He is 34 years old, but Alfredo Majuri Vargas lives Christmas with a childlike joy. That’s why every year, the Puerto Rican who works as a stage artist in one of the main theme parks of Orlando, combines his passion and professional skills to create a unique Christmas tree.
This year, the tree inspired by Disney’s film Moana, and Majuri Vargas originally created to decorate his home and for his friends to enjoy. But thanks to social media, his creation was spread far and wide.
“I did not expect it to reach so many people over the Internet,” said Majuri Vargas, a stage artist who lives in Clermont. He received messages from people from different countries like Mexico, Peru and India who were impressed and he even got requests for help decorating Christmas scenes.
Of all the messages he got, it was one phone call that made him emotional. “Someone sent it to my sister, who lives in Puerto Rico, and she called to tell me that her children were super excited when they saw the tree,” he said. Majuri moved to Central Florida in January 2004.
The artist has been creating special trees for since he was a little boy. Previous trees were inspired by Little Mermaid, It’s a Small World, World of Color [Disneyland night time show], and Mickey and Minnie among others.
Majuri Vargas began working on the tree in March; however, it was since the previous Christmas that he started thinking of making this year’s tree based on Moana.
“I loved the color and the story [of Moana], the concept of nature and her desire to restore and do something for nature,” said the artist who also confessed that he is very happy because through his tree he sends a message of hope and happiness to many people, especially in Puerto Rico, who will be experiencing a complicated holiday after Hurricane Maria.
Although he does not keep track of the hours he invested in completing the creation, Majuri Vargas explains that they were countless because of all the detail and the fact that he created most of the pieces that decorate the tree from scratch. He also has no idea how much it cost him since, as a professional artist, he already had many of the materials on hand.
“I try to use materials that I have used on another project and I try to go to stores when there are discounts and when the seasons pass and I then get all sorts of things,” he said.
Although the Christmas season is just beginning, Majuri Vargas is already thinking about the theme he will represent next year, but at the moment he does not want to reveal it. We will have to wait.