'Lights, camera, Christmas!'

The Shafter Depot Museum is playing host to a variety of decorated trees in their annual Christmas Tree Contest, with all of the trees on display for the month of December.

Cookies and refreshments are given out free of charge while you peruse the museum. The theme for this year's contest is "Lights, Camera, Christmas," with entrants encouraged to decorate their tree in a Christmas movie theme.

There are a variety of movies represented this year, from a couple of trees depicting the Christmas hit "The Polar Express," as well as two trees in the theme of Frosty the Snowman, one by the Shafter Press, and another by the Shafter Kiddie Kollege.

The City of Shafter has a tree displaying "The Polar Express," while another is from the Shafter Woman's Club.

The Community Bible Study group used "The Bishop's Wife" as their inspiration. The Crane family, in honor of Dixie Crane, who passed away recently, used the film "Little Women" as their theme. The Shafter Police Department has a unique tree that has ornaments including bullets, badges, patches, and cleverly used police caution tape as a tree skirt.

The Shafter Youth Center went with Tim Burton's classic, "A Nightmare Before Christmas," as their inspiration, featuring Jack Skellington and his crew as decorations.

Judy Knox went minimal with her design, going with the iconic, lonely tree that is from the "Charlie Brown Christmas," with its wilting branches and lone ornament.

The Shafter Mennonite Brethren Church Women's Ministries decorated their tree with "Elf" as their theme.

Lions Over the Years was the basis for the colorful tree put together by the Shafter Lions Club. John Turner's family, together with Gary and Martha Ingle, have a tree with the theme of White Gold. The Shafter Rotary Club decorated their tree with a bunch of elf decorations and ornaments, with their theme being a Merry Rotary Christmas.

Fittingly, the Shafter Post Office went with the theme of Letters to Santa. "Holiday Inn" was the inspiration for the tree submitted by the Maynard Family. West America Bank went with a movie that is a classic, as well as having a wildly successful remake, celebrating a "Merry Grinchmas."

Significant additions have been made to the museum in recent years, including a classic schoolhouse that was moved from the Richland School District bus garage, as well as completed displays upstairs, featuring an enchanting children's play room and a turn of the century living room and classic kitchen.

Last Saturday, attendees could observe a pair of World War II jeeps in remembrance of Pearl Harbor Day.

For those at the museum on Dec. 21, Santa Claus will be in the Waiting Room. He will be available to meet with visitors and listen to their

Christmas wishes. Visitors are encouraged to bring their kids and a camera, and take all of the pictures they want.

At 11 a.m. that day, the museum also will be featuring the Shafter Brass Band. The local group of musicians will be serenading all of the visitors with a variety of Christmas carols.

The tree exhibit and contest will last until Saturday, Jan. 4. At the end of the season, there will be special ornaments given to the first-, second- and third-place winners of the Tree Contest.

The museum is open every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The museum encourages the public to come look at the trees on display and vote for their favorites.