Photo by Tosha Gaines
Ed and Amy Monroe have continued the Christmas tradition of illuminating the large pine tree behind their home, a ritual that has lit up Vestavia Hills since the 1980s.
Every year, just after Thanksgiving, Ed Monroe climbs the hill behind his Tanglewood Brook home to light a 120-foot pine tree — a tradition that has brightened Vestavia Hills for more than 40 years.
But this isn’t just any Christmas tree.
When lit, the tree is visible for miles and has illuminated Vestavia Hills since the 1980s. Monroe, who says he has always loved the Christmas season, has carried on a tradition started by his father, Harry Monroe, who first decorated the tree more than four decades ago.
“My dad loved Christmas and decorated the tree to spread the Christmas spirit,” Ed Monroe said. “When he died, we just kept the tradition going.”
The family business, Monroe Electric, helped in the early years by providing a bucket truck so the Monroes could string lights on the tall pine.
At first, the tree had incandescent lights. About seven years ago, Ed Monroe updated them to clear LEDs. Today, eight 100-foot strands cover the tree.
Drivers traveling along Rocky Ridge Road can see the tree lighting up the wooded roadside.
“We have heard from people throughout the years who tell us seeing the tree as they drive around during Christmastime means a lot to them,” said Amy Monroe, Ed’s wife. “It has really tickled us to hear from so many people that appreciate that we decorate it. We have even heard that some people call it the Rockefeller Tree of Vestavia Hills, which we just love.”
Ed Monroe described his father as someone who embraced the Christmas spirit in every way he could. Decorating the tree was something Harry Monroe looked forward to each year. When Ed and Amy moved into the home after Harry’s death, Ed said he knew he had to keep the family’s tradition alive.
“We have just always had the tree lit up, and it has been fun for us to carry on the tradition,” Amy Monroe said. “There was only one year in the 17 we have lived in this house that we didn't light up the tree. We heard from so many people wondering if we had moved, or why the tree wasn’t lit up that year.”
After squirrels chewed through the wiring, Ed Monroe replaced the entire lighting setup with the current LED system.
Now, he spends the weekend after Thanksgiving checking all the lights to make sure the tree is ready for the season.
“We have a big family tradition where it is just for our immediate family,” Amy Monroe said. “We all huddle outside and play the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ as Ed lights the tree. Once the tree is lit up, our kids will take videos and pictures and then we all get in the car and head down the hill so we can see the tree all lit up. Then we stop for ice cream at Bruster’s afterward.”
Amy said it has become a favorite tradition for their kids.
“I think for us it has meant a lot to hear from people in the community that they enjoy seeing the tree lit up every year,” Monroe said. “It makes people happy and helps them get into the Christmas spirit, and hearing that has been such a blessing for us.
“We didn’t realize so many people in the community loved seeing the tree until someone last year posted about it on Facebook. We heard from so many people that commented they loved seeing our tree or that our tree was a big part of their Christmas, and that just made our day. We loved hearing that.”
The tree will remain lit until New Year’s Day.
The Monroes say the best way to view the tree is by driving along Rocky Ridge Road or through the Tanglewood Brook neighborhood.
