorated the tree's limbs with little clear balls that are made from recycled water bottles!
As fun and creative as the other trees are, the one that stole the heart of the community was the police department. The base of their tree is wrapped to look like a puffy cloud, while angel wings hug the top of the tree.
Dangling from the branches are the images of their fallen brothers and sisters in blue from all around the United States, men and women who lost their lives this year.
The upper portion of the tree honored local officers, while the photo acting as the angel features the image of Officer Joy Nolen, who passed away in October.
"People often forget that everyone of these officers were a husband or wife, a lost mother or father, or daughter or son," Cedartown Police Chief Jamie Newsome told Kevin Myrick, reporter the Polk County Standard Journal. "There's a real human behind all of those who have been killed."
If you would like to show your support for our fallen officers, you can go to their Facebook page and SHARE this story with your family and friends.
