TUSCUMBIA — The sweet scent of Christmas trees will be filling the halls of the Tennessee Valley Museum of Art once again as The Trees of Christmas opens at 9 a.m., Friday Dec. 1.

The exhibit, which runs through Christmas Eve, will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday Dec. 9 and Dec. 23 and 1-3 p.m. on Sundays.

Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students and free on Sundays. Group rates are available for groups of 15 or more.

The Trees of Christmas is an annual exhibition featuring a display of nine 12-foot-tall live fir trees decorated by area civic clubs, groups, schools, businesses or individuals, pulling from a variety of styles, ideas and the cultural history of the Shoals. Each tree is special, with unique decorations and out-of-the-ordinary ornaments.

The line-up of decorators this year includes Martha Couch and Charlotte Hayes, Scope 310/Aktion Club Florence, Central Elementary School pre-school through sixth Grade, Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind, Shoals Adventure Club, Shoals Master Gardeners, Lynn Wilson and Barbara Wilson, A Step Ahead Dance Academy, Helen Allmon and the Burns Family.

Scope 310/Aktion Club Florence’s tree will be called “Lights, Camera, Aktion for the Holidays!” with a Hollywood Movie Glam theme. Shoals Adventure Club will be working on their “Adventure Tree” with a theme of outdoor adventure and travel while Shoals Master Gardeners’ tree “Nature in Forests and Fields” will be using natural décor gathered from their gardens and the wild. A Step Ahead Dance Academy’s tree, “Why Walk When You Can Dance” will be designed using props, canes, shoes and dance ornaments.

“Festivals of the Shoals” will be Central Elementary School’s tree, with each grade designing decorations based on a different local festival. These festivals will include Billy Reid’s Shindig, Arts Alive and others. The Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind will decorate a tree that reflects their purpose on defining people by their accomplishments and not their limitations.

Martha Couch and Charlotte Hayes will be decorating a tree titled “Baby Steps,” using decorated baby shoes, with both vintage and new shoes. Helen Allman’s family and friends will be designing “My ‘Family’ Tree” with icons that represent happy family memories. The Burns Family’s tree will use their family’s collection of Santas to fill her tree with fun and good cheer.