THE CHRISTMAS TREE

photo credit:www.usa.um.dk
Memory tag: From a story read in a beautiful school text, to the many Christmas and trees in my life.

It was a story that I read long ago as a child in a school textbook. It has remained with me ever since. This approaching yuletide season seems to be just right time to share it with you! In a forest like the ones we have around us in Shillong, grew pine trees. There were pine trees of all sizes and shapes. The young and not so tall ones longed to be like their elders. They longed to be able to look above the forest. They longed to see the ships and sea and travel far beyond the forest. The birds that played and stayed among their branches brought stories of lands far and near. Of how people decorated their trees at Christmas time, of how they wore glowing candles and stars. What splendid dreams these winged dream merchants wove, till every young tree longed to be chosen as a Christmas tree. Christmas seasons came and went, but no one ever seemed to want a particular little tree. It sighed and longed to be grown up!

Then one December morning a father with his young son came to choose a tree. The young tree held its breath. Would it get chosen? And finally, they seemed to be pointing in its direction! But, it did hurt to be cut down! But it kept a manly silence. It, after all was going to be a Christmas tree ! At their home the whole family came out to greet it! How they admired its strong branches and beautiful and bright green foliage! Our tree felt so very proud! The family brought out their decorations - the burnished old ones , the important shiny new  and in a little while the  tree was transformed!! It wished it could see itself! A small child climbed up to put the final touch - a golden star! Garlands of lights wove in and out of its branches. When each person came to hide presents under its branches, it felt it would burst with pride!  How it pitied the others left behind in the forest! Then Christmas came went among fun, frolic, carols and merrymaking. Life, for the tree seemed one unending joy ride!

Till one day it was rudely shaken out of its Eldorado. Impatient hands pulled out the decorations once put on with so much care. It hurt when leaves and small branches snapped in their rude hurry. Then it was dragged into the open - the sunlight seemed terribly bright after being indoors for so long. It was dragged across the cobblestoned pathway and thrown into the old potting shed! The doors closed out the world outside. Its only companions were the rats at night. They resurrected ghosts of trees of Christmas' past but the young trees refused to believe life could be so cruel.

Then spring came! The doors were opened and the whole world seemed to be singing new songs. The tree felt a new surge of hope. How could anything go wrong in spring? Yet it was mercilessly dragged out. Its crowning star was wrenched off and the tree was left out to its fate. Its green branches became dry, brown and finally bare.

Did all Christmas trees end up like this, wondered the tree in anguish.  Why had it ever wanted to leave its home in the forest and become a Christmas tree? Was being a Christmas tree just Cinderella liberty?  Or was it there to herald tidings of comfort and joy at the stoke of midnight - when all the world would sing with the angels, 'Noel, Noel, Born is the king of Israel'?