Some Festival of Trees organizations keep the same theme each year, such as the Primary Children's Hospital Foundation in Salt Lake City, which lays claim to holding the first-ever festival -- its "Gift of Love" theme has been in place since 1971. Other groups change the theme each year and ask each group or person donating a tree to come up with their own variation on the main concept.
Themes related to children are well-suited for the holiday season. Choose a broad category such as "A Child's Delight" with suggestions for individual tree themes such as "May the Force Be With You" for a "Star Wars" tree, "American Girl" for a tree highlight the popular dolls, or "A Teddy Bear Holiday." You could also go with "Treasures From Santa" or "Gifts of the Season," for open-ended toy themes and decorate with traditional Christmas gifts, such as toy drums, spinning tops, dolls and race cars.
Winter weather, holiday songs and movies or Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa traditions provide ideas for seasonal themes. Motifs celebrating the December days include "Winter Wonderland," with white trees and dangling icicles, and "Starry, Starry Night," with snowflake-looking yellow stars and dark blue ornaments. For themes that reflect religious or cultural events choose "Songs of the Season" with Rudolph and Santa decorations, "Jinglebell Jam" with bells and dancing figurines, "A Nutcracker Holiday" or "Frosty the Snowman."
Flowers, animals and cultural artifacts adorn trees with themes about the wide world. Decorations from history include toy dinosaurs and cavemen for a "Prehistoric Parade," while historic European traditions give the idea for "An Old World Holiday," with ornaments such as nutcrackers, the traditional German pickle and English chimney sweep figures. A more general theme of "Nature's Bounty" gives decorators lots of options with pine cones and strings of cranberries, while "Christmas in the Tropics" suggests brightly colored flowers, macaws, snakes and butterflies.
Themes that reflect your region give decorators a chance to celebrate the community. If you live in a Navy town, for example, choose "Ships Ahoy" and use toy ships and life-rings for ornaments; in Kentucky, opt for "Talk Derby to Me" and decorate the tree with toy horses; and if you live on the coast, select "By the Sea" using shells and plastic fish for ornaments. Include the name of your region in the theme title, such as "Jewels of the Northwest" or "Rocky Mountain High" and decorate with plants, toy animals or skier figurines. To celebrate people in your area, choose "People of the World," and suggest sub-themes such as "Irish Ye a Merry Christmas" when you place shamrocks and tiny leprechauns in the tree.
