Bulbs first? Tinsel or garland? Both?
White lights? Or all colors?
An angel on the top, or a star, or something else?
All are questions for Becky Niess, one of two founders of the annual Festival of Trees fundraiser that is returning to Oglebay’s Pine Room between Nov. 15-23. Visitors will have the chance to enjoy more than 30 Christmas trees and, if one captures their fancy, they can purchase it with the proceeds benefitting the great work provided to local residents by Wheeling Health Right.
Niess and co-founder Ivan Myles created the fundraiser a couple of decades ago but welcomed a break in 2011 when Oglebay Institute adopted the event. This year, though, not only have Niess and Myles returned in leading roles, but they’ve also added several new features for the week-long showing.
A train display developed by local enthusiast Steve Mitch is an addition, an adult-only beer and bourbon evening has been scheduled, a wine tasting is on the docket, and so are a Senior Day, “Breakfast with the Grinch” gatherings, and a “Business After Hours” with the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce.
Niess will host wreath- and bow-making seminars during the week, and she’ll offer her advice on tree decorating, as well.
“Well, the first step,” she said with a giggle, “is to get a glass of eggnog with a nice shot of rum in it, and to put an old Christmas movie on the TV to set the right mood.”
Niess only half kidding.
“Oh, OK … but seriously, you should wait until it’s dark outside to put the lights up on the tree. That way, you’ll be able to see how it’s going to look like much better.”
OK, that makes sense. And?
“So, the first step to decorating a tree for Christmas is to put the lights on it, and I start at the top with a very sturdy ladder and put white lights on the inside the tree,” Niess explained. “Not only will you be able to add another string if needed, but it also puts your plugs on the bottom of the tree where you have to plug in everything.
“When you put the white lights – or the all-color lights – on the inside of the tree, they’re going to light up all of the ornaments, the tinsel, and the garland if you use them,” she continued. “And then make sure you have your decorations organized so everything is right there when you are putting everything on the tree. I do the lights, then the garland, and then the ornaments. Then, if you do tinsel, that’s what I do last.”
But there’s a trick to placing the decoration bulbs, too, right?
“Well, when you start with the bulbs, start with putting them on the inside of the tree like the lights, and then you have to work yourself out to the edges because that will give your tree some depth. If you find that you have a big opening in your real tree, get your biggest bulb and fill it right away,” Niess advised. “And you have to remember that if you get a real tree, it’s going to settle and droop a bit once it’s at your house because it’s been wrapped for so long. Plus, the decorations will weigh down the branches.”
So, as far as choosing the lights for the tree … most people have leaned toward the white – or clear – lights for several years while some go traditional and use multi-colored strings.
What does Niess prefer?
“I really like all-white lights with maybe an accent color, too. Like four strings of white and one string of red. A mix like that,” she explained. “When it comes to the all-color lights, I think they can be used for a memories-type tree because that’s what most of us had when we were kids. Those Christmas trees were just beautiful because of all the excitement that surrounded Christmas and the holidays in general.
“As far as what you want to put on a tree for the festival or on a tree at your home, it’s whatever. That’s really the only rule there is … it’s whatever makes you happy,” Niess continued. “That’s because there are stories behind most of the ornaments we put on our trees. That’s our history.”
OK, so then there’s the tree topper. Some choose gorgeous angels for the top of the tree while others enjoy the traditional star. Others? Well, some have chosen unique examples of Christmas symbolism.
Niess?
“I’ve always done my trees with a star, but that’s strictly personal preference,” the master decorator explained. “Some folks have decorated the top of their trees with Frosty’s top hat, and other people use larger ornaments up there. It’s completely up to the decorator, really, and angels are always so beautiful.
“The trees I do at home have a lot of antique ornaments on them, and they are all different colors, but some of my other trees are completely different. The ones I do for the festival are always different. That’s what makes it fun.”
Once the Festival of Trees concludes on November 23rd, employees for Panhandle Cleaning & Restoration will deliver the trees to each home, and Wheeling Health Right will use the funds to continue offering medical and dental services to residents in four local counties that qualify.
“I know for our festival trees we do a lot of shopping at antique stores, on Amazon, and at some local stores, too,” Niess reported. “Some of the trees we have at the Festival are themed trees, and people really like those, but a lot of them are decorated as traditional Christmas trees and they always are purchased very quickly. But the good news is that all of the trees decorated for the festival will remain in place until the final day because our friends at Panhandle Cleaning & Restoration help us by delivering them to those who purchased them.
“We’ll also have several decorated wreaths that will be available to those who visit the Festival of Trees, and that’s because we believe, when it comes to raising funds for a terrific organization like (Wheeling) Health Right, there’s a market for everything because it’s all beautiful and it’s all for a great cause.”
Niess does offer one more bit of advice to those who are seeking guidance, and it may be the most important pointer of all.
“I have had trees with more than a thousand ornaments on them, and I prefer to have a lot of bulbs, but I have seen other trees with a limited number of ornaments, and they’ve been just as pretty. It’s your own taste,” she insisted. “Listen, it’s going to sit in your living room and you’re going to be the person looking at it every day and night, so make your tree your kind of perfect.
“Now, that’s if we’re talking about your tree at home, but if we’re talking about a tree for the Festival of Trees, pick your favorite theme or style, and go with it,” Niess added. “Make it what you see.”
