Hello and Happy Holidays to everyone.  For the  22 years preceding this year our family holiday kick off has been to decorate a Christmas tree for a local charity called "The Festival of Trees"    Each tree is decorated by volunteers and donated to the festival, and then in a silent auction the trees are bid on and sold to the highest bidder with all proceeds going to Primary Children's Hospital here in Salt Lake City.  Each year hundreds of thousand of dollars are raised in this week long festival which then equal medical treatment for children who are uninsured or underinsured, and live here in the Intermountain West.  From cities and towns in Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming and even as far away as Arizona and Nevada.  Each year we have looked forward to decorating our tree and to seeing the myriad ideas that surround us on the other trees.  Each year it also seems that one or two trees really stand out because of the time and creativity involved in them.  Several years ago it was a wooden train that sat on 50 feet of track and was large enough to hold children. Wish I had pictures because it was an amazing feat of time and wood working. This year it was the tree in the pictures I have posted here. The tree was created by a glass blower here in Utah and comissioned by a wealthy and generous family who always lovingly  give time and generosity to charitable events like the Festival of Trees.  I hope you enjoy the pictures of this beautiful tree.  Wish I had more information about the hours involved in its production, and on the artist so the scope of the project represented better the commitment this man undertook.     Needless to say, this was THE tree at this years festival and rumor has it that it is also the top earning tree ever in the festivals 36 years.  I hope this also inspires those of you who have the time and resources to add to the generosity of the season by giving of your time and energies to benefit those who are less fortunate in your own communities.  May God bless us all and keep us ever mindful of the blessings that are ours, most especially our freedoms and liberties as citizens of the USA.