8.6 Christmas Tree

Christmas Tree

By Anna Doris Shanks

Doesn't everyone begin looking for a Christmas tree in January? I certainly thought so when I was about ten years old. My dad worked on Sunday and I went to work with him to keep him company. He monitored oil wells for the Shell Oil Company in the Johnsonville Field, Illinois. The wells were surrounded by woods where an occasional deserted house or barn stood to tweak one's imagination. Tromping through the trees was like reliving the explorations of Daniel Boone in my pre-adolescent mind. I had some of my greatest adventures during those Sunday outings with Daddy.

In January, after all the excitement of the holidays had passed, Daddy and I started looking for next year's tree. Sometimes we found it right away, but more often we had to do a lot of hiking through the woods to find just what we foresaw being the perfect Christmas tree. Cedar trees were available and plentiful. Ten feet was the height goal we liked. It needed a sturdy, straight trunk with branches well-shaped and generous.

When we finally found that perfect tree, we made note of the location, because we would return time and again to check on 'our' tree. Daddy often brought pruning shears to clip off any errant growth that might spoil the shape of 'our' perfect tree. I remember walking around and around while we admired 'our' tree.

After Thanksgiving, we started thinking about cutting 'our' tree, and the second, or maybe third Sunday of December we did that very thing. Daddy sawed the trunk through at the bottom to bring 'our' tree to the six-foot height we considered best. He then removed the lowest branches, and we took it home. I kept all of those cut-off branches to use for additional decorating around the house. It was especially important to construct a woods to surround the stable where Jesus was born. We put 'our' tree in a deep bucket surrounded by bricks to hold it upright and straight. We carried it into the living room and put water in the bucket to maintain its fresh green color.

Everyone stood back and commented on how perfect 'our' tree really was. Mom brought the lights and decorations out of the closet, and the family got ready to dress up 'our' tree. But Daddy and I knew we had already done the best part of all.

Back row: Frances and Christine. Middle row: Aggie, Tom, Betty, Irvin. Front right: Lynn. 

Not present is recently married Anna Doris.