This is the season for wild Christmas trees in the Texas Hill Country.

Small cedars alongside the highways seemingly change overnight into festive holiday spirits, ornaments and garland suddenly lacing prickly branches. There are no signs from area businesses or clubs, no note left on the tree by those who have braved the cold, traffic and thorns of the cedar to claim credit. Lit only by the high beams of drivers speeding through the rush of the season, these trees are anonymous gifts of holiday spirit, bursts of glitter and color waving along the road.

Leon Henk, Assistant Maintenance Supervisor with the Texas Department of Transportation, swears the anonymous tree decorators must do their work under the cover of darkness. "We never see them," laughed Henk. "And our crews ride the roads every day."

Everyday throughout December more and more wild Christmas trees appear from the cold air, their patrons no doubt smiling as they drive by their handiwork on their way to school, work and the long list of errands that grow exponentially during the holidays. Actually spotting a tree decorator is a rare occurrence, akin to a child spotting Santa himself on Christmas Eve.

Kelly Masters became a tree decorator the year her mother, Neva Masters, died. Every year her tree is done in a theme to honor the memory of her mother. "She had daisies in her wedding bouquet and loved butterflies," said Masters. "So I make a garland of daisies and butterfly ornaments."

Masters is not along side the road alone. Her cousin, Jean Robinson, has the tree next to Masters, decked out in a UT Longhorn theme. "We pick a different tree every year, but it's always along the same road," said Robinson, who was out with Masters just after Thanksgiving.

Contrary to Henk's theory, Robinson and Masters decorate in the full light of day. Outfitted with Santa hats, boxes of supplies and Jack Robinson (2) safely tucked in a sling, the two women have made it their own tradition since both moved to the Hill Country, Robinson from Austin and Masters from San Antonio. They scout out potential trees along the area around Tom Creek in Canyon Lake. "You have to be careful picking your tree, " said Robinson, "because they are often bigger than you realize just driving by."

Master's agrees that it's more complicated than merely selecting a tree that looks like it's the right shape. If a tree is too big, an aspiring decorator will need a ladder to reach the top. Clearance is another issue, critical for garland placement. "Most of (the trees) are growing right out of the cliffs and there's just no way to get around them," said Masters. Add to that the cars streaming by at sixty miles an hour and you have a third consideration ≠ distance from the road. Masters and Robinson look for a nice wide area to pull over and start their work.

Henk, with TxDOT, says the department clearly doesn't condone decorating trees on the state's right-of-way, but during the holidays they acknowledge it is all part of the spirit of the season. "Most of (the decorators) clean their trees up afterwards. Very seldom have we had to come out and take down decorations."

Henk would be relieved to know that Masters and Robinson make sure their decorations are down before New Year's Day. "That's part of it for us, part of the etiquette of decorating," said Masters.

Emil Friesenhahn, Treasurer for the Bulverde/Spring Branch Chamber of Commerce and life long area resident says the decorating has been going on for more than 20 years. "I think (the wild Christmas trees) add so much to the season," said Friesenhahn. "It reflects the spirit of the people and the charm of the Hill Country. It used to be even cuter when the roads weren't so busy and you could slow down and enjoy them. Now you have to just keep moving along." Friesenhahn's believes the decorating started when the area was filled with ranches and families would pick a tree visible from the highway to decorate. Now that nearly all the ranches are gone, people have moved on to the sides of the roads.

Jerry and Laschel Fox and their three children have been decorating the same tree along side 281 in Bulverde since the year 2000. They recall seeing trees decorated up and down the highway for years before they decided to take on one themselves. "It's how we kick off the holiday season,' said Jerry Fox. Jerry, Laschel and the children, John (11), Whitney (9) and Rylie (5), are all in Santa hats the second week in December, armed with ribbons, ornaments and the family video camera.

"No one ever knows who decorates the trees, " notes Laschel with a smile, handing ornaments over to her son and daughters. "Unless you just happen to catch them."

She's right. In fact it's hard to know how many trees are decorated along various Hill Country highways, given that no one keeps statistics on such things. Decorators themselves rarely come forward, content to simply see the trees as they make their way through the holidays, developing ways to keep ornaments and garland on trees exposed to the weatherãespecially wind created both by nature and passing cars. Some will even do mid season repairs to their tree after a particularly gusty day.

Wild Christmas trees are simple, random acts of holiday spirit by individuals and families. You never know where you'll find them. Some roadways will have dozens of wild Christmas trees; others won't have a single one. Some trees are decorated year after year, then one year they are back to being simple evergreens at Christmas. You can't help but wonder what happened. Did the tree grow too tall over the spring to decorate when winter arrived? Or, in the age where people move around so often, might they have lost their Christmas family?

As more and more of the Hill Country becomes populated with urban transplants filled with a love for the rolling hills and scrub, it seems likely there will be no end to the tradition of wild Christmas trees.

When asked how long she intends to decorate a wild tree, Masters had a simple answer. "Forever. We really like decorating the trees on the side of the road. It seems more fun than doing our own indoor trees. With this tree we share the holiday spirit with everyone."