Festival of Trees and Traditions
Wadsworth Atheneum
Hartford
Dec. 11, 2025
My mother had never seen the Christmas trees at the Wadsworth, so I decided to change that this year.
I’m referring to the annual Festival of Trees and Traditions fundraiser that the Wadsworth Atheneum hosts. Every December, local organizations donate specially themed and decorated trees, along with other holiday decor, and turn the Wadsworth into a Christmas showcase. Proceeds from the tree sales support programming at the Atheneum.
It’s one of my favorite events of the year, and I wanted my mom to enjoy it too. But I told her if she was going with me, she had to be working too, so below are our picks for our favorite trees of the Festival 2025.
The first tree that caught my mother’s eye was the tree titled Black Santa, which came from the Friends of the Wadsworth courtesy of Ula Dotson. She said that she likes it because it pays homage to the African American community, while also highlighting the diversity of cultures that Americans celebrate.
In the other corner of the room was my selection for top three, a tree built completely out of Legos. The docent told me that it was assembled with the help of staff and volunteers at the Wadsworth. As someone who is terminally incapable of building anything, I love how authentic the tree looks despite being made of plastic blocks. The X-Wing was also really cool, which you can see down in the corner.
We then turned into the Morgan Great Hall, where some of the largest trees on display stretched towards the hall’s high ceilings. Mom found her next favorite tree.
Queen might have been the tallest tree on display this year, dwarfing my mother as she stood next to it. The name is appropriate, as the decorations symbolize royalty and power, especially the crowns which adorn the tree. But the other unique aspect of the tree was that it was the only one that moved, spinning in place so that onlookers could see every part of it. That’s what my mom liked about it.
“The tree rotating makes me think about the circle of life and the passage of time from one year to the next,” she said. Great prosperity and love and health for your family.
My next choice was rather unique as well. Shelby was also donated by the Friends of the Wadsworth, courtesy of JoAnn Phelon. The idea of embodying Christmas as a person, kind of like a corporeal Christmas Spirit, is really cool. But I do have to admit that the clothing and lurid purple light gives the tree more of an Ichabod Crane feeling than jolly Ol’ St. Nick.
On our final walkthrough of the Great Hall, we were able to agree on one tree that made both of our lists. Winter Wishes was tucked away between several other trees, but the tree’s unique colors and decorations stood out among the pack. To me, the blue onion-shaped ornaments reminded me of the onion dome on the Colt building whichI used to look at every night when I was a kid. My mom on the other hand was drawn by the silver, which she said was reminiscent of the beauty of winter in general.
I’ve always loved the Festival of Trees, and this year it was cool to see it through the eyes of someone else. Sharing experiences really is part of the joy of the season.
NEXT
The Festival of Trees and Traditions continues at the Wadsworth Atheneum through Dec. 14.
Jamil goes to church to check out some holiday jazz.
