Festival of Trees is mesmerizing feast for the senses

Lo and behold. The concrete and glass cavern known as the Shaw Conference Centre has been transformed into a magical wintry landscape of enchanted forests and candy land dreams.

Running until Sunday, the 27th annual Festival of Trees is a mesmerizing feast for the senses with beautiful music and the scents of gingerbread and chocolate wafting through corridors.

The conference centre lobby has been transformed into the entrance to Santa’s North Pole workshop, and visitors must pass between two silver pillars and Santa’s red sleigh loaded with gifts.

Off to the side, elves’ worktables are littered with tools and stacked up to six feet high with brightly wrapped packages.

It is a spellbinding entry into a world of hundreds of thousands of twinkling light, miles of ribbon, about 145 colourful trees and a kaleidoscope of sparkly ornaments.

The theme this year is Under the Tree, and while a largesse of presents spread beneath boughs carries a whiff of consumerism, every single tree, wreath and accent piece has been fashioned with love.

But all the froth has a serious side. Each year this extravaganza is hosted by the University Hospital Foundation to raise funds for medical equipment. Since its inception in 1985 more than $13 million has been raised.

“About five years ago, when we raised our first million (for the year), we were so excited. It’s such a high ceiling to break,” says festival chair Lori Martens.

Last year the foundation raised $1.3 million for a special microscope used in neurosurgery. This year the foundation is hoping to purchase an O-ARM CT scan system that will aid head and neck cancer surgeries.

They are the sixth most common cancers and young children are increasingly being affected. Treatment combining radiation, chemotherapy and surgery often leaves the patient disfigured.

“The reality is that if you have a disfigurement, society treats you differently,” says Martens. “This allows surgeons to give people back their faces and their dignity.”

And it is so easy to give generously when surrounded by beauty and out-of-the-box creativity.

While two decades ago most of the trees were green, radiating an old-fashioned vibe of hearth and home, this year’s donations follow edgier themed trends.

Green is still popular, however a large number of eye-popping rainbow colours are overtaking the natural tones – red, hot pink, royal blue, teal, burgundy and golden yellow. Minimalist black and white trees decorated with elegant, bling-like baubles also top designer lists.

One of the most stunning white trees is Yule-Tied Christmas, an eight-foot cone-shaped tree made from 43,000 zip ties. There is even a step-by-step photo display showing how it was built.

The festival reflects a wellspring of creative themes ranging from nutcrackers, postcards and marine life to pets, birds and angels. Even the Oilers have a 12-foot tree tucked in a corner topped with a pair of sparkling silver skates.

Locally, St. Albert, Morinville and Sturgeon County designers have dug deep for fresh ideas. Each of the trees has a story and one is even born from tragedy.

Julie Puchala, co-owner of Vintage Petals Tea House, has dedicated Green in All Its Glory to her late husband Brian. It is a six-footer made from real boughs with garlands wrapped tightly around it to create fullness. Underneath the tree are large porcelain statuettes of Mary, Jesus and Joseph.

Last winter, Brian left for work but came home rather quickly. The Morinville resident felt unwell, crawled in bed and died of heart attack on Dec. 15. About four weeks before, he had fallen on his back and developed a blood clot.

He left behind his wife and six children. This Christmas season Puchala is filling the hole in her heart knowing the tree was auctioned Wednesday night to give the sick a new lease on life.

“I made it in honour of him. Something told me to do it and donate it to the Festival of Trees. It has helped me keep Christmas on the positive side,” Puchala says.

The Sturgeon County Youth Council chose to celebrate pop culture with Life is the Bubbles. It is a 7.5-foot black onyx tree decorated with Disney’s Tinkerbell, Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Simba, Tigger and Dumbo.

“It is a good team building exercise. They contributed the design. They shopped for everything. They set it up,” says Jennifer Gray, Sturgeon County community services recreation coordinator. “It’s not always the end result, but the process that got them there that is important.”

Pam and Matt Schamehorn, owners of Popeye’s Supplements in St. Albert, designed Furry Friends, a Sesame Street tree lavished with all the favourites: Bert, Ernie, the Cookie Monster, Big Bird, the Count and Oscar the Grouch.

“Everybody loves Sesame Street, especially the children. We really try to appeal to the children. It’s exciting for them,” says Joan Faulkner, chair of the tree committee.

Moving into the realm of freeform is Sharon and Jessica Monk’s Look What’s Under the Tree. This creation is a series of 13 boxes that have been quilted and stacked to form a tree.

“I love her creativity. Usually we get quilts you drape over a chair. Instead she made a tree that reminds you of baking cookies with Grandma,” Faulkner says.

Once again St. Albert’s Beryl Cooper was instrumental in working with the 144th Beavers, Cubs and Scouts to adorn a five-foot tree. A Gift for Everyone is embellished with hand-made beaded wreaths, candy canes, snowflakes and stars.

Perhaps one of the most unusual and riveting is Tree with Botticelli by Moriganagh and Terri McNally, a local mother-daughter design team. Their offering is a two-person table with a modern representation of Botticelli’s Primavera painted on the tabletop. In addition the McNallys have fashioned a matching papier mâché jewelled tree that sits on the table creating a canopy for diners.

“It’s amazing that one can be so creative and expressive.”

Cory Christopher of First Choice Tree Nursery in Sturgeon County was the design lead for Gumdrops and Jellybeans, a tree organized by the tree committee.

This 7.5-foot hot pink tree is a child’s delight, loaded with gingerbread, ice cream cones and lollipops. Standing to the side are several lopsided gingerbread houses surrounded by candy mice.

“It’s fun. It’s whimsical. It’s over-the-top.”

And finally Sturgeon County’s Coby Cernes and Colleen Stuart won a silver ribbon for their gingerbread structure Santa’s Squeaky Helpers. In it, a red-and-white North Pole train is travelling on tracks at the structure’s periphery. Sitting on the train munching candies, directing traffic and sawing logs are a handful of mischievous mice. In the middle of the structure is an off-kilter pile of presents.

For children, the festival operates a secret shop, fish pond, Santa’s treasures, post office and ice cream shop. Adults will enjoy strolling through the sweet shop and gift shop.

Hours are Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information visit www.festivaloftrees.ca.