Decking the Halls for All

04 Dec 2024

Cashiers Festival of Trees rings in the holiday season

By KAT FORD

Since 2021, the Cashiers Festival of Trees has ushered in the holiday season for residents and visitors of the plateau. While introducing the fundraising event, leaders of the Summit Charter School Foundation sought to unite the community through the spirit of giving, resulting in a two-day, family-friendly event held November 29th and 30th featuring festive auction items, including fully decorated trees and wreaths, children's crafts, raffle prizes, scavenger hunts, a holiday shopping Gift Zone and football viewings in the Gameday Lounge.

Non-profits around the area are invited to submit themed trees or wreaths and receive 80% of the auction price to help fund their organizations.  This shared winter-themed fundraiser helps plateau nonprofits during the off-season when many donors have returned home, creating awareness for festival-goers otherwise unfamiliar with nonprofits in the area. As a community-wide celebration, many plateau citizens and businesses donate to the auction, which is available online, so seasonal residents may also participate.

2024's tri-chairs, Celeste Pratt, Carrie Snoey and Denice Dunn, generously head a team of volunteers, including Toast to the Trees co-chairs Carol and Rob Hunter and Kristin and Jim Robinson, ten additional committee chairs and many others. Cashiers Valley Real Estate is the Festival's 2024 presenting sponsor, and this year's attendees enjoyed several new and returning offerings, including additional retailers in the Gift Zone and Festival plus After Dark, an enchanting nighttime party with jubilant lights, music and libations.

Now more than ever, holiday cheer is needed throughout western North Carolina. The Festival's media sponsor, Ingles Markets, headquartered in Black Mountain, experienced intense flooding during Hurricane Helene. Summit's third-grade students created a tree to honor the local fire department and rescue squad to thank them for their vigilance during and after the hurricane. The support of regional businesses has always been a priority but is now paramount. During its first three years, the Festival partnered with Build-A-Bear Workshop, but this year, they teamed with Brevard's O.P. Taylor's toy store for a pop-up Teddy Bear Workshop sponsored by Design South Builders.

If you missed the Festival but need help decking the halls, local interior designers who supported the Festival include Lynn Monday's House of Design, Spruce Interiors, and The Designer's Market. With their help, re-create Fiddlehead Designs’ auction gift of "a forest" of glass-blown trees by luxury artisan Simon Pearce; Fiddlehead offers event florals, hostess gifts and household items. Or take a page from A Jones Company's gift basket auction item with season-based clothing, gifts, home goods and specialty sweets. ACP Home Interiors' gift basket or an original painting by their resident artist, Carla Gignilliat, can be another source of inspired gifting when you visit their new location in downtown Highlands

The Festival’s 2024 artisans included beautiful embroidery collections from Webster Workshop, stunning glass-blown and blacksmith creations from Jackson County Green Energy Park, healthy snacks from Health Nuts Market, small-batch luxury artisan chocolate from Indigenous Chocolate, handmade jewelry from Isabelle Ambrose Jewelry and Welded Waves and captivating prints and original art by Hannah Beimborn.

Need an idea for your outdoor enthusiast? Ann and Matt Betty, Brookings Anglers, Pure Fishing and others donated fly-fishing gear and a guided outing at a waitlisted, private fish camp in Cashiers. If that gift doesn't fit your holiday budget, visit Brookings Anglers' new Cashiers location for a selection of coveted fly-fishing gear. Plan extra time for Santa to enjoy The Blue Line Bar inside Brookings, which features handcrafted beers, libations, and live music. Tractor Supply, based in Brentwood, TN, auctioned an ATV, helmet, gift cards and a Christmas-themed galvanized rooster. The closest Tractor Supply store is in Sylva, and knowing they contributed to hurricane relief in western North Carolina makes Santa's elves extra happy. If you are looking for other local businesses to support while aiding relief efforts this holiday season, consider purchasing firewood for those in need. Each year, Josh Crawford of Cashiers Firewood and Cashiers Farmers Market creates a piece of outdoor artwork made from firewood for the Festival, including a cabin, train, Peterbilt truck and Santa's sleigh with reindeer.

Finally, if your Christmas list consists of minimalists or the ever-hard-to-buy-for loved one who has it all, remember the Festival's spirit of communal giving and donate to one of the plateau's nonprofits in their honor. From environmental conservation to the arts, combatting poverty and providing accessible healthcare, our area nonprofits work year-round to enhance life on the plateau. Titled "Tidings of Mentorship: Building Big Futures, One Little at a Time," Big Brothers Big Sisters WNC 2024 trees' description reminds us that generosity is an ongoing effort.

"The 7' tree represents the strong foundation BBBS provides. Each ornament reflects the unique stories of the children supported. The 4' tree represents the Littles—small, growing and full of potential. Decorated with whimsical ornaments from various media, it highlights their creativity and individuality, waiting to be guided by mentors. Together, the trees showcase how mentors and Littles grow and shine, building brighter futures one relationship at a time."

The Cashiers Festival of Trees has cemented itself as the official harbinger of Christmas on the plateau. Who better than an educational institution to teach us about the spirit of giving? What better year than 2024 to remind us that we are stewards of this biodiverse slice of heaven known as western North Carolina? By ensuring we all are healthy and safe with abundant resources, we can endure even the worst storms.

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