A Christmas tree covered with glittering bumble bees and beeswax candles. Trees evoking custom Dolce & Gabanna and Valentino dresses. Or, how about one with red tartan ornaments in honor of Scottish heritage?<\/p>\n
All those trees and more are on display in the 20th annual Trees of Historic Bethlehem<\/a>, the beloved tradition of Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites.<\/p>\n Spread across three locations \u2014 the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem in the 1741 Gemeinhaus, the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts and the Single Sisters\u2019 House \u2014 this year\u2019s tour features 21 trees that all were crowd favorites from the past 20 years of the exhibit.<\/p>\n Each year, an army of volunteers from the Bethlehem Garden Club and the community haul out years of ornaments that go along with that year\u2019s theme.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have an attic at the Kemmerer Museum that is just chock full of ornaments and decorations for trees,\u201d said Sharon Donchez,\u00a0 who co-chairs the Bethlehem Garden Club\u2019s Tree Decorating Committee along with Sandy Gass. \u201cEveryone will go up to the attic and hopefully find what they\u2019re looking for for their tree.\u201d<\/p>\n The festival was created 20 years ago by volunteer Jan Bealer, and a fund in her memory continues to financially support the effort along with local businesses and other organizations.<\/p>\n Approaching the 20th anniversary, organizers decided that this year\u2019s theme would be a nod to crowd favorites of the past. (Attendees are encouraged to vote for their favorite trees each year.)<\/p>\n Those include the Waterworks Tree, featuring water-themed d\u00e9cor and tin Waterworks ornaments as a nod to the 1762 Waterworks; Winter Wonderland, a white tree with white lights and decorations; Dolce & Gabanna, which is half tree and half mannequin; and the Bee Tree, featuring Moravian beeswax candles, locally made Moravian Stars, bee-related decorations, and information regarding pollinators and bee baths.<\/p>\n The effort would not be possible without volunteers like Donchez, who on Saturday was recognized as Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites\u2019 Volunteer of the Year.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s been the inspiration for many, many years behind Trees of Historic Bethlehem,\u201d said HBMS President LoriAnn Wukitsch. \u201cShe deserves every ounce of recognition we\u2019re going to shower on her.\u201d<\/p>\n Also honored for their support were Historic Hotel Bethlehem, photographer Lydia Panas and blacksmith Luke Dellmyer.<\/p>\n The tree festival is one of the largest fundraiser for HBMS, drawing in more than 5,000 people annually. This year, for the first time ever, Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites is running a simultaneous exhibit: Baked into Bethlehem<\/a>, honoring Bethlehem\u2019s delicious past.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really about how baking has been woven into the city\u2019s history and identity,\u201d Wukitsch said. \u201cFrom the early Moravian beehive ovens to what was an iconic confectionery shop, Groman\u2019s Bakery, which anybody that was anybody had a wedding cake, birthday cake, anniversary cake from Groman\u2019s. \u2026 We\u2019re really taking two themes, the trees and the baking, and tying them together.\u201d<\/p>\n Other trees on display include the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Circus, Antarctica (Penguins) and Baked Goods trees, and trees featuring antique ornaments, Victorian-era decorations and scherenschnitte, the German art of papercutting.<\/p>\n While the theme is trees of the past, decorators were encouraged to incorporate new elements and their own artistic flair.<\/p>\n When asked to pick her favorite tree, Donchez was mum.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to pick,\u201d she said. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want to pick a favorite tree.\u201d<\/p>\n If you go<\/p>\n Trees of Historic Bethlehem<\/a> is open through Sunday, Jan. 11. Tickets for the exhibit are on sale now at historicbethlehem.org\/Christmas<\/a> and include admission to the Kemerer Museum of Decorate Arts, Moravian Museum of Bethlehem and Single Sisters\u2019 House, as well as the new Baked into Bethlehem exhibition. Tours are self-guided (it\u2019ll take at least an hour to view all the trees), and attendees receive a pamphlet providing an overview of each tree. Admission is $25 for adults, $23 for teachers and active military\/veterans, and $14 for children ages 4 and older. Children ages 3 and under are free.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Christmas tree covered with glittering bumble bees and beeswax candles. 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