Tree cutting
So tomorrow is Tree cutting day. This is a relatively new tradition in my family but one that we have borrowed from my younger son’s ex girlfriend’s family and ona we plan to keep . We gather together and travel up into the hills above Santa Cruz to a place called Tobacco Farm -which doesn’t appear to have a web site - and spend many hours finding the perfect trees for each of the families. This year I plan on taking my advocate child for the first time, so I am hoping it willl be a really happy experience for him. God knows - his life has been pitifully short of happy experiences.
But - I would like to tell you a story that truly epitomizes the spirit of Christmas.
When we first moved to this area - 9 years ago, we didn’t have the tree cutting tradition, but instead used a tree lot in town. I had set the budget for the tree, knowing what I had in my bank, but made the mistake of taking younger son with me. A mistake because I always end up spending more then the budget when he is with me. And as expected, the tree he picked was about $20 more then I had allowed for. I wrote out the check and asked the owners not to cash it for another 3 days, which is when my next pay check would be desposited. They agreed and we went home to put up the tree. Imagine my surprise when a couple of days later, the check returned to me in an envelope with a message written across it _ “Have a happy Christmas”. They had sent me back my check and we were given the tree for free. That, in my mind, was a true act of Christmas Spirit and I will be telling that story for a long time.
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