N.B. woman's themed tree keeps Christmas magic year round

MONCTON -

Ruthie Allison has always loved the magic of Christmas and the lights and decorations that go with it.

After last Christmas was complicated by COVID-19, Allison decided to hold onto that magic a little bit longer, in an effort to keep the pandemic blues at bay.

Her fully decorated artificial Christmas tree has been standing in her living room for over a year now. She says she was inspired by the Town of Riverview to keep it up.

“They were going to leave all of their Christmas lights on along the river because of COVID-19 and the pandemic to keep people happy and I thought, 'Wow,' And if they can do it, so can I. I can leave my tree up,” said Allison.

But, as the weeks turned to months, and new holidays approached, Allison decided to shake things up, changing out the decorations for each new season and holiday.

“We did Valentine’s Day, we went to Saint Patrick’s Day and of course, Easter came along - we had a good time with that. And then I went to my spring flower tree and that went to a Canada Day tree,” said Allison. 

Allison’s husband, Ronald, says he prefers to leave the decorating to his wife but is a big fan of the new tradition.

“It brings her a lot of joy. While I’m sitting here watching Live at Five, she’s playing with the tree,” laughed Ronald.

Allison says friends and family always inquire about new decorations and themes, with some even helping her with ideas.

Debbie Wilson first met Allison in Florida where the two usually spend the winter months with their husbands. When COVID-19 kept both couples from travelling last year, Wilson says decorations from a winter beach party she threw made for a perfect summer-themed tree to remind them of the weather they’d normally be experiencing down south.

“Down in Florida, all of the dances where we stay, they’re all themed and we all spend the summer here gathering props and so on to bring for the themed dances and it’s just who can outdo the next person. We are reliving our childhood and we are having fun,” said Wilson.

Aside from gifts given by friends, Allison gets the majority of her decorations from the dollar store.

“The average cost of each of my trees was $15, so therefore it’s in many budgets. People don’t have to be out looking for expensive decorations,” said Allison. 

As for if the tree will ever go back in a box in the basement, Allison doesn't see that happening anytime soon.

“I told my husband I think this is going to be a new piece of furniture in the living room all the time. I just want to keep it going because it's just so merry,” said Allison.