Decorating Your Tree Festival of Trees A Celebration of Giving November 22 & 25-27

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1 Decorating Your Tree 2016 Festival of Trees A Celebration of Giving November 22 & IMPORTANT REMINDERS: Over the past 30 years, designers have continued to outdo themselves with tree designs. We are so grateful for this, but we just want to give one reminder on behalf of our tree delivery volunteers: o It is important to remember that the display you create will be transported following the Festival. Please keep the following questions in mind: How movable is this? Can two people of average strength lift this tree into and out of a moving van? Will the decorations I am using stand up to being bagged, strapped down, and transported? Will this tree fit through a regular sized door? Is your topper heavy? Heavy toppers often cause trees to break, so please be mindful of this when you create your design. Guidelines are always changing, so ALL designers are encouraged to attend one designer workshop. You will receive an invitation with details. Looking for ideas? Hiawatha Homes Foundation is on Pinterest! Check it out! When & Why Mark your calendar: o June 7 Designer Agreements Due o July 14 & 15 Christmas in July Sale at Hiawatha Homes o August Pinterest and Pizza Workshop (Date TBD) o September 1 Prelit tree payments due o September Tree pickup and Pinterest Workshop (Date TBD) o November 21 Tree Designer Setup Day o November 22 Opening Night Gala Your support helps further Hiawatha Homes mission to provide quality support services to people with disabilities at home and in their community. Tips & Tricks Need help? We re here for you! o Ardie O Hanlon, Designer Co-Chair, (507) o Erin Chase, Designer Co-Chair, (612) o Crystal Landherr, Event & Communications Specialist, (507) o Teresa Thompson, Director of Development & Communications, (507)

2 Trees/Tree Stands Lights Use only the tree provided to you by Hiawatha Homes. This tree has no lights; however, prelit trees are available for $75.00 for a 6, or $85.00 for an 8 (not a reimbursable expense). Use only the tree stand that is in the box with the tree. This stand will be strapped to a stabilizing board on Tree Designer Setup Day at the Mayo Civic Center. You will receive a notice when trees are available for pick up. To meet fire code regulations you must use a multi-plug power strip with six outlets and a minicircuit breaker. Use green floral tape, green duct tape, or cable ties to secure the power strip to the center pole of the tree. Do not use wire. 8 trees need at least two power strips. See the instructions on page 5. Use only UL approved lights that stay lit if one bulb goes out. Use at least 100 lights per foot of tree height. All lights need to be secured to your tree. Check the packaging to determine how many sets of lights can be safely connected together. Test all lights before putting them on your tree. This goes for prelit trees as well. Follow the instructions on page 6 about how to put lights on your tree. Stringing the lights takes a long time, so we advise you to put the power strip and lights on at home. It is the designer s responsibility to keep the lights working throughout the Festival. Please use your reusable designer passes to check on your tree. If you have more than two Designers on your team, you will need to share them during the week. Ornaments/Garland We recommend approximately ornaments for a 6 tree and ornaments for an 8 tree. Helpful Hint: Clustering ornaments gives the illusion of fullness. We recommend approximately 40 of garland for a 6 tree and 75 of garland for an 8 tree. You will need to take into account the size of the ornaments and whether you are using garland, sprays, etc. Mix large ornaments with small ornaments. Large balls are good at filling interior spaces on trees. We encourage you use local businesses as much as possible to purchase decorations. We ll give you a Certificate of Exemption to use so that you don t have to pay sales tax. Past Designers have used Michael s, Hobby Lobby, Saver s, Goodwill, and Salvation Army as well as other retailers in town. Design Specifications All items on, beside, or under the tree stay with the tree, so please don t put any items on or under the tree that you don t want to part with. All decorations must be securely wired on the tree. Do not use glue to secure ornaments. The cap portion of each ornament must be glued to its base. No tree is complete without a tree topper! Be creative. Adding additional lights will make your topper shine. Heavy toppers often cause trees to break, so please be mindful of this when you create your design. Each tree must have a tree skirt. Helpful Hint: Adding additional packages or items under your tree gives it that special touch. Don t forget to name your tree! Please keep names to four words. Contact HHF for ideas. 2

