It’s a long-held tradition for children to visit Santa to tell jolly old St. Nick what they want for Christmas.

Many Illinois Valley residents of a certain age remember going to Bergner’s to tell someone else: a talking Christmas tree.

The original tree first appeared at Peoria’s Sheridan Village store in 1966 to draw in customers, according to a 2020 Peoria Journal Star article. The original design was a white pyramid with white garland and colored ornaments. A dozen other stores had similar setups, according to the article.

On the inside, the tree had angled mirrors that allowed an employee to see a child standing in front of the tree. The only moving part, the tree’s mouth, was operated by a pull of a string inside, according to the article.

Urban Artifacts, an antique store in Peoria, has displayed one of the trees the last few Christmas seasons. In 2021, owners Jon and Angie Walker received a call from someone who had kept an original tree in storage for years. They offered to donate it to their store, which has been open 15 years and sells many antiques with local ties.

“It has become a tradition for a lot of families to stop by and show their kids,” Walker said. “It’s a stagnant display as we don’t have anyone inside talking but everyone loves it regardless.”

Bergner’s in Peru opened in 1974 and closed in 2018. It’s unclear when the store first displayed a tree, but it’s believed the Peru store had a tree through the 1980s.

The tree will be on display beginning Friday at the store, 925 N. Sheridan Road, Peoria

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