Trees a Crowd

Caroline Doiron, owner of the Village Gardener, is going to have her hands full over the next few weeks.

Caroline, who regularly decorates the Christmas tree at the Four Seasons Biltmore with thousands of ornaments, has also taken on the daunting task, along with her team of eight designers, of installing and decorating Yuletide trees at two Four Seasons resorts, the Lodge at Koele and Lanai Mahela Bay, in Hawaii.

“My team is very excited as we work particularly well under pressure,” says Caroline. “We will be decorating with 2,400 ornaments on Lanai, many of them specially sourced blown glass from a market in Dallas, Texas.”

The Biltmore tree, which will take 35 team members to set up, will be shining in all its glory the day after Thanksgiving.

As they say, trees company…

Master Chorale Concert

Santa Barbara Master Chorale, under artistic director Steven Hodson, a professor of music at Westmont College, was in fine form at the First Presbyterian Church when they performed Brahms’ 1868 work Ein deutsches Requiem, considered one of his most spiritual compositions.

The 75-minute seven movement work was written after the death of his good friend Robert Schumann in 1856 and then his mother in 1865.

The concert featured two well known local performers, soprano Christine Bollinger, and Westmont professor, baritone Michael Shasberger.

A Few of her Favorite Things

The days of entire studio audiences taking home a brand new car may be behind her – that particular episode aired 15 years ago – but former TV talk show titan Oprah Winfrey is still talking up some pretty pricey items in her annual Favorite Things list.

This year’s list spotlights 79 items worth a total of $12,200.

The full list, which appears in the December issue of O, the Oprah Magazine, includes a $2,000 exercise bike, a $900 coffee maker, and a sweat suit costing nearly $300.