The Story of our Tree

This is for Erin who asked to hear our story for our Christmas Tree. :D See 2 posts below and you will know what I am talking about. The funny thing is that after telling the girls this story about "Doug," they really treat him like a person. Morgan hugs him every morning. Sydney talks to him. This story really has personified him for us. It is a great little tradition.

We found our little tree this year at a local home and garden store. We brought him home and named him Doug, then proceeded to tell the girls all about Doug.

Doug grew up on a very tall mountain. He lived there with his brothers and sisters and cousins. It was their destiny to become Christmas trees and it's all they could talk about. They spent years dreaming about the family they would get to spend 1 memorable Christmas with. They would talk about the gifts that would be placed underneath their branches or the kids that would run around them or the elderly couple that would sit hand in hand in the evenings admiring their tree. This year, they were very excited because it was the year they would et to fulfill their destiny and become Christmas trees.

Doug used to be more excited about Christmas but the older he got, the more nervous he became. Doug wasn't growing like the rest of his tree family. He didn't have quite as many branches and wasn't as big. The closer the time came to be taken down the mountain and sold into town, the more nervous Doug was. He knew in order to be loved by a family for Christmas, you had to be a big tree with full, thick branches. Doug didn't have this and knew he wouldn't fulfill his destiny. His fate, instead, would be being thrown into the wood chipper after spending a lonely Christmas in a store and not in a home.

The day finally came when Doug was taken down to the town with his family. All the trees were excited to see where they would be placed in the store. The best looking trees always got places toward the front. Doug didn't need to ask where he would be placed, he knew he would go to the back because nobody would want a tree that wasn't full of thick branches.

Day after day Doug didn't get looked at. People just passed by him. Some snickered and made comments about him not being a very good Christmas tree. Doug knew they were right. He couldn't make a good Christmas Tree, he just didn't grow big enough. He was too different. He knew he wasn't going to have a family love him for Christmas.

One Saturday afternoon though, a nice little family came into the store, a mom, dad, and 2 little girls. They were searching for the perfect tree to join their family for Christmas. Doug ignored them soon after they came in, he knew they would pass by him just as so many other families had done, critizing his small frame and sparce branches. He closed his eyes hoping to fall asleep to pass the time away.

Before long though, Doug noticed he was not alone. He opened one eye, then the other, and realized this nice, little family was standing around him and smiling. Just then, one of the little girls said, "This is our tree daddy." The dad grinned and went to find a store worker who came and cut Doug down from the rafter and proceeded to bag him up. Doug realized he had been chosen. He was going to get to spend Christmas with a family who loved him. The family took Doug home and decorated him. He looked beautiful. Doug realized it doesn't matter if you are the biggest tree or have the most branches. It was ok that he was different, he was still loved. Doug knew he was going to spend a wonderful Christmas with the family and he was proud because he had fulfilled his Christmas Destiny.

And here is a picture of Doug for you, we are very happy with the little tree Sydney picked for us. He is a great asset to our Christmas decor, even if he wasn't the biggest or fullest tree there.

Merry Christmas!

~Here is Doug in all his Christmas Glory

~Morgan giving Doug a hug this morning.