Perfect Tree

"Useful Gift" *

*Helping me sort clothes into 'save' and 'give
away' piles, my six-year-old daughter came
across a garter belt.

"What's this?" she asked.

"It's a garter belt," I said.

Seeing that meant nothing to her, I added,
"It's for holding up stockings."

"Ah," she said, carefully placing it in the 'save'
pile, "we'll use it next Christmas Eve."

***************************************************

"Perfect Tree"*

*Every December it was the same excruciating
tradition. Our family would get up at the crack
of dawn, go to a Christmas tree farm and tromp
across acres of snow in search of the perfect tree.

Hours later our feet would be freezing, but Mom
would press on, convinced the tree of her dreams
was "just up ahead."

One year I snapped. "Mom, face it. The perfect
tree doesn't exist. It's like looking for a man. Just
be satisfied if you can find one that isn't dead,
doesn't have too many bald spots and is straight."
Received on Fri Dec 24 07:51:21 2010