CWL puts Christ at centre of its tree

Religious motif unique among displays at Festival of Trees

- WCR photo by Bill Glent Natalie Rose of the CWL's Bizarre Women's Group displays the group's tree, Heavenly Dreams, at the Edmonton Festival of Trees.

By BILL GLEN
WCR Staff Writer
Edmonton

The CWL's Bizarre Women's Group put Christ at the centre of its Christmas tree that was displayed in the annual Festival of Trees.

The "Christian tree," adorned with decorations showing the religious aspect of the Christmas season, shone like a star among more than 200 illuminated Christmas trees and festive decorations at the festival.

"It had crosses, angels and ornaments depicting the Bible," said Fran Lucas, past diocesan council president of the Catholic Women's League.

The Bizarre Women's Group decided to use the popular event to help increase awareness of the CWL in the Edmonton area while also supporting the event's fundraising. More than 40,000 people attend the festival every year.

Natalie Rose presented the group's idea of having an exhibit during the Nov. 30 to Dec. 3 festival at the CWL's diocesan fall meeting where she received overwhelming support. Upwards of $500 was quickly contributed by the local councils that went toward decorating the tree.

The festival's theme was A Time for Dreaming. Rose considered what that meant to Christians and called the tree Heavenly Dreams.

"We wanted to have something like this in a secular environment," Rose said. "People I saw at church on Sunday (Dec. 3) said they saw the tree. They wanted to come by to have a look at it. I know we did our job in advertising the CWL."

The tree was a symbol of celebrating Christ in the community, she said.

"We thought the symbols represented some aspects of heaven. Peace, joy and love are all of the emotions we will feel when we get to heaven. To have Scripture on the ribbon was unique and a lot of people pointed that out," Rose said.

Having the Christian tree was very positive, Lucas said.

"I heard one person say 'Isn't this gorgeous? Isn't this what we remember Christmas as?' Another made the comment: 'It is sad to the point of tears that there was only one tree like that.'"

To symbolize the CWL the predominant colours on the tree were white, gold and blue. Ornaments made reference to Jesus and Mary. A gold ribbon was draped around the tree carrying biblical messages from both the Old and New Testaments.

The padded skirt at the base of the tree was a striking decoration, with a large cross and golden maple leaves.

An auction was held Nov. 29 where every tree was sold. The festival opened to the public the following day. Funds raised will support the purchase of medical equipment for three specialized intensive care units at the U of A Hospital. It is the festival's policy not to disclose what a particular tree or decoration sold for.

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