The Christmas Tree

Once, there was a Christmas tree, fresh, green, and sweet smelling,
newly cut and brought proudly into a loving home.

But the Christmas tree didn't know that...

And then lights, and ornaments, and tinsel, and candy canes
slowly began appearing on the Christmas tree,
bringing it color, bringing it beauty, bringing it to life,
each ornament a new experience, a new lesson learned.

And the Christmas tree began to feel, and live, and be proud...

And when all the ornaments and other trimmings had appeared on the tree,
and there were no bare spots the Christmas tree was complete,
and it was alive and it shined and sparkled.

And the Christmas tree was content...

But after a while, ornaments and tinsel and candy canes began to disappear,
and bare spaces began to show through the glitter and the beauty.

And the Christmas tree was unnerved and puzzled...

And as more and more ornaments and tinsel and candy canes were no longer there,
and more and more bare spots began to show through,
the tree became aware that there was something very wrong.

And the Christmas tree was frightened...

As time went on, the bare places became more of the tree than the glitter that had been there.
and the tree began to forget more and more of its past glories
more and more of its experiences and the lessons it had learned.

And the Christmas tree began to lose its shine and withdraw into itself...

Then there came a day when there were no more ornaments or tinsel or candy canes left on the tree.
It was bare again, but not so new, not so green, not so sweet.
And it didn't shine and sparkle.

But the Christmas tree didn't know that...

by Alan Holbrook, Age 63, Groton, MA