A Christmas Story...

Below is a piece that I wrote in 1991 for my school's section of the Augusta Chronicle. I thought I would share it with you all on today, Christmas Eve some 14 years later. (Gosh I am getting old...)

One Christmas will be forever firm in my mind. My family had splurged on a live tree, an item we could scarce afford.

And while it was in our home, we nurtured it with love and water, as it watched over our gifts with its evergreen eyes.

On Christmas morning, it shared in our joy, our laughter, our hope. The next day, we carefully removed the lights and ornaments from our new evergreen friend, and with loving kindness my father and I set about placing him in the frozen ground. Through that long winter we watered and cared for our friend.

But when spring came, our friend no longer received the love and needed water from us. We no long cared for him; we lost that Christmas spirit that brought him the water. Spring fever had replaced the love with a busy anxiousness and many errands that did not include care for the evergreen tree.

And as another harsh Georgia summer drought came, the tree became brown and wilted under the sweltering summer heat. Our evergreen friend was dying.

But when the fall came the tree slowly began its healing, shedding the brown needles and soaking up the autumn rain. As Christmas approached, the evergreen needles exploded once again and our pine guardian stood watch over the frozen dead yard we call home.

And we lavished in his love, placing tiny white strings of popcorn on his branches. And he embraced the birds, who sought a reprieve from the harsh winter in his glorious branches.

We are all like this Christmas tree. Through the rest of the year we deprive ourselves of the water of kindness that Christmas brings. And so we wilt and begin to die.

But Christmas brings us the magic back. We explode into that special spirit that makes Christmas so celebrated.