CARROLLWOOD — A Christmas tree decorated as Darth Vader, one hung with gift cards and another draped in hair and skin care products are among the themed trees up for bid at the Carrollwood Cultural Center’s annual Holiday Trees Display & Auction.
The auction runs through 9 p.m. Dec. 13, with the trees on display in the center’s lobby at 4537 Lowell Road. Proceeds benefit the center’s Tom Jones Tuition Assistance Fund, which helps families send their children to the center’s summer camp for free or at reduced cost.
Last year’s auction raised $3,513, up from $2,700 in 2024. According to the center’s website, the event brings in about a quarter of its fundraising goal for camp tuition assistance.
This year’s lineup includes a comic book tree and a tree loaded with gift cards to gas stations, Target and Chick-fil-A, along with the Darth Vader tree.
Unless a local business sponsors a tree, the themes usually come from Paul Berg, the center’s executive director, who also decorates the trees with some help. Berg said he banks ideas throughout the year and already has some for next year.
“We do a lot of fun themed trees, and then we’ll do a handful of traditional holiday trees as well,” he said.
Winners take home the tree, its decorations and any gifts under it in mid-December, according to the center.
The tradition began several years ago, when community members Shirley Overton and Denise Deneen brought their creation, the Holiday Tree Project, to the center as a fundraiser, according to the center’s website.
The fund that benefits is named for Jones, who is widely considered the center’s founding father. Jones, who died in July 2024 at 85, began pushing for a cultural center as early as 1996 and saw its doors open in 2008.
For more information or to bid, visit carrollwoodcenter.org/events/holiday-trees-display-and-auction or call 813-922-8167.
