A Christmass Tree Tale

A Christmass Tree Tale

Once upon a time in a forest far away lived, as you might expect, trees.

These trees however talked to one another and in particular about a strange custom of the humans. It was said that once a year the humans would take a tree and put it into their houses. Not only that, but they would decorate it with lights, baubles and all sorts of other stuff as well.  No one really believed this story; it was just too silly for words. However, once a year some of the trees did disappear and never came back.

One year, when it was cold and snowy and the winter had just begun a man came with a big fork and a big spade.  He looked at the trees and then went to one and started digging at the roots.  He did not take the tree out or cut it down but left it there overnight. The tree felt very strange, a bit like being a wobbly tooth.

The next day the man came back again and this time he had a wheelbarrow and his fork and spade. He dug around the tree some more and then lifted, pulled and tugged until the tree came right out of the ground.  He then put the tree in his wheelbarrow and set off out of the forest.

“Well” - “this is very strange” thought the tree. “Could this be true?” “Surely not! I just cannot believe humans would take a tree from the forest to put in their houses.” “It is just an old tree tale.”

However, this is exactly what happened next. The tree was placed in a huge tub then taken indoors and right into the main room of the house.

The tree felt very strange. He missed the chill of the night air and the song of the birds and missed being with the other trees.

One day the children came with two big brown boxes and very excited faces. They pulled out of the boxes all sorts of decorations, silvery tinsel, baubles and pretty chains. They spent hours decorating the tree. “Well,” thought the tree, “so it is true after all.”

Now the tree began to feel very special and enjoyed being the centre of attraction.  Many people came around to the house and all of them said what a lovely tree, it is so pretty with all those lights. Gradually over the next few days a huge pile of odd shaped parcels and boxes were placed by the tree. Sometimes they even sang a special song to the tree, ‘O Christmass tree, O Christmass tree...’

“This is so much better than my other life and I never want to go back to that forest and the cold night air again,” thought the tree.

Then one day the children came with the big brown boxes and began to take off all the decorations.

“What's happening now” thought the tree. He shivered because without all the decorations and the lights he suddenly felt cold.

Then the man came, picked up the tree and took it back outside and put it into his wheelbarrow and went to the bottom of the garden.

He lifted the tree out of the pot and placed it in a great big hole he had dug.

However, the tree had been inside too long, and had been so near the fire and had not been kept well-watered. Slowly the tree died.

One day the man came with his spade, fork and wheelbarrow to dig up the tree and burn it.

However, as he came close he noticed that the tree had lost many its branches except for some part way down on either side.

The tree looked a bit like a man standing with arms outstretched and head dropped down.

The man stopped and scratched his chin, pushed his hat onto the back of his head and said. “Now that does remind me of something but I am not quite sure what. Perhaps until I can remember I will leave the tree as it is.”