The Tale of Two Trees

by Donna Poole

It was a Very Dark Year.

The round, plump Grandma who loved to laugh and talked a lot, got sick and slept a lot. Grandma had cancer.

She lost all her hair; she wasn’t so round and plump anymore, and she wore a funny little hat to keep her head warm.

“I look like a lawn ornament!” Grandma laughed. “A yard gnome.”

Grandma got quieter. On her hardest days, Grandma didn’t have enough strength to say many words.

But inside, Grandma was still the Grandma who laughed. And she talked a lot to herself and to God.

“Please, God,” she whispered, “let me have Family Christmas.”

She wanted to have Family Christmas like she always had for her four kids, her four in-law kids, and for her thirteen grandkids. Grandma was never too sick to smile when she thought of her grandchildren.

Family Christmas was going to happen, a week after Christmas Day! This would be their oldest grandchild’s twenty-second Family Christmas at Grandpa and Grandma’s, and it would be the youngest one’s first. Grandma wanted it to be the perfect Family Christmas. Just in case, it had to be the best Family Christmas ever.

When she could stay awake long enough Grandma had fun thinking of each family member and ordering gifts. Packages she’d ordered came in the mail. On her good days, Grandma couldn’t wait to open them. On her bad days, the boxes and envelopes sat neglected until she felt strong enough to look at them.

But, good days or bad days, Grandma thought about the Christmas tree. Grandma loved Christmas trees, especially ones with lots of lights. They reminded her that Jesus is the Light of the world. Grandma loved Christmas lights. On this Very Dark Year, she wanted more lights on the tree than ever before.

Grandma couldn’t wait until the day after Thanksgiving, the day they always got the tree. Youngest Daughter always picked out the tree; it was part of the tradition.

Every year Grandma told Youngest Daughter, “I love this tree. It’s the prettiest tree we’ve ever had!”

This Very Dark Year, because of Covid, Youngest Daughter couldn’t pick out the tree. Grandpa paid for a tree over the phone and a man at the Christmas tree farm chose a tree and put it in the truck when Grandpa drove up.

Grandma didn’t ride along to get the tree like she usually did; she stayed home and took a long nap. But when Grandpa brought the tree in the house, she was as excited as a little girl. That’s what Grandmas are, you know, just very old little girls.

“It’s beautiful!” she said. “I love it.”

Grandma didn’t say, “It’s the prettiest tree we’ve ever had,” because Youngest Daughter hadn’t picked it out.

As soon as Grandpa put the tall, lovely tree into the tree stand, it began to drop its needles.

“Maybe the man at the tree farm forgot to shake the tree before he put it into the truck,” Grandpa said.

“Maybe,” the family agreed.

But they doubted that was the problem. Too many needles were falling.

Grandpa put on many, many lights, perfect for the Very Dark Year. Grandma smiled and remembered Jesus is the Light of the world.

Grandpa put the lighted star on the top of the tree, but it fell to the floor and broke.

Grandma looked at the fifty-year old star as it lay in pieces. It was a rotating star that flashed colored lights on the ceiling and walls. She was sad, but she didn’t want Grandpa to feel bad. It had already been hard enough for him this Very Dark Year.

“It’s okay, honey,” Grandma said. “We can put something else on top of the tree.”

Grandpa, famous for fixing things, just smiled. “I can fix it,” he said. “I can glue it back together.”

And he did. Grandma smiled at him.

“I wish I could fix you,” he whispered in her ear.

“God can fix me if He wants to,” she whispered back.

“I know, honey.” He hugged her. And the Very Dark Year was not so Dark.

Grandpa, Youngest Daughter, Youngest Son-in-Law, and Grandma decorated the tall, beautiful tree. Grandma didn’t do as much as the rest. She got tired and watched, but it was a wonderful day.

Grandma loved looking at the tree and all the beautiful decorations Youngest Daughter had put around the house. Had any Christmas been so lovely? She didn’t think so.

But she felt uneasy when every day Youngest Daughter swept up the growing pile of needles under the tree.

“You’re sick like I am, aren’t you?” Grandma asked the tree when no one could hear her. “I feel sad for you. Can you try to stay for Family Christmas? I know we don’t need a tree, but I love your lights. You remind me that Jesus is the Light of the world. And my grandchildren are used to seeing their gifts under a tree. I want this to be the perfect family Christmas, one for them to remember, you know, Just in Case.”

Grandma didn’t have to tell the tree what she meant by “Just in Case.” He knew.

Another of the lovely branches dipped toward the floor. “I want you to have the best Family Christmas ever, and you will, if I am here or not. But I will try my best to stay. That’s all any of us can do, is try.”

Grandma heard Grandpa tell Youngest Daughter the tree was starting to be a fire hazard and they needed to throw it out.

“Not yet, please not yet,” Grandma begged. “I need him for Family Christmas. Could we just not light the tree again until then and light it one more time that day?”

Grandpa looked at her sadly. “Not unless you want to burn the house down and have no Family Christmas at all.”

One day Grandma got up from a long nap. Youngest Daughter had undecorated the tree and she and Grandpa were taking him out the door.

“I tried to stay for you,” the tree whispered to her, “but I got too old and sick. It’s okay. You don’t need me to light the Very Dark Year. You will have a wonderful Family Christmas.”

Grandma knew the tree had to leave, but her eyes filled with tears. Thank you for trying your best, beautiful tree. That’s all any of us can do, is try.

Now there would be no tree for Family Christmas.

Grandma didn’t know Youngest Daughter had a plan.

Youngest Daughter had contacted the Christmas tree farms and had explained about the cancer and the Family Christmas and how much the Grandma wanted a tree.

“Do you have any trees left for sale?” Youngest Daughter had asked.

Christmas Day had passed. “I am sorry, we don’t.”

A lady who worked at one Christmas tree farm had said, “I am done with my tree, and it is still very much alive. You can have it if you want it.”

Youngest Daughter and Grandpa went and got the tree. It was a lot shorter than the first tree. The lights that had been enough for the first tree were dazzling on the smaller one. It almost made Grandma forget the Very Dark Year.

Grandma was having one of her good days. She and Youngest Daughter decorated the second tree.

Youngest Daughter smiled at her. “I know how much it meant to you to have a tree here for the grandkids. I had to get you a tree. So, in a way, I guess you could say I picked this one out. Do you like it?”

“I love it!” Grandma said. “It’s the prettiest tree we’ve ever had!”

And it was true, even though it was short and a little crooked. Grandma laughed when she and the tree were alone.

“You’re just like me,” she said to the tree, “short and leaning to one side, like I do when I walk. You look like a gnome yard ornament too.”

The little tree smiled back at her, glowing with light.

Finally, the day Grandma had waited for all year came. It was Family Christmas. The house was full of light, love, and laughter. Grandma tried to memorize every smile. She watched each family member open a stocking or a gift. She cried happy tears when a grandson read Luke 2, the most beautiful, and the truest of all stories.

Grandma listened to the kind words her family said to her and to each other. The Very Dark Year slunk out the door; it couldn’t live in so much light.

It was the best Family Christmas ever, one to remember, Just in Case.

The little tree lived on and on. Grandma didn’t want to take it down. She sat alone in the dark living room, several nights after Family Christmas, enjoying the lights on the tree and thinking.

What an unusual year. It wasn’t all dark. We had so many blessings. We even had two Christmas trees! I bet that won’t happen next year.

Suddenly, Grandma realized she was planning next year’s Family Christmas. It would be the best one ever.