Most kids spend the Friday after Thanksgiving finishing leftovers, playing video games, or pretending they’re “helping” clean the house. But Troop 7 Scouts? We had a different plan.

At 1 p.m., our troop met at Holy Name Parish School, where I used to go to school and where our troop hosts our regular meetings, and walked on Centre Street to hang Christmas wreaths all along West Roxbury’s Centre Street.

We arrived layered like onions and looked at a car full of green wreaths and bright red bows. Armed with zip ties, determination, and enough Christmas wreaths to decorate the Prudential, this was our way of saying thank you to the community that supports our biggest fundraiser every year.

It was my first time and as a 12 year old Scout leading this initiative, and on that day I quickly learned two things:

Wreaths are a lot heavier than they look, and zip ties are the greatest invention in human history.

We split into teams like a highly organized holiday SWAT unit (minus the danger and plus a lot of tangled ribbon) with parent chaperons.

Once we split into teams, we started down Centre Street armed with zip ties and wire, and the kind of determination you only get when you’re carrying something that smells like pine.

As soon as we hung the first wreath, something crazy happened. Snow flurries. Actual, magical, movie-style flurries. It was like the weather decided to cheer us on. Suddenly everyone got way more excited — even my fellow Scouts, at least a few of whom were still half-asleep from Thanksgiving turkey.

Hanging wreaths is harder than it looks – some of those lamp posts are really tall, and zip ties do not always cooperate – but doing it made us realize how much our community gives us all year long. Our troop’s biggest fundraiser depends on the support of people right here in West Roxbury, and this was our way of giving back – something green, cheerful, and slightly pokey.

As we worked our way down Centre Street, people waved at us from cars and pedestrians said hello. Shop owners stepped outside to check out the decorations, and one person even shouted, “Thanks, Scouts! You’re making it look like Christmas already!” That made us stand a little taller, even though we weren’t standing on ladders.

A big win for Troop 7 and it made us realize Scouting is who we are, not just what we do.

There were a few comedy moments too, like when one Scout accidentally wore his wreath like a giant necklace or when another tried to throw a wreath above his head and instantly learned the meaning of “gravity” (he was alright). But we figured it out, because Scouts always figure it out, usually with help from someone taller.

By the time we were done, Centre Street looked like it was ready for a holiday movie – wreaths everywhere, red bows glowing, and Scouts feeling extremely proud (and hungry again, because Thanksgiving leftovers were calling).

Starting this tradition means a lot to us. The West Roxbury community always shows up for Troop 7 — for our fundraisers, events, and all the ways Scouting helps us grow. Hanging wreaths is our way of giving back and spreading some cheer.

So if you’re walking or driving down Centre Street this December, we hope the wreaths – and maybe even a few leftover snowflakes – make you smile.

We are thankful to Mrs. O’Donnell who is one of our two Scoutmasters who was there to chaperone us along with Assistant Scoutmaster Mr. Peterson. We would like to thank Mrs. Lindsey Chase of West Roxbury Main Streets, who helped our fundraiser and supported us enormously.

If you would like to know more about Troop 7 West Roxbury, please contact Scoutmasters Mr. Nathan Kuder or Mrs. Michelle O’Donnell (nathan.kuder@gmail.com, mikeod42@yahoo.com).

Happy Holidays from Troop 7! (And may your zip ties always cooperate.)