An Alabama Couple’s Tree Decorating Tradition

Kaleen and Allen Riley love Christmas with all the decorations they can muster. At their home in Trussville, Alabama, Allen starts setting up themed trees in September, from a heavily flocked tree with bowing limbs to what he calls a vintage “shiny silver one with a color wheel like everybody’s maw-maw had in the window.

About a dozen tabletop and mini versions are tucked into nooks and crannies, keeping company with gingerbread houses, a festive miniature village, garland, wreaths, and knickknacks galore. Old-Fashioned Style

Growing up, Allen often was called to assist in decorating the family tree because it was the busy season for his dad, who ran the local power company’s steam heat department. About 20 years ago, a friend introduced Allen to vintage ornaments and the Noel bug bit.

“Once I started getting into vintage, it just took off,” says Allen, who was further inspired by a trip to Atlanta’s wholesale market. Upon retirement, he had even more time to focus on the hobby. “I’m not good at golf. I’m not good at fishing. I really like Christmas decorations,” he says.

Presidential Flourish

Kaleen, who followed in her parents’ footsteps as a florist, is no stranger to arranging holiday greenery and flowers. In the early 2000s, she was one of about 60 floral designers countrywide who helped adorn the White House for the Yuletide.

These days, she helps embellish the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas. At home, Allen jokes that he is the brawn who sets up the trees and Kaleen adds the beauty. “She puts the final twist to give that little bit of gleam to it,” he says.

Tips from Allen 

1. Store Christmas decorations and artificial greenery in temperature-controlled spaces. “Trees just don’t last in attics,” says Allen.
2. Once you develop a theme, get creative in using whatever you can to flesh it out. For instance, Allen uses gingerbread houses and cookie sheets to create a favorite themed tree.
3. Plan your decorating approach a year ahead so you can purchase items at after-Christmas sales.
4. Use clear plastic boxes to store tree décor and affix color-coded labels that list how many boxes hold each collection, for example, 1 of 3 boxes.
5. Create a dolly by putting casters on an inexpensive round wooden tabletop purchased at a hardware store. This allows you to move your tree easily, especially when decorating the side against the wall. A sheet to cover the dolly will help with cleanup of fallen needles, ornament hangers, and other debris.

Text by Marie Baxley
Styling by Dorothy Walton 
Photography by William Dickey

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