In its annual tradition, the University of Lethbridge Bookstore staff put their creative minds to work to decorate the Tree of Knowledge for the 2017 Christmas Tree Festival. The long-running festival, where local businesses, individuals and community groups sponsor and decorate trees, raises funds for the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation.

“This Christmas, the U of L Bookstore and friends paid homage to the much-loved children’s classic, The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett,” says Annette Bright, Bookstore manager. “We created a magical Christmas tree blooming with lush flowers and alive with sparkling butterflies.”

The tree bears the gift of knowledge with the promise of exciting adventures in the stories that adorn its branches. In addition, the tree holds a variety of gift certificates from Sport & Recreation, 10 theatre tickets courtesy of the Faculty of Fine Arts, a fleece blanket tree skirt from Printing Services and more than $2,000 worth of books by various publishers. The tree was sponsored by Nancy Walker, U of L vice-president finance and administration.

The festival wrapped up Wednesday, Nov. 22 with a Gala and Auction. More than $230,000 was raised, a record-setting amount. The U of L’s Tree of Knowledge fetched an impressive $3,000 and the purchaser donated the books to Gilbert Paterson Middle School.