These are not Grandma’s Christmas trees.

Unless, of course, Grandma decorated a Christmas tree for Altrusa International of the Central Coast’s Sixth

Annual Festival of Trees.

The festival, which raises money for grants and possibly scholarships for local high school seniors, opened Friday in a store space near Gottschalks at the Santa Maria Town Center.

The 50 trees on display vary from the candy-themed to the cowboy-themed to the Barbie doll-themed.

Companies and individuals donate or sponsor decorations for the trees, and the gifts for under the trees that keep with the theme of each tree. Altrusa International of the Central Coast donated all the trees, which are pre-lit and artificial, said organization member Norma DeBernardi. Santa Maria High School and Pioneer Valley High School students help arrange the trees for display and help in other ways with the festival, she said.

Each tree has a box in front of it, into which raffle tickets costing $1 a piece can be placed for a chance to win that tree and the gifts under it.

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The festival will run through Dec. 13, and will be open during mall operating hours, according to Altrusa. The drawing will be on Dec. 13; winners not at the drawing will be notified by phone.

Last year, Festival of Trees raised more than $50,000, DeBernardi said. With the state of the economy this year, “we’re just thankful whatever we can bring in,” she said.

The festival drew interest Friday afternoon, with a steady stream of visitors strolling past the trees and stopping in front of favorites to deposit raffle tickets.

The Cahoon family of Santa Maria checked out the trees on Friday, and planned to return at a later date to enter raffle tickets.

“They’re beautiful,” said Kirsten Cahoon.

“There’s definitely something for everyone.”

Cahoon’s daughters each had their favorite trees.

Maria, 18, admired a handbag-themed tree, which drips with Coach wallets and pink ornaments, and a tree laden with hair products.

Meanwhile, 8-year-old Kali was strategizing that she would put 30 tickets into the box in front a tree that boasts electronics including a Wii gaming console and a laptop computer underneath it to improve her chances of winning it.

“I’d keep the laptop, but the Wii and Xbox I’d let you guys play with it,” she told her family.

Anne Budzisz of Santa Maria entered the drawing to win a Christian-themed tree, decorated in “kind of Christmas-y colors.”

She said she liked the religious theme.

“That’s what Christmas is all about.”

November 30, 2008