Aberdeen’s Easter Miracle Tree creates miracles year-round

Two trees on Main Street in Aberdeen, Sask., are drawing attention and donations to the small town.

The Easter Miracle Trees are bringing in donations from around the world.

“I’ve been contacted by someone in South Africa. California has donated. Now Austria,” tree organizer Marcea Malinowski said.

Malinowski’s family started the tradition at home years ago. She began researching Easter egg trees and found it was a lost tradition that began in Germany centuries ago. Malinowski decided to revive the tradition, bringing it to Aberdeen and adding a twist.

“This year I made a promise to the community if we sold 2,500 eggs we would hang them all and there’s 3,900 up there right now,” she said.

Each egg is sold for one dollar or promotional prices including two-for-one sales. Different colours represent different groups including donations on behalf of the town, rural municipality, school and service groups, making the Easter Miracle Tree a friendly competition in the community.

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Money raised through the tree creates miracles in the community at Christmas and throughout the year.

“What we found is that Christmas money is tight for a lot of people. They’d like to help but they can’t and so this is a different time of year,” Paulette Hudon explained. Hudon is an organizer with Aberdeen’s Christmas Miracles which is on the receiving end of the Easter Miracle Tree.

In the three short years since this Easter fundraiser began, more than 100 people have been on the receiving end.

“Hampers for families who need a little help, or a lot of help sometimes. Sometimes after a fire or a drastic accident, sudden illness, all kinds of things,” Hudon said.

Organizers are setting their sights on bigger trees with each passing year.

“It’s a huge task. Somehow it’s snowing or very cold (when the eggs are being hung). It’s difficult finding ladders tall enough and people willing to climb them, but it gets done,” Hudon said.

Donations are being collected until April 24.