The elegantly adorned trees at the annual Festival of Trees in Tacoma are awesome enough to cause Christmas elves to turn holly-green with envy.
But it’s possible for the average person to create a tree that’s just as fabulous – or darn near close.
Festival of Trees veteran Tammy Hall has designed trees at the celebration for nine of the past 10 years. And the one year she wasn’t dressing trees, she was serving as festival chairwoman.
Though she’s not an interior designer by trade, the Tacoma volunteer said she and her two co-designers have learned how to decorate trees through years of practice on festival trees and listening to advice from other decorators and each other.
Over time, she said, “you become braver.”
Tree designers shoulder the self-imposed pressure to come up with creations that will trigger a chorus of “oooh’s” and “ahhh’s” – and the opening of wallets and checkbooks.
Hall is among scores of volunteer designers responsible for the festival’s nearly 70 elaborately decorated evergreens, each designed with an individual theme, props and assortment of gifts. One tree, for instance, might stand amid a bedroom mock-up with a real bed, bear rug, flat screen TV and weekend getaway.
Their short-lived works of art are the focal point for three major social gatherings and two days of public viewing – events that raised more than $1.5 million last year for Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital & Health Center in Tacoma. At the Friday night gala, the trees and gifts are auctioned off for thousands of dollars; one year a tree fetched $68,000, Hall recalled.
Each tree has a sponsor, typically a company or individual, that provides money for tree decorations and some of the gifts that fit the tree’s theme. Each tree also has a team of volunteer designers, who come up with a design and decorate the tree, as well as secure additional donations for the gifts.
It requires months of work.
“Sometimes you wonder during the year why you keep doing it,” said Hall, who volunteers as a member of the Tacoma Orthopedic Guild. “Then you go to designer day.”
That’s the day before the festival starts, when the design teams transform the bare fir trees into winter wonderland jewels.
“The atmosphere is amazing. You remember why you’re there. The excitement builds. You’re feeling part of something, and all of your focus is on one thing: raising money for Mary Bridge and the children whose lives have been saved there. ... It makes you thankful your children didn’t ever have to stay there long,” said Hall, who has three children, ranging in age from 16 to 22.
“And then you say, ‘Yes, I’ll do another one next year.’”
Debby Abe: 253-597-8694
debby.abe@thenewstribune.com
FESTIVAL OF TREES DECORATING TIPS
Here are Tammy Hall’s tips to amp up the wow factor on your yule tree.
• Decide upon a theme and color scheme. Hall’s festival tree last year, for instance, had an outdoor “glamping” (glamorous camping) theme, and focused on earthy greens, browns and reds. The theme of her team’s tree this year is “Just another day in paradise,” and will incorporate aqua blue, silver, bright sea green and terra cotta.
• Use lots of Christmas tree lights. The Festival of Trees designer handbook recommends at least 100 lights per foot (of the tree’s height). Some designers use as many as 300 per foot, making for 2,100 lights on a 7-foot tree. LED lights are brighter, prettier and more energy efficient than regular mini-twinkling lights, Hall said, but they’re also more expensive. Most festival designers go the less expensive route.
Hall prefers white lights and provides color through ornaments.
• Lights should be your first decoration on the tree. Acknowledging that everyone has their own system of stringing lights, Hall said she prefers to start at the top of the tree. She wraps lights around most branches starting from the outward tip, going toward the trunk, and then back out. Some people wrap lights around the trunk itself; Hall doesn’t. Remember that flocking – artificial snow sprayed on the tree – sucks up the light.
• Don’t be afraid of big ornaments – big as in 8 inches wide or larger. Past festival trees have incorporated clocks and globes.
• Hang big ornaments first, then place smaller ornaments around them. Think of bunching items in threes.
• Place ornaments inside the tree, not only on branch tips. Consider laying or spreading some decorations, such as leaf and berry sprays, on branches.
• Include ornaments that reflect light. Glass ornaments, items sprinkled with glitter, mirrored decorations and CDs are good reflectors.
• Use decorations that fit the theme but aren’t necessarily ornaments. A butterfly net protruding from branches lent a whimsical touch to one of Hall’s festival trees. Last year, she crunched a table runner made from organza and wrapped it close to the trunk of the tree to add color to bare spots and provide depth.
• Find a tree topper that’s as magnificent as the rest of the tree. Consider getting a topper with lights or string lights around it. “You don’t want people to look up and go ‘So?’” she said.
• You don’t need a specially-made tree skirt to cover the floor beneath the tree. Hall has used suede leather curtains, tablecloths and overalls to fit an individual tree’s theme and colors.
• Be creative and don’t be afraid to experiment. Keep stepping back from the tree to see how it looks.
• Bows can be a low-cost finishing touch, according to the tree designer handbook. Wire ribbon is the easiest to tie; velvet ribbon and fabric ribbon printed on one side are hard to tie. It takes about 2 yards to make a nice bow. Use long pliable, plastic-coated “pigtail” wire to tie bows to the tree.
• A variety of materials can fill empty spaces and add shape to the tree, the designer handbook says. Some good options: dried baby’s breath, raffia, tulle, pine cones, holly or flowers. Bad option: eucalyptus, which is highly flammable.
Debby Abe, The News Tribune
The 2010 Mary Bridge Festival of Trees
• The festival features nearly 70 decorated trees, each with its own design, props and array of gifts. The 24th annual event benefits Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital & Health Center in Tacoma. Last year’s festival raised more than $1.5 million.
• This year’s overall festival theme is “Give the Gift of Hope;” the colors are teal and blue. Designers aren’t restricted to the festival colors, however, and most have a separate theme for their tree. Festival trees are either 7-foot or 4-foot real Noble Fir trees.
• Festival events are at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center, 1500 Broadway Ave., Tacoma:
• Public viewing of the trees, live entertainment and holiday gift shop runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. General admission is $6; students 13 to 18 years old, $2; children 12 and younger, free.
• Jingle Bell Jam. The 19th annual auction, dinner and dance happens 6:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $125 per person. Black tie optional. Pre-registration required.
• Ladies Night Out. The Thursday evening event featuring wine tasting, appetizers and shopping is sold out.
• Gala Auction and Dinner. The Black Tie gala, where the decorated trees are auctioned off, on Friday night is by invitation only.
• For more information or to pre-register for the Jingle Bell Jam, call 253-403-3095 or 253-403-1712 or go to www.multicare.org/home/festival-trees.
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