THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 25, 1994 TAG: 9412230233
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Mr. Robert's Neighborhood
SOURCE: Frank Roberts
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
The tall-tree tradition continues in the Billy Phillips household in Franklin.
The tree begins in the foyer, a few feet from the front door, and goes up to the second floor ceiling, topped by an angel holding two candles.
It takes about a week to get it decorated properly, beautifully, meaningfully.
``We've lived in this house 22 years. We've had a big tree every year except 1993,'' said Toni Phillips, the family mom. ``We spent that Christmas with our younger daughter, MaryAnna, who was studying in Paris.''
That branch of the family Christmas tree has filled the seasonal branches with ornaments from such locales as Russia, Italy, Germany, Morocco, Austria, France, etc.
Twenty of the contributions to the trees, mostly European, are from Mary-Anna's travels on that continent. Six come from Asia where her sister, JoAnna, has spent a lot of her school time.
A lot of their time at home, at Christmas, has been spent around large trees.
``The kids have absolutely loved them over the years,'' Toni said.
The first big tree was put up when JoAnna was 5 and Mary-Anna was born.
This year, MaryAnna is home from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, JoAnna is taking time off from her job with the Japanese Embassy in Washington.
Toni is 53. Her 59-year-old husband owns a men's clothing store in downtown Franklin, Billy Phillips Ltd.
There is no limit to what goes on the tall tree which came from a nursery in Colonial Heights.
In addition to the 'round-the-world decorations, there are the usual - birds, snowmen, canes, bells, drums, and a reasonable facsimile of frost.
``The frost is whipped-up Ivory Snow. I got the idea many years ago from Good Housekeeping,'' Toni said. ``But now Ivory Snow is new, improved. It's ultra-something and it can't be whipped.''
So she paired the ultra with bars of Ivory Soap which she grated, like cheese, mixing the two ingredients in a hand mixer.
Other branch-filling items include several canoes, including one with Santa at the paddles. MaryAnna is an avid canoeist. She is also on the crew team at college, so a rowboat hangs on a branch.
Mom teaches middle school English at Southampton Academy so there are a lot of ``Merry Christmas, teacher'' ornaments, representing many years, from some of her students.
What is under the tree is also a little unusual.
Presents, yes, but unwrapped - a family tradition.
``That's the way Santa spreads 'em out. It's a family tradition,'' Toni explains. ``When I was young, Santa didn't wrap so we didn't have to tear packages open. We'd go to the tree and see what we had.''
Before the Phillips' gift-giving, the family attends Christmas Eve services at Franklin United Methodist Church, although their home is sandwiched between Emmanuel Episcopal Church, where Grace Lutheran also meets, and the Congregational Christian Church.
The Phillips tree is squeezed through the front door wrapped in a net.
Around New Year's Day, Billy has to saw the limbs to get it out the door where it sits in bits and pieces until it is carted away. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by WILLIAM T. MURPHY
It takes the Phillipses about a week to decorate their tree. It must
be cut apart to remove it.
by CNB