A Real Old Fashioned Christmas

Here is a lovely little Christmas story. Just before Xmas every year, The Parkers of Wiltshire in England bring down their artificial Christmas tree from the attic, brush it off and hang up the decorations and lights. That’s nice, but so do millions of other families. So what’s the big deal?

The big deal is the tree itself. No it is not the world’s largest, nor does it have the most spectacular decorations. Truth be told, it is a puny little thing; and kind of scruffy. What makes it special is that it is the world’s oldest fake fir.

The little tree that would not give up was created 116 years ago in 1886. Maybe it was too cold that winter to go out and chop down a fir; and so the maker got the idea of manufacturing an artificial one in the warm comfort of his hearth. Janet and Graham Parker bought the tree in 1886 for the princely sum of a dime. Since then, the tree has gone up in the Parker family home living room at Christmas, without a break. The current Parkers plan to pass on the tree to their son Paul to continue the family tradition.

I hope Paul respects this sacred trust; and not succumb to the temptation of making a tidy bundle by auctioning it off on eBay.