Taking their boughs.Byline: LEWIS TAYLOR The Register-Guard CORRECTION (ran 11/27/01): Christmas tree Christmas tree Evergreen tree, usually decorated with lights and ornaments, to celebrate the Christmas season. The use of evergreen trees, wreaths, and garlands as symbols of eternal life was common among the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews. decorator Whitney Edman, a woman, was incorrectly referred to as "he" in a correction that ran in Saturday's paper. CORRECTION (ran 11/24/01): Whitney Edman, the Christmas tree decorator for the annual Festival of Trees This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the for details. This article has been tagged since September 2007. charity event, is sponsored by Monaco Coach Corp. His sponsor was incorrectly identified in a report in the Nov. 18 Oregon Life section. IN HER NEXT LIFE, Whitney Edman says, she'll be a professional Christmas tree decorator. Until then, she'll have to settle for amateur status. Which is nothing to "ho-ho-ho" at when you consider the fact that she has decorated more than 300 trees, including one last year that fetched $6,600 at auction. "Call me `the Tree Mama' ' Edman says with a laugh. "Furniture decorator by day, tree decorator by night." An interior designer and furniture saleswoman who once worked as a nanny for actor Rick Schroder, Edman is one of 110 volunteer Christmas tree designers participating in this year's Festival of Trees. The popular fund-raiser for McKenzie-Willamette Hospital returns to the Valley River Inn this week. Along with a designer Christmas tree auction, the festival offers wreaths and other holiday decorations, children's attractions, a holiday gift shop and ongoing live entertainment. "It's hard to walk through the Christmas tree forest and not have a smile on your face," says Margie Brooks, creative director of the festival. "It's just so enchanting." Although the festival doesn't officially begin until Tuesday's by-reservation-only kickoff party, the clock starts ticking Monday for Edman and the 43 other tree design teams. Each group will have 24 hours to turn a bare, 7-foot-tall noble fir The Noble Fir (Abies procera) is a western North American fir, native to the Cascade Range and Coast Range mountains of extreme northwest California and western Oregon and Washington in the United States. into a work of art that will sell for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of dollars. Other designers will work on smaller trees that will sell for less. `The gratification comes from having fun, enjoying the process and knowing that you're helping a wonderful cause,' Edman said. NOW IN ITS NINTH year, the Festival of Trees just keeps getting bigger. Last year's event drew 18,000 people and raised $378,000 for the hospital. Organizers are hoping to bring in $400,000 this year. Brooks does not believe the Sept. 11 tragedy will adversely affect the event. "I think people really feel the importance of fund-raising to a higher degree now," Brooks said. Edman, too, is hoping to pull in more money than last year. She plans to decorate two trees for her sponsor, Marathon Coach. Her first creation, "Sports Night
Sports Night is an American television series about a fictional sports news show and the people who worked there. ," will be sports-and-beer themed. A second, patriotic fir called "Glory Glory" will celebrate the spirit of America Spirit of America is the trademarked name used by Craig Breedlove for his land speed record-setting vehicles. The Spirit of America was the first of the modern record breaking cars, build within new rules with its three wheel design, narrow stream-lined . Themes offered up by other designers include: "Surviving the Holidays," "Kaleidoscope kaleidoscope (kəlī`dəskōp), optical instrument that uses mirrors to produce changing symmetrical patterns. Invented by the Scottish physicist Sir David Brewster in 1816, the device is usually a hand-held tube, a few inches to as much in the Snow," "Fit for a King" and "Windex Dream." Potential themes aren't due in Brooks' office until late August, but many designers begin planning their trees way back in January - before the holiday egg nog A drink make from eggs beaten with milk, cream, and sugar, often spiked with rum or other alcoholic liquor, and sometimes seasoned with cinnamon; usually spelled eggnog sp>. It is a traditional drink served at social gatherings during the Christmas season. See also: Nog has even had a chance to cool. The idea for "Glory, Glory" came to Edman last spring when she spotted a glitter-covered, red, white and blue ornament in a Seattle gift shop. `Sometimes, one ornament will inspire you for the whole tree,' Edman said. "It all falls into place once you start seeing the colors and the textures around you.' The glittery centerpiece of "Glory, Glory" is a hand-blown Slavic ornament depicting St. Nick in an Uncle Sam Uncle Sam, name used to designate the U.S. government. The term arose in the War of 1812 and seems at first to have been used derisively by those opposed to the war. Possibly it was an expansion of the letters "U.S. outfit. Edman also plans to use an American flag, plenty of stars and stripes Stars and Stripes nickname for the U.S. flag. [Am. Hist.: Brewer Dictionary, 8567] See : America and lots of patriotic colors. Among the "gifts" included with the tree is a trip to California's Napa Valley Napa Valley, Calif.: see under Napa. Napa Valley greatest wine-producing region of the United States. [Am. Hist.: NCE, 2990] See : Wine wine country on the Marathon Coach corporate jet. While some designers use the full 24-hour time period allotted al·lot tr.v. al·lot·ted, al·lot·ting, al·lots 1. To parcel out; distribute or apportion: allotting land to homesteaders; allot blame. 