Christmas Tree Elegance raises nearly $550K in another record-breaking year for Spokane Symphony

Christmas Tree Elegance raised a whopping $546,000 for the Spokane Symphony this year, surpassing 2024’s record-breaking amount by more than $20,000.

The 13-day event has taken place annually since 1983, the weeks from Thanksgiving into December seeing a decadent array of trees to be raffled off to a lucky few attendees.

This year, $550,000 in donations were given directly to the symphony, the majority of which came from the Elegance event. Any funds that do not go to the symphony are to cover the costs of the tree decorations and associated prizes, each valued at just less than $5,000.

Christmas Tree Elegance this year got off to a slow start, co-chair Tina McElligott said, and organizers were hoping to break $500,000, but the number of visitors grew throughout the week. The event seems to be getting more popular each year, she said.

Last year’s fundraiser brought in $526,331 which was $63,000 more than was collected in 2023.

Donations to the Spokane Symphony throughout the year help to make it more accessible for the community, symphony Executive Director Steve Wenig said. It allows students to attend classical concerts for free, musicians to play in parks, libraries, hospitals and senior centers, and collaboration with local school music programs.

Wenig began his role as executive director this month, seeing the Christmas event for the first time during his initial visit to the area. For the past 10 years, he has acted as a vice president for the Oregon Symphony.

“It impressed me to no end,” he said of the Christmas trees and the crowds they drew.

This year was McElligott’s first as the Christmas Tree Elegance co-chair. She began volunteering in 2022 and took over ticket sales in 2023, when she quickly learned what a large operation the event really is.

Tickets are most commonly sold in packs of 25, which have to be bundled by hand. McElligott hosted 130 volunteer hours of bundling at her home.

“People love to do the bundling,” she said.

Speaking of volunteers – McElligott estimates there are between 250 and 300 people that work together to put on the event every year. Each of the 16 trees this year had, alone, a dedicated three to five person team to assemble them.

The tree teams, directed by Lorelee Bauer, will begin buying decor as early as this winter, as ornaments go on sale following the holidays. They will have their first planning meeting in February.

“I have worked in orchestras for 20 years and have never seen a group of volunteers like this,” Wenig said. “They are a force of nature.”