Literary Themed Christmas Trees
It’s not really Christmas season until we go to the Festival of Trees, an annual event where individuals, groups, and organizations decorate and donate Christmas trees, wreaths, centerpieces, quilts, gingerbread houses and gift items. Everything is auctioned off and every single penny (I literally mean every single penny – everything is done on a volunteer basis) goes to the Primary Children’s Medical Center. It is their largest fundraiser and raises millions of dollars. Between 70,000 and 80,000 people attend the festival each year and there are hundred of trees.
My family adores this event. For us, it really kicks off the Christmas season. We have decorated and donated two trees (I also blogged about them last year - check them out) in the past and this year while I didn’t help decorate I did help provide supplies for the tree below. It was decorated by group of 8-11 year-old girls and they have so much fun doing it. It turned out so cute! I’m trying to convince my family to do a tree next year. We buy everything on the after Christmas sales and then store it for a year. I think that tree below cost me $10!
This was the first year we checked out the craft section. My little guy loved it (I had to squeeze in a photo of one of the boys)!
While checking out all of the awesome displays, I took pictures of all of the literary themed Christmas trees and gingerbread houses. This is Dr. Seuss The Grinch Stole Christmas:
Cloudy with a Chance for Meatballs:
While I don’t know if the movie UP! was based on a book or not, I had to share this house with you. My awesome neighbor made it and it auctioned for $800!! What a great way to give for the holidays.
Humpty Dumpty:
The Grinch (we’ll be seeing a lot of him):
This tree had a large display of books underneath it. Each tree is auctioned off with everything underneath it and the entire display. Sometimes this includes huge ticket items like televisions, furniture, fireplaces, electronics, etc. These will sell for tens of thousands of dollars.
This one used books on the tree!
A Grinch tree:
The sign on this one says, “It always rains in Forks” and is decorated with forks. I can only imagine that this is inspired from the Twilight books. Weird! Last year there was an awesome Twilight tree.
Another Grinch tree:
An upside down Nightmare Before Christmas tree:
Polar Express tree:
A Goodnight Moon tree:
Lots of frog books with this one:
Winnie the Pooh:
The sign says Enlighten the Children and has several picture books on it:
Tree with the book Sadako:
Wizardof Oz tree:
Another Wizard of Oz tree:
An Eric Carle tree. Check out that quilt!
This tree was titled Fairy Tales:
Fancy Nancy tree:
Lots of books under this tree!
Another Grinch tree:
A Shrek palm tree:
If that wasn’t enough for you check out last years post with more literary themed Christmas trees! Which tree was your favorite? If you decorated a literary themed Christmas tree, how would you decorate it?
Today’s post is day 10 of the 2009 Virtual Advent Tour – where every day bloggers are sharing their thoughts about Christmas. Check out the listing of the entire month as well as those also posting today: Becky at One Literature Nut, Vanessa at Reading in Bed and Lexie at Poisoned Rationality.
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Tags: Christmas, Festival of Trees, holidays, literacy, traditions, Virtual Advent Tour
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Great trees! I’ve been to similar events, but I don’t recall them being as much fun as yours seems to have been.
Thanks for sharing it!
on December 10th, 2009 at 11:32 amWOW!!! Incredibly awesome!!!
on December 10th, 2009 at 11:40 amWhat a great event and awesome trees. Thanks for sharing.
on December 10th, 2009 at 11:41 amI really need to get there again! I haven’t been to the Festival of Trees in too long.
on December 10th, 2009 at 11:54 amThank you so much, Natasha, for sharing this incredible set of pictures from the Festival of Trees! My home stomping grounds, Little Rock, Arkansas has a similar event and I have so missed it each year now for the sixteen years I have lived in Virginia…this is such a treat and with so many literacy related entries! I have always thought I would do a HEIDI tree and a LITTLE WOMEN tree since those are my childhood and all-time favorites. As to newer books, this year I would have to do a Calpurnia Tate tree, it woudl be a fun one! Thanks again!
