Holiday season begins with judging Festival of Trees entries

Marc Lutz//December 4, 2025//

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More than 70 decorated trees were entered into this year’s Festival of Trees and put on display at Boise Centre. On Nov. 25, community and business leaders turned out to team up and judge the entries on theme, design and execution. Three categories ― professional, amateur and school/youth ― each had a traditional and non-traditional component. Designs incorporating everything from a celebration of the comic strip Peanuts to car parts and surfboards filled the venue. This is the 41st year the event has been held, and trees go up for auction. Proceeds from the event benefit Saint Alphonsus, with this year putting particular emphasis on the medical provider’s work in cardiovascular treatment. This year’s first-place winners from the judging were: Professional – traditional: Design2Sell D2S Construction; professional – non-traditional: Mountain West Bank; professional – best in show: Optum Health; amateur – traditional: Albertsons; amateur – non-traditional: Connie Miller & Ladies Poker Group; amateur – best in show: St. Ignatius Catholic School; school/youth – traditional: Christine Donnell School of the Arts; school/youth – non-traditional: Capital High School Art Students; school/youth – best in show: St. Joseph’s Catholic School.