Belford Seasonal Tree Show Goes On

wouldn't let a triple bypass surgery last spring deter him from dressing up the tree hollow outside his home for the winter.

The photography instructor, who underwent the complex, six-hour cardiac operation in March, says that he's just scaled back the "Christmas Village" now showcased inside the heart-shaped hollow for this season.

"Every year we've embellished it a little more," Sherman said. "This year things have been a little tight financially, so we're keeping it simple."

From now until Valentine's Day, a pair of smiling, luminous snowmen will greet pedestrians and motorists going by the Sherman home, located at the intersection of East Road and Route 36 in the Belford section of .

Sporting halos, scarves and mittens, the brightly shining snowmen illuminate a Currier and Ives-like winter scene. Strings of plastic snowflakes and white icicle lights complete the picture.

"We'll leave it there until right before Valentine's Day," Sherman said.

Even after eight years of adorning the hollow, Sherman and his wife Penny still enjoy hearing delighted passersby admire the rotating seasonal displays inside the tree trunk outside their more than-200-year-old home.

"The Christmas Village is one of the most popular ones we do," said Sherman who, along with Penny, has been filling the hole with various arrangements of winter, spring, summer, and fall (Halloween) decorations over the years.

"When we discovered the hollow, we figured we would do something with it instead of just leaving it as a big hole," he said. "We started decorating it as a seasonal thing."

When motorists line up for the nearby traffic signal at East Road and Route 36, they often glance over and look twice at the decor which often features small strings of lights around the hollow.

"It's very entertaining for people who stop at the light on the highway," Sherman said. "It gives them something to look at while waiting for the light to change."

"Sometimes when we're decorating, people will stop and ask us about it," he added. "We've had a lot of positive feedback."

As Sherman looks back at his surgery, the hollow's heart shape fits in with what he went through during and after the lengthy operation at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune. He has resumed many of his regular activities including freelance photography and art.

"That's all behind me now," Sherman said of the heart surgery.

Thanks to the post-operative outpatient rehabilitation at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, Sherman says his heart is filled with gratitude to his doctors and staff in both hospitals.

"When I graduated from the rehab, they actually gave me a certificate," he said.

In keeping with his physicians' advice, the photography and art instructor at New York's Parsons School of Design is exercising and stepping up his physical activity. As a commuter, he walks to the school after leaving mass transit.

Each time the Shermans change the decor, they must come up with a way to anchor the decorations within the hollow which measures about 18 by 20 inches.

The hole also goes all the way to the inside bark of the tree's exterior and leaves a big gap vertically down into the trunk, Sherman explained.

For the snowmen, Sherman has placed white styrofoam to act as a pedestal or table supporting the figures. The styrofoam also doubles as a snowscape.

"One of the fun things is figuring out how to rig up the pedestal so it acts as a table inside," Sherman said.  

In the spring, the Shermans use mesh to hold a floral display in place. In the summer, a blue sheet of plastic or cloth acts as ocean-like background for the Finding Nemo-themed aquarium in the hollow.

While the snowmen are eye-catching, Sherman believes the Halloween display tops all his creations.

By tossing a disembodied pair of legs, sporting work pants and rubber boots, into the hollow, the Shermans saw walkers and drivers alike slowing down or stopping to gawk. It looks like someone fell into the tree trunk. Only the legs are visible from outside of the trunk

"The is always very popular," Sherman said.

Like its owner, the tree, which Sherman suspects is a maple, has had a tumultous last year too.

"It's been through , snowstorms, an , but it's still here," Sherman said. "But nothing stops the tree."

The Shermans future designs include a display of Valentine's Day hearts next month and a large beer can in March for St. Patrick's Day.