BEREA, Ky. — Berea's second annual Crochetmas Tree is in the works. With over 2,000 squares crocheted within the community, the city is hoping to create 12 four-foot-tall Christmas trees to place in areas around Kentucky. 

It’s more than a Christmas tree, and with nearly 2,000 crochet squares, Joy Gritton says it all comes from the community. 

“We’ve tried to mix the squares up so that there’s a part of everybody that worked on it in every tree,” Gritton said.

It’s an event that came after the pandemic. It was an opportunity to crochet inside your home, around the town or even in groups, but it became a way for the community to come back together after the shutdowns. 

“Feeling like you’re a part of something larger than yourself is really huge. And I think it goes a long way to helping people not be overwhelmed and maybe lessen the anxiety a lot of people are feeling,” Gritton said.

Last year, Gritton, along with Berea Makerspace, a nonprofit in the community, created one 12-foot tree, but this year they will create 12 four-foot trees with another mission in mind. 

“We’re going to take some of the small trees down to flood areas to be displayed and then the others will be displayed in Berea in public places,” Gritton said.

The hope is to share Berea’s love in Whitesburg, Neon, Hazard, Hindman, Buckhorn and Hyden. 

“Well, it’s just this win-win where people build community through creative projects,” Gritton said.

With less than 1,000 crochet squares needed to finish up the project, Gritton hopes to see this annual event bring joy to people around the state this holiday season. 

The organizers hope to have five of the 12 trees done before Christmas, and have started a go fund me to help raise funds for those impacted by the flooding.