(Here is a small holiday gift to each of our clients - we hope you enjoy what may someday become a true holiday classic!)
By Bill Kugelberg
Big Timber had never felt so alone.
It was Christmas Eve, and as a Christmas tree, he knew he belonged in a nice warm house. A house with children dreaming of Santa’s return with hopes of getting all that they had wished for. With cookies and milk sitting on the table, Big Timber would also be anxiously awaiting for Santa to arrive.
Since he was a small sapling on the tree farm, Big Timber had heard the stories about Christmas Eve. It was, they said, the proudest moment any Christmas tree would have.
With ornaments and lights hanging from his branches, Big Timber had dreamed of the day when the tree topper would be placed on his highest point. He had thought about it thousands of time – and he knew it would be his proudest moment.
And each year, The Man would walk through the rows of Christmas trees at the tree farm and look at Big Timber and say, “Just a few more years, then you’ll be ready.”
Finally those years had passed and Big Timber was removed from the tree farm by The Man and placed on the truck for a journey he’d always been looking towards.
As he stood at the Christmas tree lot, on Christmas Eve, Big Timber knew he wasn’t the best looking tree. He’d always had a few brown spots – and he knew he was missing some branches – but surely someone would see how proud he was to be a Christmas tree.
Just a few days ago, a family had looked him over and was just about to tell The Man they wanted Big Timber until they saw another tree. He knew how close he was to all that he had dreamed about, and he had hope that his day of lights and ornaments would soon arrive.
It was getting close to night time on this Christmas Eve and he knew The Man would soon be closing up his Christmas tree lot. Big Timber wondered who would want a Christmas tree on Christmas Day? He had never heard stories about trees that didn’t get a Christmas home – and he wondered if he would be the first.
Big Timber watched as the cars drove past the Christmas tree lot and The Man began to pack up his truck for the drive back to the Christmas tree farm. And as he wondered again about being a Christmas tree without a Christmas home, a car drove onto the Christmas tree lot.
And as the Driver got out of the car holding the hand of a Little Girl, Big Timber knew that this was his chance to find his Christmas tree home. The Driver and the Little Girl began to talk to The Man and this is what Big Timber heard.
“Merry Christmas,” said The Man. “How can I help you tonight.”
“My daughter and I have been looking for a Christmas tree all day, and she can’t seem to find the one she wants,” said the Driver.
“I don’t have many trees to pick from,” said The Man, as he pointed to Big Timber. “This one here is all I’ve got. You’re welcome to him if he’s the one you want.”
“Daddy, can you take me close to him so I can see him,” said the Little Girl. “I’m hoping he’s the one I’ve been looking for.”
The Daddy took the Little Girl’s hand and walked her right up next to Big Timber. She pulled off her gloves and began to run her hands through Big Timber’s branches – feeling how full of Christmas spirit he was. Then she got right in Big Timber’s branches and gave him a big hug!
It was then that Big Timber realized the Little Girl wasn’t able to see how big he was – the Little Girl’s eyes weren’t working like the rest of the families who had come to see him. She had run her hands over his bare spots and his brown spots and she didn’t seem to mind.
“This is the one, Daddy!” she shouted. “This is the one I’ve been looking for!”
“How do you know, honey?” he asked.
“I can feel how proud he is to be a Christmas tree – can’t you see?”
“Yes, honey, I can,” said the Daddy.
So the Dad paid The Man and helped load Big Timber onto the top of his car. Big Timber had never been prouder – he was finally going to be a Christmas tree in a Christmas home!
Once at home, the Daddy and the Little Girl stood Big Timber up in their kitchen and placed beautiful ornaments and lights on his branches. They sang beautiful Christmas songs and drank hot chocolate well into the night. And when they placed the tree topper on Big Timber’s highest branch, this was the proudest moment of his Christmas tree life.
Finally, when they were all done, the Little Girl asked her Daddy a question.
“Daddy, since this is our tree’s first night in our house, can I sleep underneath his branches,” she asked, with a ray of hope in her voice.
“I don’t know honey, Santa is coming tonight and I’m not sure what he would think if he saw you there,” said the Daddy.
“I won’t wake up and if I do, I’ll keep my eyes closed real tight,” she said.
Big Timber had never heard of a little girl sleeping under a Christmas tree’s branches on Christmas Eve. Surely, this had never happened before, he thought, feeling even prouder to be a Christmas tree.
“I guess you can,” said the Daddy. “But I’ll check on you through the night, just in case you need anything.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you Daddy!” said the Little Girl as she spun in a circle.
The Daddy and the Little Girl made her a little bed of blankets and pillows right near the bottom of Big Timber’s trunk. She then put her head down and covered herself up. And even though Big Timber knew the Little Girl couldn’t see his branches, he knew she could feel his Christmas spirit.
And as the Little Girl faded off to sleep with visions of Santa’s return in her head, Big Timber was the proudest Christmas tree he had ever been in his Christmas tree life.
The End