Print edition: 
As I watched the master gardeners decorate a Christmas tree for the Goodwill Festival of Trees this week, it made me want to see Lisa Johnson's garden.
"Lisa has a bunch of Annabelle hydrangeas," Lisa Folds, head of the decorating committee, said as the master gardeners tucked dried flower heads from the Annabelles into the branches of their tree. How many hydrangea bushes must Lisa Johnson have? And what must they all look like when they're in bloom?
The flower heads, after they had been cut and dried, had been sprayed with burgundy glitter and tucked into folds of cream-colored burlap to become the main decoration on the master gardeners' tree. They always try to match their gardeny- identity with natural materials on their tree.
It was one of 32 auctioned off Thursday night at the Wichita Ice Center, 505 Maple, to benefit Goodwill Industries. The festival is an annual fundraiser that brings out dedicated decorators and do-gooders.
"It helps the disabled," Gayle Goetz of Goodwill said simply.
Those who bid on the trees often have them delivered to places such as the Wichita Children's Home or Ronald McDonald House so that every step of the tree is total gift.
Not all of the trees have been auctioned already. Today the public can get a look at all of the trees from 1 to 3 p.m. for $5 (children are free) and can bid on smaller trees and wreaths in a silent auction that ends at 3 p.m. Before that, children can take part in a Reindeer Romp from 10 a.m. to noon. For $5 (during this time, adults are free), kids can get their pictures taken with Santa, decorate Krispy Kreme doughnuts, get their faces painted, play carnival games, make Christmas crafts and see Troubles the clown. They can then go skating afterward for $5 each (skate rental included).
The master gardeners weren't the only people who brought a natural theme to their festival tree. Paula Page of Goodwill bought a small living Bosnian pine at Brady Nursery and decorated it with ornaments that are edible to birds. It won the festival's tabletop-tree ribbon on Wednesday night and is in the silent auction today.
"I thought, 'Why not have a natural tree, and nothing will go to waste?' " Paula said.
"Those are my icicles," she said of long sprays of millet.
The tree can decorate the inside of a house for a few days before being planted outside, or can go straight outside for an outdoor Christmas tree that the birds will visit. I can't think of anything more Christmas-y, and it makes me realize why I gravitate to bird's nests and bird ornaments for my Christmas tree.
You can try the same ideas at home.
For a living Christmas tree, dig the hole before the ground gets any more frozen. Mulch the hole and backfill the soil to keep it from freezing. Then buy a living evergreen tree from a garden center and let them hold it for you until just before Christmas. You should only plan to keep it in the house for three days, because you don't want it to come out of dormancy.
After Christmas, move the tree to an unheated garage for several days to acclimatize it to outside temperatures. After planting, water well and leave some mulch in place.
Paula bought her edible ornaments, in the festive shapes of wreaths and bells. But whether or not you have a living Christmas tree, you can make bird-feed ornaments for any outdoor tree, or for putting on your cut Christmas tree if you move it outside after the holiday season:
* Slather pinecones with peanut butter and roll them in birdseed.
* Make garlands of cranberries, dried apricots, oranges, apples and pears, raw peanuts, raisins or popcorn (salt- and shortening-free). Use heavy twine or waxed dental floss and a strong needle for threading.
* Mix 1 cup of peanut butter, 1 cup of shortening and three cups of cornmeal to form a paste. Use a cookie cutter to cut pieces of bread and let them dry overnight. Then smear the mixture onto the shapes and decorate with seeds. Or, smear the mixture onto a pinecone and decorate with seeds.
* Use natural or colored raffia, green wire or yarn to attach your ornaments to the tree.
Beta Beta of Andover, a philanthropic sorority, did a woodsy tree with pheasant feathers for the Festival of Trees.
Every year the group sets the trees up for the decorators at the beginning of the event and delivers the finished trees to the auction winners or their designated recipients when it's all over.
This year, members Sandy Keener and Karen Osborne said, they decided to decorate a tree themselves.
The beauty of the trees paired with the sense of giving at the Goodwill event is inspiring. I can't imagine anything more Christmas-y.
*
Come by and say hi Tuesday evening when The Eagle has its holiday open house. We'll have refreshments, pictures with Santa, caroling and tours. It's from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at 825 E. Douglas and it's free. See you then!
