RAPID CITY - Sue Jones is the kind of woman who not only loves decorating her own eight Christmas trees, but has decorated a tree for the Festival of Trees every year since its inception.

Taking inspiration from the Christmas angel gracing the treetop, Jones has applied her artful design this year on a 7-1/2-foot artificial pine tree for the 10th annual event.

Rather than an angel in tulle and gossamer, Jones' angel wears a rich brown gown trimmed in fur with wings fabricated from lights and deep red cherry garlands. "It's called 'Angel of The Forest: the Elegance of the Nature of Christmas,'" she said of her tree's theme.

For the 10th annual milestone, festival organizers have made arrangements to include a village of gingerbread houses and a stage filled with holiday entertainment. Santa's North Pole Playland has temporarily set up shop at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

For the 6,000 guests expected to gaze at the 27 Christmas trees and wreaths, activities include an iceberg walk, ice fishing, holiday bingo, a luge and inflatables. Christmas stories will be read to the little visitors and they are invited to decorate their own gingerbread cookie. Cameras to snap photos of the children with Santa are welcome. Other activities include holiday delights, the holiday raffle (the prize is a Disney World vacation for four) and continuous entertainment.

The trees and wreaths are on display Friday at an invitation-only preview party and auction. The displays, which can bring in thousands of dollars, are delivered to the winning bidders after the festival.

"Woodland Gathering" was the first setting that Jones, sponsored by Western Dakota Insurers, decorated for the festival. It made $700 at the auction.

She and her friend, Deb Hilt, arranged three "pencil" trees together on a bed of artificial snow to create the scene for a Saint Nicholas figurine to stand next to as if just exiting the forest. The women used amber lights, pine cones, nuts and dried oranges to decorate the tree. It was a hit. "Most people like the more traditional tree," she said.

Since then, Jones has decorated her trees solo, developing a custom style of her own.

Last year's tree was based on a ceramic skating boot, which brought home the idea of nostalgia creating "Sweet Memories of Christmas."

The decorations could have been raided from a child's toy chest. A stunningly bright star included an array of picks to accent its beauty.

"I like to do big tree toppers," Jones said of the signature look of her trees.

This year's tree features hundreds of white twinkling lights, more than 10 strands of cherry garlands, large pine cones liberally sprinkled with ice-crystal glitter and elegant bronze, rich red and copper branches with clusters of berries wired to the tree's bottom boughs. White and gold ornaments complement the browns and reds while lightening the look of the tree. Luminous glass ornaments add a gleam to the tree's overall effect. A brocade tree skirt adds that touch of elegance, yet doesn't break from the nature theme.

Jones wove the garlands close to the tree's trunk, allowing plenty of room for large ornaments and pine cones with transparent glitter. Smaller ornaments are scattered throughout the branches.

"It gives it a little more sparkle. Most of the ornaments are taken from nature," Jones said.

She also breaks the general rule of hanging larger ornaments at the bottom of the tree. Jones likes to put larger ornaments throughout the tree, including at the crown.

"It calls attention to the top," she said.

If you go

What: 10th annual Festival of Trees

When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17

Admission: $2 for adults, $1 for children, plus a can of food for food drive

Where: Rushmore Plaza Civic Center

Proceeds from the Festival of Trees go to Behavior Management Systems to provide services for children with serious emotional and behavioral problems, adults with mental illness, suicide intervention, crisis stabilization and a residential substance abuse treatment and prevention program for pregnant and parenting women and their children.

Contact Jomay Steen at 394-8418 or jomay.steen@rapidcityjournal.com.