A Christmas Tree-bute
(Conclusion)
US Ambassador MaryKay L. Carlson may well be the goodwill ambassador of Christmas — and her residence isn’t even in the North Pole! The historic US Embassy Residence in Makati that the Carlsons call home has seven large Christmas trees, over a dozen smaller ones, hundreds of Santa Claus mugs and two Nativity Scenes or Belens. In the past, the residence only had two trees.
And Ambassador Carlson revels in a Philippine Christmas, which she believes has set the bar high for Christmas decorating. She likes to quote President Marcos, who quipped to US Vice President Kamala Harris during the latter’s visit to Malacañang, “We Filipinos like to think we invented Christmas.” This, after she complimented the Christmas décor in the Palace that was set up before the holidays.
The Ambassador, with the help of husband, retired diplomat Aubrey Carlson and their staff, has “nurtured” the following trees in their residence, each with its own unique character: 1. The Living Room Tree, which she describes as a “generic tree,” but is nevertheless breathtaking; 2. The 12-ft. Mindanao Tree outdoors; 3. The Alliance Tree, a unity tree symbolizing the partnership between the US and the Philippines; 4. The “Ferdie and Sally Tree,” set up by staffers of the residence with the Carlsons’ collection of miniatures, mostly from India, where the Ambassador was once posted; 5. The Pool Tree, which is in the veranda that overlooks the pool; 6. The Fancy Tree in the TV Room; and 7. The Family Tree in the dining room.
Last Tuesday we featured the first three trees. Today, we train the spotlight on the four other trees.
Tree Number Four, the “Ferdie and Sally Tree,” is inside another reception area, one of the three bungalows in the compound.
“The idea for this tree was to have a theme of red, gold and green,” Ambassador Carlson points out. A lot of the ornaments are souvenirs from her several international postings that aren’t Christmas related, but are festive nevertheless, like tiny beaded pillboxes.
Tree Number Five, is the Pool Tree, which features silver and blue ornaments.
Tree Number Six, the Fancy Tree, is in the TV room and adjacent to private quarters of the ambassador. It is also called the “breakable tree” because virtually all its ornaments are so.
“Almost everything on this tree, what we call the fancy tree or the breakable tree, are all our things. These are all breakable, for the most part. And that unifies the whole tree.” Among the décor are glass icicles, White House ornaments over the years and décor from Ukraine and China.
Last, but not the least, Tree Number Seven, is the Family Tree. It has swirls of red ribbon and dazzles with trinkets and souvenirs the Carlsons have collected through the years. “It’s a mishmash tree of decades worth of memories.” One ornament is a baby in a cradle given to her when her first daughter was born. From the Philippines, there is a Santa in a barong and a jeepney. The ornaments are unified by the red ribbon and the red balls.
Ambassador Carlson has probably a thousand souvenirs, hundreds of them finding a special place in her Christmas trees.
“The only purchases you ever regret, are the ones you didn’t make, right? Especially for small things like this, it’s not a big investment, but later you think, I wish I had gotten another one.”
As Christmas Day approaches, the Carlsons, their family and their guests enjoy the Christmas village of sorts that their home has become. Talk about sprucing one’s home!
The ambassador’s efforts could well be called “holiday diplomacy.” The world is represented in her trees, each of which show unity in diversity. Each tree sparks conversations that draw people together, no matter their race or religion.
“To see other people enjoy and appreciate it, that’s what’s fun. So, for me, showing you all around tonight has been the best,” says Ambassador Carlson, who has two grown-up daughters.
We left the home feeling at peace with the world, and joyful. The sparkle of Christmas comes not only from the trimmings, but from the eye of the beholder. *
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