Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Happy Holidays

Best wishes to all over the holiday season from PHR. This time of year has much meaning for all. For me it is about Christmas. I would like to share a story from long ago and far away.
 
My Favorite Christmas Tree
 
A Family Yuletide Tale
It was the dawn of the 60’s - the space age, where cars emulated rocket ships, dinners were made for TV, and baby formula was thought to outfox mothers’ milk. It was as if the future of the world rested on the shoulders of lab coats with pen pocket protectors. It was the era of better living through chemistry. As if technology would do all and save all. So why not an artificial christmas tree? No messy needles and sap, and at the end of one season it could be boxed and saved for the next. No pine smell: No problem, it could be replaced by a spray- you could have as much or as little as you say.
our tree was bright and shiny as could be. It was made of metal, you see.Its rotating light shined blue, green, red and white. But somehow it just wasn’t right. Perhaps it was how pathetic it looked in broad daylight.For mother, father, brother and I a silent uneasiness grew. Then on the eve of the Christmas celebration came a wondrous revelation.
We needed a real tree.
Mom fretted our opportunity was spent. But dad grabbed the keys, and off we went. There at the lot stood a large dump truck overflowing with tree, with busy men scurrying about, as if they had someplace better to be. To our hope, first the first, then the second harrumphed: “No! No! No!” Mom slumped. Dad was stumped. Then up in the truck among trees, appeared a man with a round belly and a jolly big grin. He pulled up one then another, to the joy of me and my brother.  As dad persisted, mom resisted as she went into a deepening state of embarrassment.
 Don and I watched and wondered, mouths wide enough ajar to catch a falling star. Then came a tree, straight and tall. To us (quite close to the ground) this tree upon trees seemed to reach up without bound. Then there were glances exchanged that rang clear as a bell. That this tree would do quite well.
By persisting in gifting, dad was pleased in the end to have paid twice as much as he planned - for this treasure as grand as all the gold, frankincense and myrrh in the land. Then off we scurried in quite a hurry, to home and to bed, just before the landing of the reindeer and the sled. There on Christmas morn stood the tree in its simple splendor adorned
This was definitely my favorite Christmas tree.
 
John Heil 
 

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