THE
LOVELIEST CHRISTMAS TREE OF ALL
By
Carol McKinney
|
Just
in case you didn't know, Christmas trees do talk.
Now that we understand each other, I will proceed
to tell you about my experience as a Christmas
tree.
The Christmas tree
lot down in the corner was full of beautiful trees,
of which I was by far the loveliest. All I had
to do was to convince some beauty-minded human
of my pulchritude.
Mr. Wright, an average-looking
businessman, and his young son Billy, stopped
in front of me. Billy began pulling the burrs
off my branches, and Mr. Wright remarked how skinny
I was. He was certainly no Charles Atlas himself.
After a few more
cutting remarks, Mr. Wright paid the man and lugged
me off to the family car.
On the way home the most embarrassing thing happened
to me. I fell out of the trunk, and right on Main
Streets, too. I've never been so humiliated!!
But, as I soon learned, the worst was yet to come.
Mr. Wright was a
kind, gentle man, but definitely not hep to this
carpentry jive. I've seen better legs on a newborn
colt than my stand had.
Now I'm sure there
must be an organized method for decorating us
Christmas Trees, but evidently the Wright family
hadn't been watching that popular T.V. program,
"How to Decorate Your Christmas Tree."
The heaviest lights went on my smallest branches.
All the red balls on the top, and all the silver
ones on the bottom To listen to the comments of
the family, you would have thought I was a real
evergreen beauty. It wasn't what I'd hoped for,
but I guess it was alright if you liked modern
art.
Christmas Eve, all
was quiet. Mr. and Mrs. Wright, alias Mr. and
Mrs. Santa Claus, had finished their rounds. Billy
and Susie were all safe in their beds, while visions
of bride dolls, space guns, and rockets danced
in their heads. Mopsy, the cocker spaniel terror,
tired of barking at my blinking lights, had settled
down before the fire.
I had hardly had
time to catch forty winks before the race was
on. Down the stairs tumbled Billy and Susie. I
thought I would be sprawled on the floor before
Billy got to his electric train. Mr. Wright must
have given up cigars for a year to buy his wife
that gold electric knife sharpener. Men give their
wives such useful gifts!!!
Well, it's New Year's
Eve now, and all us Christmas trees are celebrating
out here in the trash pile. The Von Hoffenburg's
tree claims that he was the most elegant of all,
and the indignant Martin tree insists that a photographer
from House Beautiful photographed him for next
year's Christmas issue. Well, let them bicker.
I know I was the loveliest tree of all, even with
my bits of tarnished tinsel and strands of angel
hair. I am truly a beautiful Christmas tree.
|
|
|
|
|
|
