The Scabby Tree
Did you know that most modern artificial Christmas trees come from China? The original “artificial” trees were made of wood and manufactured in Germany. Fashions have changed over the years, back in the early 1960s many trees were made of aluminium foil wrapped round wire. They were manufactured in the USA.
This is the story of one such tree, left over from the swinging sixties.
The house is ready for the festive season. Time and effort has gone into achieving the appropriate effect, to find just the right balance. A little greenery here on the fireplace with candles in decorative holders, some bells with red silk ribbon in the alcove and a nativity scene as a reminder of the real reason for the season, all there to provide Christmas cheer.
And as the centrepiece and the main focal point in this home otherwise tastefully decorated in full Christmas splendour, sits the scabby tree.
While unadorned the tree is aptly named as it is truly one of the ugliest specimens you are every likely to see. An ancient tree with silver paper wrapped branches and slightly moulting coloured tinsel woven into the silver paper. The top branch where the star will go is unravelled and in spite of all efforts to the contrary, the scabby tree never does sit up quite straight in the pot.
Regardless of its outward appearance and the fact that to the uninformed onlooker, the only place that it is fit for is the bin, the scabby tree has pride of place in this home and always will.
To the owner of the tree it symbolises all that is best about Christmas, it represents love and caring. The scabby tree, already well used, was given with love many decades ago to cheer up a home which was devoid of the spirit of Christmas.
Over the years the tree has begun to look a little better with some nice lights, gold bells, red ribbons and a beautiful bright star on top to cover the unravelled branch. In spite of all this added sparkle and splendour, at heart it is still the scabby tree.
Most households have their own prized possession, part of their Christmas that is perhaps not perfect but will always form part of the decorations anyway. Perhaps it is the toilet roll angel or a decoration made from macaroni sprayed with gold paint proudly presented to mum, or the old bauble that looks out of place in the current colour scheme but was a gift from Grandma.
Whatever your "scabby tree" is, may it continue to bring joy to you each Christmas as a reminder of the spirit of the season which has love at its heart, a love for the whole world. “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him.” (1 John 4: 7-9)
Julie Barr