3 Design Restrictions Festival of Trees must strictly observe the flame resistant ratings of all materials used in the scenery and trees. Ordinary combustible materials used in the actual tree decoration are considered limited use and will be allowed. The use of unrated foam plastic insulation (Styrofoam sheets) is prohibited Trees should not be designed to advertise a business, organization, cause, product, etc. Do not glue ornaments to the tree. This damages the tree. No living materials or unwrapped food may be used on the trees unless they are coated with protective varnish to make them permanent. Overall, be mindful that this tree will be publicly displayed at the Festival and someone s home or business. Items such as personal photographs may not be suitable for this purpose. Tree Setup Tree Designer Setup Day is Monday, November 21, 2016, at the Mayo Civic Center. Doors open at 8:00 a.m. We ask that you are finished decorating your tree by 7:00 p.m. You will need to check-in when you arrive. Volunteers will be there to assist you. You may decorate your tree on site, deliver a fully pre-decorated tree, or just work on putting the finishing touches on your masterpiece. You may drop off your tree, decorations, etc. at the doors along Center Street. The planters will be moved so you can drive right up to the doors. You will have to move your vehicle once you have dropped off your items. There are many options for parking downtown. You may want to bring a small ladder/stepstool to reach the top of your tree. Being creative takes a lot of energy lunch will be provided. Designer Recognition The sign next to your tree will include your business, organization or group name, if applicable, the names of the designers, and the tree name. (The Underwriter name will also be listed on this signage). Your tree name, business/organization name, and designer names will be listed in the Festival of Trees program. If you are donating the cost of decorations, you will receive special recognition. You will be given two reusable Designer passes on Designer Setup Day. Tree Selection & Delivery Your tree will be chosen by an Underwriter (our word for a sponsor) at the special Underwriter Preview Party on Opening Night. The Underwriter will choose where the tree will be delivered. You will receive an (or postcard if you don t have an ) with contact information telling you where your tree has been delivered. We ask that you call the contact to find out if they need help in resetting up the tree straightening of ornaments and the tree skirt, arranging anything under or beside the tree, and taking care of problems with the lights, etc. Trees are delivered on Monday. If there are problems with the lights during the remainder of the holiday season, you may be called by the individual, business, or our office to fix the lights. 3

4 Donating Decorations You can help our fundraising efforts by donating your tree decorations as well as your talent. Each year the number making that donation has increased and we hope to continue this momentum. Your cost for the decorations donated will be considered a tax-deductible gift. In return for your donation, you will be eligible to receive two reservations for the Festival of Trees Opening Night Gala on Tuesday, November 22, 2016, 7:00 p.m. The value of these tickets is $25 each, which will affect your deductible contribution. You will also be invited to purchase additional reservations. Expense Reimbursement You qualify for the reimbursement allowance if you have not donated the cost of your decorations. 6 - $150.00; 8 - $ Sales tax is not reimbursed nor is the additional cost for a prelit tree. Please use the Certificate of Exemption when purchasing decorations to save yourself some money. Please only submit for the decorations you have receipts for. You will be reimbursed for decorations such as ornaments, under tree items, tree skirts, garlands, tree toppers, power strips, lights, plush toys, etc. Parking fees are not reimbursable. To be reimbursed for your decorations, use your Tree Designer Reimbursement Form and submit it to Hiawatha Homes Foundation, 1820 Valkyrie Drive NW, Rochester, MN no later than December 2, Other Details The Festival of Trees is proud of its reputation for high standards and for displaying beautifully designed trees. The Tree Designer Committee reserves the right to request the designer make changes to enhance the quality of the tree. The Festival of Trees Committee and Hiawatha Homes Foundation assume no responsibility for any liability incurred with any aspect of decorating the trees. The tree, all decorations, lights, and trim on, beside, and under the tree become the property of the Hiawatha Homes Foundation until such time as the Underwriter claims ownership. Thank you! We are so excited to have you join our family. 4

5 FUNDAMENTALS OF CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING 1. Plugging lights together: a. Usually only no more than three strings of lights should be connected together. Check the box the lights came in to determine how many sets of lights to safely connect together. b. Never connect cords of different numbers of tree lights. For example, don t connect a 50 light cord with a 100 light cord. The 50 light cord will burn out prematurely. This means don t connect a lighted Christmas tree topper or novelty sets of lights into cords with less or more lights. 2. Use a multi-plug temporary power tap (strip) with six outlets and a mini-circuit breaker: at least one for a 6 tree and two for an 8 tree. Place the strip on the tree trunk so it is hidden in the tree. 3. Plug in the lights as you put them on the tree so you know they will work. This saves time taking problem lights off the tree. 4. Miniature light sets and bulbs are not necessarily interchangeable so it is best to use lights from a single manufacturer. 5. Burned out bulbs should be replaced with a bulb for the same light set. For example, do not use a 50 light set bulb in a 35 light set. The bulbs are different volts. 5

6 Putting Ligths on a Christmas Tree 1. Begin putting lights on the tree from the base of the tree and work up to the top. 2. Put the lights on by section bottom, middle, and top. Do not string lights from section to section. This will make it difficult to take apart for storage. 3. Begin wrapping the branches from the trunk out to the ends of each branch then back to the trunk. 4. For maximum effect, be sure to wrap each branch. 5. Do not let lights hang from the branch loosely. What to do when Christmas Lights Fail 1. Make sure all circuits are on and all plugs are plugged into a sufficient power source. 2. Check the plug fuses in the light set. A common problem is that circuit contact is not being made. You may need to spread the prongs to ensure they may contact when plugged in. 3. While leaving the light set plugged in slowly run your hand over the bulbs. If the lights come on because you have wiggled a bulb, replace that bulb. Make sure you unplug the light set when replacing the bulb to avoid a surge that may burn out the new bulb. A common problem is that the wire on the bulb is not making contact in the light socket. 4. Make sure that only the appropriate light sets and the number of light sets are plugged together. Only 35 light sets plugged to 35 light sets, etc. and a maximum of three plugged together (end to end light sets). Some new lights allow more than three plugged together. Follow the manufacturer s guidelines. 5. Burned out bulbs may cause the remaining bulbs to burn brighter. Make sure you unplug the light set when replacing the bulb to avoid a surge that may burn out the new bulb. 6