FREEPORT – Visitors to Freeport during Sparkle Weekend this weekend will have the chance to meet a new friend.
Standing on the corner of Main and Bow streets is an unassuming Christmas tree, at least at first glance. But as passersby walk past this tree, standing in front of Linda Bean’s Maine Kitchen restaurant, they’ll notice something really different – it can talk. And it can also listen. And sing.
The Talking Christmas Tree is part of Sparkle Weekend, which runs from Friday, Dec. 7-Sunday, Dec. 9. The talking tree plays a key role in the Parade of Lights on Friday night, as Santa finishes the parade by bringing the tree “to life” for the weekend, allowing it to talk and sometimes sing to all within earshot.
It takes a group of dedicated volunteers to give the tree its voice. Amy Holway, an L.L. Bean employee from Brunswick, has been part of the team that has been delighting people visiting the talking tree for the past four years, performing as her tree alter ego “Merry,” and she is looking forward to playing the role again this Sparkle Weekend.
Holway said she became interested in working with the talking tree after seeing how much people enjoyed the festivities around town during Sparkle Weekend.
“I just thought it would be a really fun way to be part of the festivities and spread the magic of Christmas to people,” she said.
Giving her age as only “old enough to know better and young enough to appreciate Christmas,” Holway, who has a background in theater and vocal performing, said she uses a headset to interact with the people who come up to the tree, listening through a hidden microphone and talking through a hidden speaker. She said that she can see everyone who comes up to the tree, but she is hidden enough to remain out of view, preserving the magic of the talking tree.
Both the young and the not-so-young enjoy talking to the tree.
“It’s a great experience because it’s for people of all ages,” Holway said, adding that sometimes she needs to help out someone who may be shy.
“A little bit is to be able to pull people out of themselves and be able to read people and know when they are interested, but may need some coaxing to be involved,” she said.
“Sometimes,” she said, “I call out to people and it catches them off guard and so they’re willing to interact. They’re not expecting the tree that they’re walking by to say something to them.”
With a background in vocal performing, Holway will have Merry the tree sing as well as talk.
“I’m not sure if (other volunteers sing),” she said. “But I’ll sing, especially when it’s quiet, like on Friday night after the parade. There’s sort of a surge and a rush and later on it gets a little quiet and so Merry will try to keep herself company by singing out loud.”
As can be imagined, a talking Christmas tree hears a wide variety of questions. Holway said she is asked for her name quite a bit, which is why she came up with the name Merry for the tree. She said she also gets asked how old she is and if she is ticklish, and, of course, what she wants for Christmas.
She has a simple response to that last question. “My response is, I don’t need a gift,” Holway said. “My gift is just being here and seeing you people and having a chance to have fun.”
This tree by Linda Bean’s Maine Kitchen restaurant looks traditional, but as passersby quickly learn, there’s something very different about it.
Hidden away, Amy Holway, an L.L. Bean employee, performs as her tree alter ego, “Merry.”
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