A Christmas Tradition
December 19, 2014
It's hard to miss the giant 30-foot-high Christmas tree standing in the center of Great Hall at Saint John's University. It's even harder to believe that a few months ago the white spruce tree was destined for a very different fate.
"People have probably driven by it many times on their way to Saint John's," Tom Kroll, Saint John's Abbey Arboretum land manager and director of Saint John's Outdoor University said. "If you come off of Interstate 94 toward campus there's a strip of land on the right side of the road with a few trees there."
This tree, along with several others, was deemed to be too close to the power line. A power company was going to chip the trees down last summer and get rid of them.
"We said, 'Well, we have another use for it,' " Kroll said. "We got permission to take several trees down in the next couple of years and use them for Christmas trees."
There are many trees planted throughout the Abbey Arboretum specifically grown to one day become Great Hall's focal point throughout the month of December. This year is Tiny Tim's year to shine.
"I remember years ago when I started here, at some point Br. Lenard (Chmilk), OSB, was still in charge," Kroll recalled. "Before we even got it through the doors he says 'Stop, take it out. It's too small. I can already tell.' It came in too easy."
It typically takes the strength of about 12-15 people to get the tree through the doors of the Great Hall. This year there were a few less people and a few more pine cones.
This particular picea glauca, which is Latin for white spruce, came fully decorated with a large cone crop.
"People will notice when they come this year that this particular spruce has a heavy cone crop on it," Kroll said. "Like most trees there's different cycles of cone crops. This happens to be an excellent crop."
In addition to the tree's natural décor, there are more than 35 handmade ornaments hung from the branches and the ceiling that were crafted by Br. Andrew Goltz, OSB, and the late Br. Lenard Chmilk more than 25 years ago.
Contrary to popular belief the decorations consist of cardboard, paper and masking tape rather than metal.
"All of the ornaments are different," Goltz said. "No two are alike."
Among the decorations are three gold birds unique to Saint John's. According to Goltz, the two smaller birds are believed to be female and the larger bird represents a male.
"They are Christmas birds, or fantasy birds," Goltz said. "They don't exist anywhere else."
You won't find any lights on this Christmas tree. Instead, there are more than 100 silver mirrors strategically placed around the tree to reflect the room's natural light.
The decorating process usually takes six or seven people nearly three hours to complete. The end result is quite the spectacle.
Kroll said even though this tree may be a bit smaller than others from the past, he thinks it serves as a good reminder of the Benedictine way of life. "This tree had another alternative demise and now it's going to end up being used one more time," Kroll said.