2. to them, Edman and her decorating partner (her sister Beth) will work fast and furiously and cover each tree in about five hours. The pair will load 800 lights and at least 100 ornaments onto each tree and then celebrate afterward with a holiday drink (you can call it an "apres tree" party). "Our biggest problem is that we have so much fun with the other designers," Edman said. "We definitely do a lot of chitchatting." Although Edman subscribes to very few decorating rules, she prefers white lights to colored ones and manufactured ornaments to homemade decorations. And, she says, she still doesn't understand the appeal of tinsel tin·sel n. 1. Very thin sheets, strips, or threads of a glittering material used as a decoration. 2. Something sparkling or showy but basically valueless: the tinsel of parties and promotional events. . She recommends loading a tree up with more decorations than you think you'll ever need (`less is definitely not more'). And she swears she still hasn't discovered a quick way to find the one burned- out bulb in a strand of darkened dark·en v. dark·ened, dark·en·ing, dark·ens v.tr. 1. a. To make dark or darker. b. To give a darker hue to. 2. To fill with sadness; make gloomy. 3. Christmas tree lights. Edman gained her tree decorating experience by volunteering year after year to help older members of her church congregation trim their tree. Her fascination with the holiday also was encouraged by an aunt who owned the state's first year-round Christmas store. "It feels like Christmas every day you're unwrapping those ornaments," Edman said. "It truly is a special time." Although the majority of designers taking part in the Festival of Trees are women, there are a few brave men willing to try their hand at the fine art of tree trimming. But generally speaking, Brooks says, most of the volunteer decorators have backgrounds in either interior design or the floral industry Floral industry is one of the major industries in many developing and underdeveloped countries. Floriculture as an industry began in the late 1800s in England, where flowers were grown on a large scale on the vast estates. . "Our designers are absolutely awesome," Brooks said. "Every year I am impressed by how creative they are. After nine hours, you would think we'd have a lot of doubling up, but we really don't." Brooks looks for designers who are both creative and reliable. Over the years, she has seen lots of things that don't belong in trees, including plastic monkeys, bubble machines, water fountains - even snow blowers. Two different trees - one that included a trip on the Orient Express Orient Express Luxury train that ran from Paris to Constantinople (Istanbul) for over 80 years (1883–1977). Developed by the Belgian businessman Georges Nagelmackers, its luxuriously furnished cars became the symbol of glamour for European society. and another that included a Pebble Beach golf vacation - hold the fund-raising record. Each fetched $15,000 at auction. With the tremendous groundswell ground·swell n. 1. A sudden gathering of force, as of public opinion: a groundswell of antiwar sentiment. 2. of patriotism following the Sept. 11 tragedy, Brooks expects Edman's "Glory, Glory" tree to do quite well this week. Whatever happens, Edman just seems happy to be around so many Christmas trees. "Every tree is different and every tree tells a story," Edman said. "They're a reflection of our personalities, a reflection of our life histories." Entertainment reporter Lewis Taylor can be reached by phone at 338-2512 and by e-mail at ltaylor@ guardnet.com. FESTIVAL OF TREES WHAT: Holiday fund-raiser for McKenzie-Willamette Hospital features Christmas tree auction, holiday decorations for sale, storybook sto·ry·book n. A book containing a collection of stories, usually for children. adj. Occurring in or resembling the style or content of a storybook: storybook characters; a storybook romance. characters, gingerbread gingerbread In architecture and design, elaborately detailed embellishment, either lavish or superfluous. Though the term is occasionally applied to such highly detailed and decorative styles as the Rococo, it usually refers to the hand-carved and -sawn wood ornamentation of houses, Santa Claus Santa Claus: see Nicholas, Saint. Santa Claus jolly, gift-giving figure who visits children on Christmas Eve. [Christian Tradition: NCE, 1937] See : Christmas Santa Claus , live reindeer, children's attractions and gift shop WHEN: Wednesday through Nov. 25; hours vary WHERE: Valley River Inn, 1000 Valley River Way TICKETS: $5 for adults, $3 for children younger than 12 and seniors 55 and older, $25 for the Designer's Preview Party, available at local Safeway stores, Centennial Bank branches and Reed & Cross INFORMATION: 341-0737 or www.mckweb.com EVENT SCHEDULE TUESDAY: Designer's Preview Party (by reservation only, 726-4622), 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. WEDNESDAY: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Seniors Day THURSDAY: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., live reindeer 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. FRIDAY: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Dickens Village shopping area open SATURDAY: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Evening Gala Celebration 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. (by invitation only) SUNDAY: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. CAPTION(S): Whitney Edman will trim a noble fir on a patriotic theme for `Glory Glory,' one of her team's two entries in the 2001 Festival of Trees. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion