The holiday season speaks to our hearts like no other. It persuades us to change our routines, inspires us to transform our homes, even re-structure our budgets. We abandon our comfort zones, brave dreaded traffic, blizzards and numbing cold so we can share a hearth with family and friends.
Sweet secrets and warm smiles bring wealth to the festivities. ‘Look beyond yourself,’’ the season gently whispers, and wherever that sage advice is followed, there is potential for magic.
It was 1995 when Randy Fletcher, of Columbia, envisioned the crabapple tree just outside his front door in a new light, 3,000 lights to be exact. Inspired by this living canvas, Randy strategically positioned 30 strands of Christmas lights to embellish the tree. He wrapped each of the strands around and around selected branches forming luminous fingers that reached out into the darkness. The result was captivating.
Friends and strangers, alike, gave glowing reviews, which kindled Randy’s spark into a flame.
“I knew I could do better than that,” he smiles, reminiscing about the way this journey began.
A larger tree seemed the next logical step and Randy had a perfect candidate in his yard, planted much closer to the street. It would require more lights, more effort and more electricity but Randy was up for the challenge. Literally.
“I have a painting business,” he says, “and I love being on a ladder. I love working with the tree, highlighting its detail and being out in the fresh air.”
Each year Randy poured more of himself into the task and his creation grew in splendor and admirers.
“There’s a lot of preparation involved,” says Randy. “In October I test all the bulbs; my son helps me now. I fold the strands into neat bundles that can fit into my hand so it’s easier to wrap them around the limbs. Then I sort the bundles by color.”
Randy started with incandescent lights and over the years has added more LED lights. He has also expanded his color selection, shopping during Halloween for lights that boast bright orange, purple and piercing green hues.
“First I map it all out in my mind, then, starting in November, I spend about 120 hours up on a 12-foot ladder,” he says. “I hang some of the bundles, get down and take a look to coordinate the color scheme then check it again once it’s dark.
“I’m using some color-changing lights now too, the colors change very gradually so it’s a contemplative experience for people. Flashing lights or quick-change colors aren’t conducive to the atmosphere.
“I try to make it something better every year,” he smiles. “But that’s getting harder to do.”
Thanksgiving is Randy’s target date for completing the tree. “It’s a good feeling to be done,” he admits. “I’m juggling painting jobs, supervising, ordering supplies, writing bids and it’s hard to carve out time to put lights on a tree. I feel the pressure and when I get the last set of lights up, it’s a huge relief.”
Once the work is done, steady streams of people begin a trek that will end in early January. There are no rules, no guides and no charges—only a shared appreciation.
“During the early years, there was a young family that came to admire the tree,” says Randy. “They started talking with me, and they told me their story. They said they came to sit and look at the tree every night. Their kids would beg to go see the ‘magic tree’, so I took my cue from them and when I printed my first flyers in 2004, I named it the Magic Tree.”
Though they enjoyed the beauty, neighbors grew understandably weary of the traffic and barrage of visitors. The cost was mounting, too—$600 per season for the electric bill alone, and it would require another 60-80 hours work to take all the lights down.
What began as a unique way to decorate a small tree blossomed into a local holiday icon that is visited by thousands, a Magic Tree website brimming with photos, and even a Sarah’s Story on KOMU-TV. What could possibly motivate a person to freely give so much over so many years?
Randy’s answer comes easily. “When I was a young man, filled with anxiety, I came upon a beautiful tree surrounded by fog and mist. That beauty gave me an about-face. It calmed me in an almost supernatural way.
“The Magic Tree is a gift,” Randy says, his eyes twinkling a bit like Santa’s. “I don’t know how I fell into this; it’s taken 15 years to get it where it is now. I’m really proud of it, more than is good for me sometimes. You have to keep the ego from getting the best of you. You have to have some humility.”
Some years, Randy has also decorated a couple of other smaller trees in Columbia, including one in the Village of Cherry Hill.
Don Ginsburg is one of the developers of Cherry Hill.
“We started in 1999,” he says. “We wanted to create a community that was walkable and had the flavor of older-type small towns. We have alleys behind homes and living areas above businesses that are built around a town square.”
A charming ensemble of plants, trees, flowers and benches personalize this town square. You can also enjoy a peaceful waterfall and gazebo.
“People really feel comfortable gathering here,” says Don. “It’s a beautiful site and draws young and old. No matter what the weather or temperature, people are always congregating here.”
Holiday decorations and festivities are an important part of the life of Cherry Hill. Since Randy’s company was already doing a lot of work there, it seemed natural for him to bring his artistic touch to one of the trees in the town square. It turned out to be a perfect fit.
In 2010 the Magic Tree officially moved to the Village of Cherry Hill. It’s now a large cherry tree, abiding in a public setting that was designed specifically to attract people. Parking is abundant, and the tall buildings framing the town square serve as a picture-perfect backdrop. Multiple vantage points allow unhurried enjoyment of all the magic one cares to absorb.
Though the move has caused a little inconvenience for Randy, it has brought peace to his neighborhood. It also brings the potential for an even greater number of people to enjoy his work.
Randy has logged a lot of hours with his feet off the ground and his head among the branches. Perhaps it’s this peaceful vantage point that has brightened his insight and helped him to forge strong beliefs.
“It’s amazing to realize how we are all connected,” he reflects. “I think unconditional love is sometimes hard to put your finger on. I think that beauty is an example of that love.
“The Magic Tree is a happy respite from the hustle and bustle of the holidays. I hope when people come to see it they will take in the beauty, pause and be silent for a moment. I hope they have a magical experience when they see the tree.”
Standing there in the snow gazing into the myriad of lights, a stillness crept over me. The crisp breeze tenderly swayed the ornate branches and I recognized that the extraordinary beauty I viewed had a life all its own.
So come if you’re just curious or if you’re frazzled and need to be refreshed. Come if you want a new family tradition or if you are searching for something deeper. There is a gift waiting for you. Words don’t do it justice and even photographs can’t capture what you will receive when you find your way to the Magic Tree.