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Join Leaflet - January 2012 How a Festival Tree Came to Be, and How It Found a Home
Join Leaflet - January 2012 How a Festival Tree Came to Be, and How It Found a Home | How a Festival Tree Came to Be, and How It Found a Home |
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Loretta Carrigan loves the ocean. She never misses an opportunity to go there and that love is shared by her husband, Mark, and their children. But last year Loretta, who by day runs the floral department for an area supermarket, yielded to her children's demands and she created a tree for the Festival of Trees based on Hot Wheels cars.
She found tree lights in the shape of lobsters, collected sand dollars and starfish and unusual shells which she hand-crafted into ornaments. She found an iridescent garland that seemed to be made of mother-of-pearl. Around the base she placed books on shells and a Nantucket basket. Her tree was, in the words of Mass Hort Trustee Gretel Anspach, "a ticket magnet." People who come to the Festival of Trees can purchase sheets of raffle tickets to put in stanchions next to their favorite tree. One of Gretel's responsibilities with the Festival is tallying how many tickets each tree attracted, and Loretta's tree collected nearly 600 tickets.
"When we got into the Hunnewell Carriage House, we were overwhelmed by the beauty," Andrew says. "It was clear that a lot of work had been put into the trees' decorations." Andrew and Christine made several trips around the room and settled on five trees that they especially liked. They bought sheets of lottery tickets and parceled them out among their favorites. "We were drawn to 'The Sea, My Favorite Place to Be' by the overwhelmingly intricate and detailed ornaments and lights," Andrew says. "We are huge fans of the sea and appreciated the aesthetics of the ocean theme." On the evening of Saturday, December 10, their phone rang, telling them they had won a tree, which they collected Sunday morning. "We got the tree home and set it up in our living room," Andrew says. "Everyone who either saw the tree in person or via pictures we emailed remarked on its beauty and color. They especially loved the handmade shell ornaments and the lobster lights! We made certain everyone knew it originated at the Festival of Trees." Christine and Andrew plan to display the tree in their home again this year. They'll also be back at the Festival of Trees. Who knows? Maybe lightning will strike twice. |
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