Sunday, December 4, 2011

Ode to the imperfectly perfect Christmas tree!


I once read that Amish women purposely sew flaws into their quilts as reminders of human imperfection. To me, the lesson in this workmanship is that perfection contain flaws. Because without flaws and nuances, life would be boring and therefore imperfect.

This weekend hundreds of thousands of Americans descended upon candy cane-striped tents filled with fragrant, conical shaped trees, all with the intent to find "the perfect Christmas tree." Will they succeed? Yes. Why? Because perfection is in the eye of the beholder. And when that tree is filled with colorful (or white) lights and adorned with the jewels of past, present and future, it will make no difference how the leaves fell or that one side is a tad lop-sided. She will be beautiful; she will be imperfectly perfect!
In the last month of her life, her ornament bejeweled greenery has been entrusted with our presents of which she will hold within her colorful shade for the next 21 plus days. Her happy caretakers will go to bed and wake up to her comforting pine-y aroma. They will feed her Karo syrup and water to nourish her in her final days.

During her life, this tree provided shelter for squirrels and birds and oxygen to our environment. In her death she provides joy and warmth to all those who will look upon her and smile. And when the time comes to be stripped of all her frosting, the hope is that she will once again become part of the earth, nourishing the soil her ancestors once did in order to help future generations of Christmas trees grow in her likeness. Perfection indeed!

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