This line came instantly to mind when I sat down to write the story of this year's Twelve Trees that is an annual event at the Gardiner Museum of Ceramics. For the past 17 seasons Tusser's advice has been taken to heart by Toronto designers and the museum by offering us cheer through the creation of 12 or more playful Christmas trees that are auctioned off for good causes. The money, raised through the auction, benefits the museum; the trees are donated by the purchasers to various charitable and cultural organizations. It is a win/win situation very much in the spirit of the Christmas season.

The Gardiner Museum, of course, is currently undergoing reconstruction. The event has, therefore, been staged at the University of Toronto Art Centre, which is only a five minute walk from the now closed museum. The general public can view the Twelve Trees 2005 until December 10. After that they will go to bring joy to the groups to whom the trees have been donated.

As always, there are trees that are favourites of mine and others that leave me indifferent. Let me tell you, though, that all trees have been created with great care, hard work, and infinite imagination. As I have written before, few of them incorporate what a Christmas tree is all about. The Christmas message is absent. The designers had their fun, we get ours by seeing them, but Christmas has been left behind for the most part. Yet, let me qualify this. Somehow, mysteriously, they manage to inspire the Christmas Spirit and serve as a great introduction to the Season to be Jolly.

This year's theme for the trees — there is a different one each year — is dedicated to the celebration of Toronto's Year of Creativity in 2006. The trees, therefore, have been designed to reflect the cultural renaissance and vibrancy of Toronto.

Only one tree has 'Christmas' incorporated into its title, and it happens to be among my favourites. A Christmas Orchestration was created by Ralph D. Neal and Jonathon Neal of Upper Canada House Ltd. It features musical instruments and large notes without obscuring the tree itself.

Next to it stands another tree that caught my fancy. Timeless Operas, created by Maria D. Ramirez and Martello Perri of MDR Design Consultants and Lucinda Harp of Lucinda Harp Designs, is quite magnificent as an artistic achievement. The tree is unique among those on display in that it turns continuously to show the viewer every aspect of this creation. Its main feature is Madama Butterfly, its secondary is The Merry Widow. They have been woven into the tree with great artistic imagination. I understand, however, that a tree that was not on display and may be now, Starry, Starry Night, also rotates.

The tree that comes closest to the actual theme of Christmas is Celebrate the City. Cally Bowen of Bowen Design Inc. chose ornaments that various cultures in Toronto associate with Christmas. Among these Christmas decorations she imprinted large, light-coloured baubles with a brief story about how these different ethnic communities celebrate Christmas. Strangely enough, there is no bauble on the tree that tells us about the German Christmas, the country that gave the world the Christmas tree custom.

Bowen was not present at the media viewing of the trees to tell me why, but her daughter, Sarah Miller, spoke to me. She had to admit she did not know that the Christmas tree originated in Germany. What, one wonders, does that tell us? Do we blame the education system that no longer teaches history as a main subject, or do we blame the German community? It happens to be the third largest ethnic group in Canada and has been present on what is now Canadian soil since the mid-17th century when the first German settler was recorded through land purchase sometime in the mid-1600s. Is there no one in the German community, if such exists, who can let us know more about how the Germans have helped to shape Canada over three centuries, and how they have become so tightly woven into our culture?

A tree that says instantly, 'Baroque' is Dream Weavers, which is a tribute to the Textile Museum of Canada, and was designed by Katherine Burke of Katherine Burke Design and Susan Taylor of Susan Taylor Interior Design. It is covered from its very tip to the bottom with ornaments, banners and even imitation jewels featuring textiles of every kind. The designers hope that the tree will inspire the viewer to visit the Textile Museum. It is certainly impressive, and from comments made by other designers, this tree was auctioned off for $10,000, the largest amount at this year's auction. Yet, to me, because little is visible of the actual tree, it failed to capture my heart. All those decorations obscured what is the very essence of a Christmas tree, the green branches that remind us of the everlasting idea of the Christmas message.

Holiday Memories did evoke a sense of the wonder we all feel at Christmas as we stand before our trees. Candy canes, toys and other ornaments evoke in the words of the designers, "a time when a tree was decorated using arts and crafts techniques." Charlotte Ambridge and Gloria Ferazzutti of Ambridge Ferazzutti Inc. gave us a tree that evoked memories, but because it lacked good lighting during the media viewing, it kind of faded into nothing. Too bad.

I also liked Design in the City, which was created to be a tribute to interior design and decoration. The decorations were made with decorative cording that is usually used for curtains and upholstery. The creators,Del Weale of Del Weale Interior Design and Suzanne Davison of Suzanne Davison Interior Design wound these cords around baubles in a most attractive way. This tree can be called elegant without hesitation.

The tree every youngster in the city will like is Lord of the Rings. The tree is topped with the head of Gandalf the White, and the sides of the tree are cloaked in his cape — here made of white organza. Rings are sown into the cape as well as hung on the tree. A ribbon is wound across the tree with an inscription in English and Elf: 'One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them/One ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them.' Every fan of The Lord of the Rings will know where this inscription is found. I am not about to give its place away. Go and read the books. The designers of this tree are Julie Wakely and Elena Iobin of Wakely & Company Ltd.

Lastly let me mention Beautiful Minds, designed by Lidia Tacconelli and Michael House of Flori Floral Designs Inc. As they explain, "We celebrate the beauty of the human condition, however fragile or tragic it can sometimes be . . . through the words of these beautiful minds." Some of these beautiful minds inscribed on the decorations are: Li Po, Carol Lewis, Lord Byron, Robert Frost, James Joyce, Elizabeth Browning, and Jane Urquhart.

The remaining four trees not described here are Modern Movement, Pillow Talk - Style in the City, F4: Fit, Fabrication, Fabulous, Fashion! Celebrating Fashion in Toronto, and The Wonderful World of Ballet. They all show great imagination and design. I just happen not to be inspired by them.