NIGHT & DAY

wednesday 9
Every year you go out and pay too much money for the same thing: A real smelly green Christmas tree. You decorate it with the same tired old ornaments, shiny tinsel, and twinkling lights. The whole setup looks spectacular for about a day until the cat attempts to rip the angel off the top and the dog starts snacking on the candy canes. Christmas is just a few weeks away, and already you're nauseated from the pungent smell of pine pervading the house, and sick of looking at the pointy pine needles littering your living room floor. Before you give the family pets away to the local shelter and take out a blowtorch to set the tree ablaze, maybe you should calm down and pay a visit to the Festival of the Trees. Sponsored by FIU's interior design program, the festival is actually an exhibition featuring an array of imaginative Christmas trees dreamed up by several of South Florida's most innovative designers. What may lift your spirits: festive creations made of neon, metal, and more, that celebrate the holiday with a wink. The fest runs from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily through December 30 at One Brickell Square, 801 Brickell Ave. Admission is free. Call 305-348-7771.