Twig Tree

It was a display item in a garden and gift shop, a fixture designed to show off shiny ornaments and other Christmas decorations.   For some reason, we ignored all that jazz, peered behind the glitter and saw the strange and twiggy thing that was meant to be our very own unique and special Christmas tree.

When the store manager removed all the beautiful ornaments, it wasn’t a pretty sight. Anything but. It wasn’t green. Had no needles. And it wasn’t even for sale.

But we were smitten and found a way to bring it home.

We bought pretty silk flowers to stuff into its many unsightly gaps, slathered it with our favorite ornaments, filled its odd limbs with odd things and declared it the best tree we’d ever had. This was well over 20 years ago. It has faithfully followed us wherever we’ve gone.

Two years ago when we moved to this old house with no storage, there wasn’t even a moment’s hesitation. Twig Tree would come with us even if we had to give up one of our few closets to keep it nearby.

Now, in the Christmas season, it has own Life On The May, overlooking the bluff. The old moth-eaten L.L. Bean blanket still warms its trunk in the chill. We don’t concern it with ornaments any more.

It’s perfect just as it is.