Today I was blessed to be able to share a story with a young lady about one of my Christmas trees from years ago. There have been trees in my many years. I remember one as a child that will always stand out in my mind.
My Daddy went out into the country and dug up a very small tree. He brought it home. He then filled an old tin coffee can with soil and planted the tree in it. My mother put an old white sheet around the bottom for the skirt which covered the can. Then we popped popcorn in a skillet. Yes, I did say skillet not a bag or popcorn maker. With cake coloring it is amazing how you can change the color of popcorn. After the popcorn cooled, my mother made strings of it by using a sewing needle and tread. We wrapped that around the tree. I make a paper angel and attached it to the top. We painted a few pine cones that we had found and hung them on the tree with safety pins. Since my Daddy was very afraid of fires, he attached one string of lights only which we could turn on just briefly.
As we received Christmas cards we attached them to the tree. This was a special tree. As a child, I was very proud of it. My sisters sent presents from the big city of St. Louis for me. They lay underneath and of course I had to shake them a time or two before Christmas morning. Do you know, I can not even remember anything about gifts that year but I will always remember the tree.
When Christmas was over my Daddy some how planted that tree in the front yard of our little rented house. He had a green thumb and loved to keep a beautiful yard. It was always mowed, had flowers, and a couple of wonderful shade trees. Each year that little Christmas tree grew bigger and bigger. He would trim it and keep it in beautiful shape.
When I was pregnant with my first child, he took a picture of me and my mother standing in front of that magnificent tree. I still have the old black and white picture. It is dear to my heart. That has been many years ago. It is a memory not of a gift but of one small something of good that I can remember my father doing for me on Christmas.
This holiday some may have beautiful large trees, lots of lights, fancy ornaments. and many gifts. Some trees may be real and smell of pine. Other trees may be artificial. Others may have no tree at all. Know matter if there is a tree or not, just remember that Christmas is about the love that we carry in our hearts. Like my Daddy who kept the little tree alive, my wish for you is that you keep the LOVE alive in your heart so that you can cherish that memory. May you always cherish the Memory and hold it near to your Heart!