Tuesday, December 16

Holiday Inspiration at Festival of Trees


Every city has its holiday traditions and Roanoke is no exception.  One of the centerpieces of Dickens of a Christmas is the Festival of Trees at the Hotel Roanoke, also known as "Fashions for Evergreens."  My best friend Breeze and I brought a few friends along last weekend for what we are turning into an annual tradition.  There are 30 trees throughout the hotel that have been decorated by local businesses, schools, clubs, and charities.  Visitors can stroll through the displays and then vote for their favorites along with a donation to the United Way.  The Hotel Roanoke is beautiful, with its Tudor-style exterior and Victorian-influenced interior, and touring the hotel really feels like going back to a more elegant time.


These two outdoor trees with an icy winter theme and a rustic woodland style were decorated by a local construction company and nursery. When we have a big enough house for multiple Christmas trees, I'll definitely be borrowing some ideas from these two!



Inside, there are two Dr. Seuss inspired trees!  The Grinch tree was decorated by the same company that DJ-ed our wedding and features their signature color-changing lights, and the  super creative Lorax tree is from a local hospital.  Many of the trees in the fashion show had a 3-D element with candy canes, giant lollipops, or, in this case, fuzzy truffula trees sticking out!



These two elegant trees are in a little alcove.  The sheet music tree was decorated by the Roanoke Children's Choir and the gold tree is one of the hotel's holiday decorations.  It's not part of the competition, but I loved the sparkly gold branches and pretty ribbon topper.



My personal favorite is probably this rustic tree from a local wedding photography company. I love that they used cotton and burlap along with pinecones, grapevine, and snowy branches.


These two bright and colorful trees are from Creative Occasions, my favorite local florist, and the Coca-Cola Bottling Company.  Both use deco mesh netting as garland and I think it makes a really big impact.  The ornaments on the Coke tree were adorable - lots of polar bears, sleds, and tiny Coke cans and bottles!



The real showpiece of the event this year is the two-story gingerbread house with a tree inside!  It was built by Virginia 8-1-1 and the attention to detail is amazing... check out the little hot tub of "cocoa" with marshmallows!


Linking Up:

Catch As Catch Can at My Repurposed Life
Flaunt It Friday at Chic on a Shoestring
The Party Bunch at Whipperberry
Saturday Sparks at Pieced Pastimes

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