Mr. Christmas Tree Spreads Cheer

BEL AIR, MD — As Christmas draws to a close, so does the fourth season for the man known as "Mr. Christmas Tree." Tommy Liberto said he took hundreds of photos with people around the East Coast this year in his seasonal getup, which he refreshes each December.

Liberto designed his costume out of a real evergreen. Weighing more than 40 pounds, it is mounted on a backpack that he can take off and carry with a handle when he’s taking public transportation.

Mobility is important to Mr. Christmas Tree, the traveling one-man show. This month alone, he journeyed through Philadelphia, New York City, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., among other places.

“My job is making people smile,” said Liberto, who does not get paid to play his character. “The Christmas tree thing makes Christmas fun for me."

During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Liberto spreads holiday cheer, hitting holiday destinations from parades to parties and everywhere in between. Patch caught up with him in his hometown of Bel Air, Maryland, where he nearly upstaged the town's tree at its annual Christmas tree lighting.

“I'm making people laugh in the street, laugh in their cars...I’m making people laugh and smile all over the place, and it feels good," said Liberto, who carries a squeaker to use in case people miss him blending into the surroundings. "I’m giving back through my artwork.”

When he’s not playing Mr. Christmas Tree, Liberto works as a stagehand in D.C. and is writing a screenplay.

He says he tried doing stand-up but feels more in his element outdoors.

“I think outside the box, and I perform outside the box also,” Liberto said. “I do much better outside.”
Mr. Christmas Tree gets a “lot more smiles and laughter" than a stand-up routine, he said.

Last week, he was in Philadelphia. “I’ve been stopped nonstop," Liberto said. "One after the other, people get in line [for selfies]."

"I’ve been making people smile all my life,” Liberto told Patch. He said he was the class clown as a student, attending C. Milton Wright High School in Bel Air.

After a stint in the Army and joining the work force, he said he had not taken a vacation in 10 years when a friend invited him to a music festival a few years ago.

“He encouraged me to come out to a show," Liberto recalled. "And people will wear things they wouldn’t normally wear in everyday society at a festival. So I took my costumes with me."

In his various foliage-inspired outfits, Liberto could easily scare unsuspecting campers at festivals.

"My grass suit is viciously good," he said. "People loved what I was doing with that, and I’d get them in on helping me sneak up to the next campsite."

While he does have a GoFundMe campaign for his travels, Liberto says Mr. Christmas Tree is about giving back. “It is a labor of love,” Liberto said. "There’s a highlight every few moments."

During warmer months, Liberto said he still travels around the East Coast to music festivals. He works behind the scenes and keeps multiple costumes on hand to entertain.

"I love what I do. It makes my life much more worth living,” said Liberto, who struggles with depression. “I really have a bigger support network, I’ve made friends...and I have ‘frans,’” he said, of those who are a cross between fans and friends. "It’s a bit more personal.”

No matter how many times they see him, Liberto said of Mr. Christmas Tree: "People never get used to it."

Check out this video of him surprising people near Baltimore's Inner Harbor:

Main photo by Elizabeth Janney.