These beach-themed Christmas trees made in SC have a wait list. Here’s why they’re in such demand

Eleanor Nash
·3 min read

For those who love the South Carolina coast, Christina Bowman Roberts’ pottery trees bring holiday memories of Pawleys Island.

Roberts remembered customers who purchased her trees for sick loved ones.

“They can’t make the trip anymore so they want to give them a tree to remind them of their vacation spot,” she said.

The connection with her customers keeps Roberts going.

“That’s why I put all that extra detail on it,” she said.

For the last five years, the self-taught potter has created beach-inspired clay tabletop trees. Made by hand in her backyard studio, Roberts’ trees sell quickly when she posts them on her Facebook and Instagram accounts.

“I don’t even own a tree, because I end up selling every single one I make every year,” Roberts said.

As of mid-November, Roberts had a wait list of 60 in her green notebook and will sculpt up to 120 trees this year. She started making them in August and will continue until all of the orders are filled, possibly through February.

A graphic designer by trade, the longtime Pawleys resident began teaching herself pottery 10 years ago.

“I can’t imagine not making pottery now, honestly, because it’s something that you’re like, every single day, you’re going to learn something completely different,” she said.

Outside of the classic Pawleys Island tree, Roberts also sculpts unique designs like mermaid tail trees and ones covered all over in seahorses or turtles.

Pawley’s Island artist Christina Bowman Roberts crafts pottery and wood burnings taking cues from the local environment. Her recent work includes pottery Christmas trees, mermaid tail trees and shell ornaments. The artist’s work is sold at Sand + Sea Beach Co. in Litchfield Beach, S.C., S.C. September, 21, 2023.
Pawley’s Island artist Christina Bowman Roberts crafts pottery and wood burnings taking cues from the local environment. Her recent work includes pottery Christmas trees, mermaid tail trees and shell ornaments. The artist’s work is sold at Sand + Sea Beach Co. in Litchfield Beach, S.C., S.C. September, 21, 2023.

On a rainy September afternoon, Roberts’ compact outdoor studio was a cozy respite. With a flickering apple cinnamon bun candle, a TV showing a beach scene and tools organized on pegboards, Roberts demonstrated how she creates the “sea-sonal trees,” as she called them, which take about one-and-a-half hours to make.

Starting with a pie-shaped piece of clay, Roberts decorated each with a texture pattern — like waves and dots that can represent dunes, sand or water splashing. Roberts pressed shell designs into the clay using a starfish her late father gave her and a shell her daughter found on Pawleys Island.

Then she attaches 12-18 clay Pawleys Island shells to the base, scoring both the tree and the shell to make sure they stick. This grooved shell is said to only be found on the island’s beaches and bring blessings.

Roberts poked holes in the trees so colored light from a small LED could shine through.

The illumination adds a holiday flair, though people tend to keep the trees up year round, she said. After multiple glazings and firings, the trees are ready for their new homes.

Pawley’s Island artist Christina Bowman Roberts crafts pottery and wood burnings taking cues from the local environment. Her recent work includes pottery Christmas trees, mermaid tail trees and shell ornaments. The artist’s work is sold at Sand + Sea Beach Co. in Litchfield Beach, S.C., S.C. September, 21, 2023.
Pawley’s Island artist Christina Bowman Roberts crafts pottery and wood burnings taking cues from the local environment. Her recent work includes pottery Christmas trees, mermaid tail trees and shell ornaments. The artist’s work is sold at Sand + Sea Beach Co. in Litchfield Beach, S.C., S.C. September, 21, 2023.

“It’s not a perfectly carved, stamped type piece. It’s a little bit gnarly like the ocean and it’s got the soft, kind of muted colors that remind you of the sand and the broken water,” Roberts said.

With all the care Roberts puts into her pieces, she likes learning where her one-of-a-kind art ends up. The trees are meant to last a lifetime, and if not, she has even replaced a tree knocked over by a customer’s dog.

“I try to make things that are heirloom quality for people. If you’re gonna spend the money on a piece of pottery … you want that person to have an emotional connection to it and want to pass it down to their kids,” Roberts said.

Christina Bowman Roberts’ artwork is sold on her Facebook page and at Sand + Sea Beach Co. near Pawleys Island. Her small pottery trees sell for $55 and the large ones for $90.