By MADDY VITALE and DONALD WITTKOWSKI
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
How lovely are your branches … on the beach to see!
Actually, the opening lines to the classic Christmas tree song make no mention about the beach.
But in Ocean City and Sea Isle City, anyone who wishes to enjoy the holiday majesty of decorated Christmas trees – and maybe to sing about them, too – need only to stroll out on the beaches to see them in their full glory.
In Ocean City, there are many beach Christmas trees, including the North Street Tree. It is believed to be the first beach tree of recent years. It was put up by Sue McElwee and her family, back in 2019.
Sue McElwee’s beach tree tradition quickly turned into a tradition for thousands of families. Not only has her tree been the source of gatherings by visitors and residents alike in the north end of town, but it has united a community from just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and throughout it to now.
“The most heartwarming thing I’ve heard this year from many families and people is that it is now their tradition to visit the North Street tree,” McElwee, of Ocean City, said in an interview Saturday. “I guess this means I have to do it forever now. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
McElwee’s husband Mike, and her children, Michael, 16, Maddox, 13, Mason, 11, and 7-year-old daughter, Harlow, enjoy the tree during quiet times, visiting during sunset or early morning.
The McElwees leave markers and shells for visitors to write their names, messages and to remember and honor lost loved ones.
This year, Sue McElwee said thousands of shells were churned up thanks to some coastal storms.
“The reaction from children as they are walking over is magical,” she said of the trees. “The stories I hear from people about what it means to them to make a shell for a loved one makes it so worth it.”
Sue McElwee’s idea to place a tree on the North Street beach gave other residents the motivation to create their own tradition on other beaches on the island.
In 2020 there were a couple trees, the McElwees’ family tree and one on 55th Street by Melanie Stampone.
Since then, other trees have been dotting Ocean City beaches, all with their own themes.
There are plenty of them, including a Whale Tree on Ninth Street, Military Tree on 11th Street, a memoriam Pet Tree at 21st Street, a Driftwood Tree at 40th Street and a Peace Tree at 41st Street, among others.
But what did Sue McElwee think about how she inspired others to create a family tradition for a community?
“I love that other people appreciate the simple things like a tree on a beach and that it has inspired others,” McElwee said. “I really can’t believe how many are popping up and how it took off.”
The Military Tree on 11th Street was inspired by Kathy Darrow and her husband, Dave Darrow, of Ocean City and Oaklyn, N.J., in 2021 to honor and show respect for the military. Their son, Noah Darrow, is in the Army National Guard.
Kathy Darrow passed away in November of 2022. Her husband and family continue to put up the tree each year in her memory.
“It was her idea to help people so they can have a memorial for their loved ones in the military,” Dave Darrow said.
Over the years, the tree has created so much happiness for its visitors, Darrow said.
“The tree has been a joy to so many people and a blessing for us as well,” he said. “I don’t mind sharing the story so that more people can know about the tree and visit if they wish. “It is an honor to carry on Kathy Darrow’s Christmas tree tradition on the beach in Ocean City.”
While the tree is to honor the military, it has also become a memorial for the person who started it, Kathy Darrow.
“Since my wife was always about helping people, I want to continue this tradition so that it can continue to bring joy to many people,” Darrow said. “That was her whole idea of having the tree there,” he said. “I think from the feedback I’ve been getting for the past couple of years, that idea has done just that.”
In Sea Isle, Christmas trees have been planted in the sand at 44th Street and 72nd Street.
Starting in 2020, Shannon and Nick Giordano and their three children have brought joy to their hometown community of Sea Isle by decorating a tree on 44th Street that has come to symbolize hope and inspiration during the holidays amid the grimness of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Giordanos hope that this year’s Christmas tree – as the others had done during the pandemic – will serve as a source of joy and inspiration in the community during the holidays.
“It is the main reason for putting the tree up,” Nick Giordano said in an interview shortly after the family placed the 7-foot-tall Nordmann fir on the beach in early December.
All five members of the Giordano family pitch in to anchor the tree in the sand, including the children, Gracelynn, 10, Giovanni, 8, and Vincenzo, 7. Shannon Giordano noted that the kids were eager to help decorate the tree this year.
When the pandemic raged in 2020, the Giordanos decided to decorate a tree at 44th Street to provide some simple holiday cheer. Little did they know at the time just how spiritually uplifting the tree would become for their entire hometown.
Word of the beach tree quickly spread through the community and on social media. Inspired by such a powerful symbol of the holidays, residents and tourists began visiting it, as if making a pilgrimage, to add to the decorations that the Giordanos had placed on it.
On 72nd Street in Sea Isle, the Christmas tree on the beach has become known as the “Tree of Remembrance. This is the second year in a row that members of the Bologno family have planted a tree at 72nd Street.
For Joe Bologno and his sisters, Debbie Brennan and Trish Jackson, the tree commemorates their late parents, Thomas and Maureen Bologno, who had lived in Sea Isle at 72nd Street.
The tree also symbolizes the community spirit in Sea Isle.
“The tree is for the beauty and spirit of friendship for all of Sea Isle City and our neighbors on 72nd Street,” the Bologno family said in a statement. “It is also in memory of our family members who have passed, Thomas and Maureen Bologno, and recently our dear Paul Allegretto.”
Paul Allegretto was the husband of Trish Jackson, who works as a tourism representative for Sea Isle City.
Joe Bologno’s wife, Cheryl, and Debbie Brennan’s husband, Joe, were also involved with the planting of the Christmas tree on the 72nd Street beach, a location that brings joy to Sea Isle’s neighbors in the south end of town.
Topped by a gold star, the tree is illuminated so that it will serve as a beacon of light to people walking on the beach at night.