on December 10th, 2009 at 12:50 pmSo much fun! I have tons of Wizard of Oz that would make a fun tree, and I was just thinking about a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tree, but I would love to make a mystery tree…perhaps Sherlock Holmes?
on December 10th, 2009 at 12:51 pmSuch a fabulous idea for a fundraiser! I especially loved the Eric Carle and Fancy Nancy trees
on December 10th, 2009 at 1:14 pmThe forks one was too funny, and the Eric Carle quilt was beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing these; it’s almost as good as being there!
on December 10th, 2009 at 2:02 pmWow, fabulous! I have a tree ornament with the Grinch on it and candycanes in his shade of green.
on December 10th, 2009 at 2:25 pmI loved looking at all the trees. It was awesome to see the link to the Twilight tree from last year.
I think the upside down Nightmare Before Christmas tree was my favorite.
on December 10th, 2009 at 3:13 pmThat is so fantastic that something like this even happens. That is a lot of trees and a lot of volunteers. Thanks for the pics. I enjoyed looking at all the trees.
on December 10th, 2009 at 3:33 pmI LOVE these! They are so neat and creative. I remember your post on these last year and I agree, the Twilight tree was great. I like the Wizard of Oz trees this year.
I’d like to do an Alice in Wonderland tree some year.
on December 10th, 2009 at 5:03 pmWhat a great idea! I wish we would have gone when we lived nearby. And I also wish every city would do this, such a great project. I love all the trees!
on December 10th, 2009 at 5:53 pmThe second Wizard of Oz tree is my favorite, with Glinda at the top. What a fabulous event – and thanks for sharing all the pictures from this year and last year. They’re all so breathtaking.
If I was going to do a literary-themed tree, it would be fun to do a Narnia tree.
on December 10th, 2009 at 7:35 pmThose are truly fabulous! Thank you so much for sharing
Really brought a smile to my face.
on December 10th, 2009 at 9:35 pmI enjoy the festival of trees as well, even though we don’t go every year. The trees are beautiful!
on December 10th, 2009 at 10:59 pmWhat a wonderful and heartwarming event! There should more like this one all over the place. And I love those Christmas trees, especially the Upside Down Nightmare Before Christmas.
on December 11th, 2009 at 6:32 amGrinch seems to be the favorite.
This looks like so much fun! Thanks for joining in for the Virtual Advent and Happy Holidays!
on December 11th, 2009 at 11:45 amWhat an incredible way to raise money over the holidays.
I love the upside down Nightmare Before Christmas tree, and the UP gingerbread house that your neighbor made is adorable.
on December 11th, 2009 at 11:51 amThese are fantastic. What a great way to raise money!
on December 11th, 2009 at 9:31 pmWhat a fantastic idea! Those were some creative trees! Thanks for sharing these with us!
on December 11th, 2009 at 10:47 pmThese are great! Thanks for sharing!
on December 12th, 2009 at 10:01 amI think one of those Grinch trees ended up at our Orem Library! The one with the Grinch in a big sled.
on December 12th, 2009 at 1:41 pmAmazing stuff! The candy houses are making me hungry! (do people really eat them or are they strictly for show, ha ha?)
on December 12th, 2009 at 8:20 pmLove these Christmas trees! I wanted to say thanks for signing up for the Vietnam War challenge and for participating in the group read.
I’ve got you listed on the participants page!
on December 13th, 2009 at 1:52 pmI love these. I could look at them all day!
on December 14th, 2009 at 6:27 amOh my GOSH, I LOVE the Nightmare Before Christmas tree! How did they even manage that?! That’s it, I am so going. Natasha, please tell me the festival is still going on.
on December 14th, 2009 at 5:06 pm[...] Literary Themed Christmas Trees [...]
on January 4th, 2010 at 11:39 pm[...] a favorite?! Tell me which one you loved the most. And if you didn’t get your fill, check out year’s past for [...]
on December 5th, 2010 at 7:40 pm[...] popular choices: Winnie the Pooh, A Christmas Carol, comic books, and check out MAW Books “Literary Themed Christmas Trees” post for more [...]
on December 9th, 2010 at 12:21 pm