CEDAR FALLS -- The phrase is embroidered in gold on several bright red Christmas stockings tells the tale: "Leave the gifts. Take my brother."

What a naughty boy.

Gloria Congdon smiled. "It's really a boy's tree," she said, pointing out the miniature baseball, soccer ball and football glass ornaments waiting for Congdon and Pat Muchmore to hang on Christmas tree branches, alongside tiny John Deere tractors and other boy toys, and of course, the stockings.

The tree is one of many featured in the tree gallery at the Sartori Auxiliary's Festival of Trees in the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, located on the University of Northern Iowa campus, today through next Sunday. Festival theme is "'Twas the Night Before Christmas."

The boy's tree idea, "All I Want for Christmas," was dreamed up by Carolyn Sandkamp. After the Festival, it will be delivered to the Western Home

On Thursday, dozens of volunteer decorators crowded the GBPAC lobby, unpacking boxes filled with shiny ornaments and glittering decorations, fluffing branches on pre-lit artificial trees and working their magic to transform the space into a sparkling winter wonderland.

For the next week, thousands of visitors will troop through the tree gallery and other exhibits and participate in a variety of Festival of Trees events, all aimed at raising $150,000 to enhance cardiac services at Sartori Memorial Hospital.

"The ideas just keep coming," said Virginia Colby as she tucked decorations she'd made from red glittery sprays and candy cane-striped round ornaments for a tree called "Sweet Treats." This is her 20th year decorating for the festival. "I love it. I enjoy the creativity and that I'm doing something for the community," said Colby, who also volunteers at the hospital.

Each year, Linda Curran, a real estate agent with Oakridge Realtors, and her mother, Mavis Salmon, join forces to decorate trees. This year, the duo has enjoyed spending time together decorating a silver tree for Witham Auto Centers. "I was asked to do the car theme and I just wanted to take it one step more. I came up with 'Vroom' and built around that. I got most of the toy cars from St. Vincent de Paul's … I painted them with glue and added glitter," Curran said.

Linda Wessels from the Covenant Gift Shop was asked to create a tree for Barmuda Corp. She chose "Holiday Nights" as a theme and set about pulling together dozens of antique gold ornaments and decorations, including a top hat tree-topper. Beneath the tree will be a bottle of champagne with a faux Barmuda label.

"I wanted it to be fancy … I love all the detail. I start at the top with the tree-topper -- that's the frosting, then I go back and decorate the rest, putting on the big ornaments first because that's what your eyes see first before the details take shape. I like to hang shiny silver balls inside the branches, against the tree trunk because it gives the tree more depth and adds reflection," she said.

Dianne Barker from Farm & Fleet watched with a critical eye as her helpers fastened a long wooden drawer filled with Christmas-themed children's books, toys and a teddy bear to the tree. "I look forward to this every year. My husband says I come up with great ideas but 'are they feasible?' Of course, I always think so and I'll find a way to make it work."

Her tree-topper? A chimney stack with Santa's boots poking out the top.

Robbie Fye Leach and her elves, Jaci Ratcliff and Carlene Thierman, were busy weaving white tulle and silver screen ribbon in and out of their 10-feet-tall tree, a prelude to placing gold and silver bead garland and dozens of gold-toned ornaments.

"Our tree is 'Everything That Glitters at Christmas.' I need drama and I wanted to do a dramatic tree," Leach explained, smiling. This is her first festival tree.

Thierman volunteered to decorate as a way to give back to the community and help out the hospital where she volunteered until back problems put her on the sidelines. "It seemed like an automatic transition to work at the festival to help raise funds."

EVENT SCHEDULE:

Public viewing hours are: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday andSaturday; 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. next Sunday.

Tuesday: Red Hat Brunch in the Gallery of Trees at GBPAC

5:15 p.m. Thursday: downtown Cedar Falls parade and tree lighting at Overman Park. Parade to begin at approximately 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday: style show and luncheon at Park Place Event Centre

Next Sunday: Youth Dance Spectacular at GBPAC

7 p.m. Friday: Rockin' Reindeer Racing

Saturday: purchase homemade goodies fro bake sale.

Tickets are required for some events, but all exhibits are free and open to the public.