Tree Lights at Morton Arboretum Spark Togetherness

— December 30, 2019 —

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Illumination: Tree Lights

DAD APPROVAL RATING:   (out of four)

Dates: Runs through Sunday, Jan. 5.

Info: www.mortonarb.org/illumination-event/2019

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[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n the darkness of night, a cluster of trees bathed in blue light illuminated the open roadway where my Dear Daughter, clad in a purple hooded coat, ran with wild abandon through the winter air. She darted this way and that, appearing to hop from one word to the next of the messages spelled out on the road by light projections in big yellow letters. It was as if Mother Nature could text:

BREATHE deeply

LISTEN TO the wind.

TAKE JOY in nature

TREES NEED people

PEOPLE NEED trees

BE A TREE champion

This “yellow brick road” moment, as I’ve dubbed it, was reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz and one of the many surprising and imaginative installations we experienced during our visit last week to the seventh annual “Illumination: Tree Lights” at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle.

Attending “Illumination” has become a holiday tradition for our family and, this year, we invited our friends (Heather, Fernando and their two kids) to share in the experience. (That’s one benefit to being a card-carrying member of the Arboretum – discounted ticket prices you can share with others.)

I’m a California native accustomed to winter weather that doesn’t require down fabric, so it takes something spectacular to get me to walk a one-mile path through acres of forestry—at night, in December.

But “Illumination” is truly worth the down-bundled stroll. I recently read in the Daily Herald that roughly 4,000 lighting devices and five miles of cable were used to transform a swath of the Arboretum into this immersive holiday lights display. This ain’t your grandma’s light show.

Illumination is truly worth the down-bundled stroll. This ain’t your grandma’s light show.

Captivating. That’s the word that came to mind as our party of seven meandered along with thousands of others through the collection of displays over the course of 90 minutes. Here are five memorable highlights (click on the gallery below for photos):

1. After passing under a banner that read “Your Journey Starts Here,” we passed Meadow Lake which was outfitted with scores of floating lights that appeared to dance in unison on top of the water. We later learned the lights were equipped with sensors that change direction and color based on the speed and direction of (guess what?)—the wind. #Genius.
2. At “Woodland Wonder” situated in a grove of sycamore trees, we were dazzled by a web of laser lights and perhaps the last thing you’d expect to see perched in a tree: disco mirror balls.
3. We were mesmerized by “Crown of Light” where intricate pyramid-tree sculptures designed by HYBYCOZO (Hyperspace Bypass Construction Zone) glowed from within as they cycled through the colors of the four seasons.
4. At “Tree Fascination” we stood transfixed as digital projections flooded a grove of pine trees with geometric shapes. “I just have no idea how they get all those effects on the trees,” my Dear Wife (DW) said as she stared at the display. As it turns out, the projections are raw data from the Arboretum’s Center for Tree Science translated into light.
5. Our seasonal favorite is “Symphony Woods” where light projections choreographed to “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from The Nutcracker, among other selections, animate a small wood.

 

[dropcap]F[/dropcap]or as innovative “Illumination” may be, it is also quaintly traditional. DW and I stopped at a concession stand along the way to get hot chocolate and a do-it-yourself s’mores kit. She had never experienced the gooey pleasure of the fireside treat so we pulled up a bench around one of the crackling fire pits on the path so she could roast her first s’mores. My Dear Daughter (DD) eagerly joined in, finding a stick and placing two marshmallows over the pit flames.

An Arboretum staffer noticed our fire had more growl than roar and kindly placed another log in the pit to keep the seasonal merriment on simmer. The fire pits are DD’s favorite part of “Illumination” and she always makes a fuss when it’s time to say goodbye to the fire pit. I don’t blame her. After all, who would want to get up from a warm, cozy fire to return to walking in the cold? (Thankfully, like so many families we saw that evening, we took our newly-assembled Radio Flyer wagon to pull her along whenever she grew weary of walking).

The only con to our evening was the excessive darkness on stretches of the path. The pitch blackness is the perfect backdrop for the dramatic displays, but caused much anxiety for parents whose children (like our DD) tended to run ahead of the crowds. Were it not for the light-up Christmas tree wand that blinked in DD’s hand whenever she darted off in the distance my wife and I would have likely lost track of her.

To me the true beauty of “Illumination” is not just the unique way it fills the air with holiday magic, but how it creates moments of togetherness—moments for friends and family, moments to connect with nature, moments of collective amazement.

Towing my five-year-old daughter in her wagon on the walk back to the car through a landscape of pine trees is a memory just as beautiful as any installation we saw that night. All it took to make was the presence of mind to be present. Isn’t that the best holiday gift?

“Illumination” runs through Jan. 5 so as you step into the New Year, plan to take an evening stroll outdoors to BREATHE deeply, LISTEN TO the wind, TAKE JOY in nature.

Father on,

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Disclosure: The Morton Arboretum didn’t request this review, but my family has such a great time at this yearly event I decided to write one. Thoughts, photos, and videos are my own, except where noted.