In celebration of both the holidays and literacy, Prince Edward High School’s library has become the home to a 6-foot-tall Bookmas Tree, constructed entirely of books.

According to Librarian Melody Ramsey, the idea to construct a Bookmas tree was born when she saw the idea on Pinterest.

Ramsey said she thought that the Bookmas Tree was very appropriate for a library.

“I talked to my independent study student Serena Hurt, and we decided we would do one,” Ramsey said.
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Hurt, along with the help of another student, constructed the tree in about 50 minutes.

She said the tree is completely made up of books and there is no frame. “We had to figure out how to construct the tree so that it didn’t cave in,” said Ramsey.

In order to build the tree, Ramsey said larger books had to be used as a base to support the tree. In addition, she said they tried to choose books that went along with the holiday color scheme.

Hurt, a senior at the high school, said when Ramsey first approached her with the idea of creating the tree she was not familiar with the concept.

“She told me to look it up online, so I looked it up. I just fell in love with it,” Hurt said.

Ramsey said the tree was constructed on Dec. 4, and so far there have been no problems. The finishing touches were later added to the tree, including lights and a hand-made star. Ramsey said the entire tree is completely homemade.

“I wish I had three more years [at Prince Edward] back again so I could do this again,” Hurt said.

So far, the Bookmas Tree has received lots of positive feedback, said Ramsey. “We’re very proud of our first Bookmas Tree and hope to do it again in the coming years,” she said.