Readers Who Write

It is with sadness and much regret that during the first weeks of the new year, I become disillusioned at the sight of Christmas trees.

During the month of December, the faithful Christmas tree is the center symbol of the festive season. They stand proudly in our living rooms, our town squares and our shopping centers, declaring to all that it is the season of giving and getting.

We decorate the trees lovingly with bright lights, glittering tinsel and festive baubles. We gather around them and on Christmas morning open the presents that have been left under their caring branches by Father Christmas. They help to bring joy, love and harmony during that time of year.

Then, in the early weeks of the new year, after an entire month of fine, dedicated service and without warning of any kind, they are stripped of their decorations and thrown out on the street because they now have become a nuisance.

It must come as a great shock to the tree.

All over our country, Christmas trees are suddenly left to fend for themselves, which is quite difficult lacking roots, no nearby soil and the simple fact that they are trees.

Yes, there is nothing more sad than the fate of a Christmas tree in early January.

When you go for a walk through any community, city or village, during that early part of the new year, you will see the poor discarded trees almost anywhere. You’ll see them in parks, near construction sites, next to trash bins; on any and every street corner. Anywhere where people people thought they could dump their once proud possession and get away with it.

If one appears, it won’t be long before it is joined by others in a slow-growing tangled pile of the once-adored trees. To me, the very sad sight to see is when one or two of these trees still have some pieces of decoration on them. They probably never even realized what was going on.

Some people may mock artificial Christmas trees for their lack of real pine needles and the inability to bring forth that unmistakable nature scent. But at least they get to live in the safe reality of the attic once their time in the spotlight is over. They can rest safely in the knowledge that they will return the following December to their place of prominence.

Unfortunately, many trees are unable to appreciate this safe haven due to the fact that they are not artificial trees.

I am sure that you think that many of the real Christmas trees are being placed on huge bonfires on the first day of the new year. They are not left out on the street like homeless trees. Yes, that was true.

These real Christmas trees could at least look toward an end of their life and ushered into another celebration as they were thrown into the fire. It was an end with meaning and dignity. Sadly, that end has been robbed from them. Large tree bonfires have been canceled because they were getting too big and too dangerous.

Now, discarded Christmas trees are left out on the street and ignored by most passersby. All they can do is wait for the final journey to the rubbish heap where they will shed their final remaining needles.

The garbage men will come by and throw them into the back of their truck without any sentiment the trees once enjoyed. The streets will be clear of the Christmas trees for a while. That is, until the next round of people who didn’t want Christmas to be over just yet and throw out their trees.

Sometimes, you’ll still see the old discarded Christmas trees on the street in February. By March, the Christmas trees are gone. New Christmas trees are already growing at Christmas tree farms, excitingly looking forward to Christmas and their time in the spotlight. Of course, they have no idea of the fate that awaits them afterward.

If you see one of the poor old Christmas trees still lying around in your neighborhood, spare it a thought. I feel that there is nothing more sad than those abandoned and forgotten Christmas trees in early January.

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