By Emma Bowen Meyer, For The Herald Bulletin
ANDERSON — One iconic object never fails to uncover the wide-eyed wonderment of childhood that gets buried beneath the daily grind of adult life. One sparkling item transports even the grumpiest of Grinches back to those days when Christmas was so exciting that sleep was elusive. One stunning entity is the shining symbol of magic this time of year.
That special image is the brightly-lit, festively-decorated, vibrantly colorful Christmas tree.
Trimming the tree is a family tradition in some households. Relatives carefully place their handmade decorations on the tree while a fire crackles underneath the stockings and Christmas carols waft from the radio.
Some holiday enthusiasts with an added sense of flair enjoy erecting several trees throughout the home. Skillfully chosen ornaments on each tree complement the color scheme of the rooms, weaving Christmas into their daily decor.
An exceptional few even relish the experience so much they don’t stop with merely decking their own halls. These designers decorate trees for the annual Festival of the Trees event that benefits the Paramount Theatre. Letting their imaginations run wild, they painstakingly create such magnificent trees that have sold for as much as $11,000.
“I love Christmastime,” said Cheryl Hardy, tree designer for the festival for four years. “We’ve always transformed our home. I take the pictures off the walls and put up Christmas pictures. I’ve always been used to decorating a lot for Christmas.”
Her knack began with a part-time job at a floral shop when she was in high school. Among teaching her practical skills, like how to make bows, the floral designer taught her to be open to trying different ideas.
“I’ve always tried things because if you’re afraid to fail, you’ll never try anything,” she added. “If it doesn’t work, I’ll try something new.”
Trying something new does not require spending a lot of money. Having lived on a teacher’s salary, she has learned to go overboard on decorations without going over her budget. She reuses, spray paints, and re-glitters ornaments or other items to alter their appearance and make them fit her theme.
Although she has an idea in mind for this year’s tree, she admits an inability to title the work (festival trees are named and sold to raise funds) until she can stand back and look at the end result. Be sure to look for the flocked tree decked out with really shiny reds, greens, glass, and silver.
Her daughter, Marly Hardy Snyder, will be designing a tree of reds, whites, creams, and plenty of sparkle. Even though she is coordinator of the entire festival, she’s not too busy to decorate a tree.
“My mom and I enjoy working on them together,” she said. “That’s fun for us and a way to spend time together and help one another out. We each have our own individual tree we decorate, but we work on them together.”
The large trees are all decorated in the basement of the Paramount, so help is plentiful all around the room. Advice is given, materials are shared, and laughter is abundant.
“It’s so much fun to work with everybody,” said Paulette Catt, coordinator of the designers, who is working on a Colts-themed tree. “We decorate our trees down in the basement and everybody works together and helps each other and boosts each other’s egos and gives each other ideas so you just meet a nice group of gals and it’s so much fun.”
All three admit that decorating the trees is a lot of work at the busiest time of year, but each one has that special moment that makes her donate that time and effort year after year.
“(My favorite part is) when you get close to being done and you step back and squint your eyes and see it as a big picture – with the lights on and how it glitters,” said Snyder. “When we take it upstairs and put the tree topper on the tree, it just feels like a completed project and a big package that you’re giving someone.”
“I love it when the people from the nursing home and assisted living facility come in,” said Hardy. “Some of them are wheelchair bound and you don’t have to hear them speak, you only need to look at their eyes. They come through that room and it’s wonderful to watch them see those trees. They just have a big smile on their faces.”
Of course, raising money to keep the Paramount looking picturesque 80 years after its opening is an added benefit to these ladies.
“The Paramount is such a beautiful building and it’s such a good cause to keep it going,” said Catt. “It’s amazing how many different ideas there are for trees. Every year I think it can’t get any better and then it does.”
“We have so many organizations that come together,” said Snyder. “It’s truly not just an event for the Paramount, but an event for the community. It benefits so many not-for-profits. It’s just a great event and there’s something for everyone to do there.”
