Helen is an excellent and
enthusiastic seasonal decorator. Christmas has always been her favorite time
for decorating, but when we moved from a large house to a small condo 18 months
ago, she bravely gave up our big Christmas tree and a lot of decorations.
Still, I had to hang as
many shelves as possible on the walls of our narrow one-car condo garage to accommodate
the remaining decorations. Yesterday I took down 16 boxes—some large, some not
quite as large--and a wreath.
16 is actually a smaller number
than last year. We learned in our first condo Christmas that some things were
not necessary. We did add one thing last year, though, and Helen has been very
brave about accepting it, in part because last year and this year, we did not
host Christmas, for the first times, but instead go to daughter Katie’s house. She
has a really big tree.
Anyway, I thought it wise
to write a poem about our new condo Christmas tree, in honor of Helen’s
gracious acceptance of a smaller Christmas. It’s not long, but you can sing it…
ODE TO A TWO-FOOT K-MART CHRISTMAS
TREE
O Christmas tree, O
Christmas tree
How shortened are your branches.
You stand upon a table
round
You’re much too short to
be on the ground
Your ornaments do not make
a sound
Gifts beneath you cannot
be found
O Christmas tree, O
Christmas tree
How shortened are your
branches
O Christmas tree, O
Christmas tree
Forever short your
stature.
But your tiny lights bring
large delight
We smile when you are in our
sight
O Christmas tree, O
Christmas tree
Size is no measure of
pleasure
John Robert McFarland
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