How the Trees Kept Christmas


A Christmas Story

One Christmas Eve the trees in a wood were very unhappy. They wished very much to keep Christmas, but they did not know how to do so.

"We look so brown," said one.

"And so bare," said another.

"If we only had our pretty green summer dresses," said a third, "then we should be decorated and could keep Christmas."

"Hush, children, hush!" whispered North Wind in quite a gentle voice for such a rough fellow. "Make haste and go to sleep."

"Hush! children, hush!" softly murmured a sleepy little bird. He was roosting on one of the branches of the unhappy trees.

So the trees dropped off to sleep, one by one, while a little star twinkled peacefully overhead.

But while they slept something happened. And when the trees awoke they found that someone, perhaps North Wind, had, during the night, cast over each of them a lovely soft cloak of spotless feathery white.

"How beautiful we are!" said the trees. "Now we can keep our Christmas!"

Not into new and different? Or can't afford expensive decorations? Just want a classy, easy, and "cheap" Christmas table look? here you go . . .

• Use your paper napkins, but tie with red bows. Cute!
• Use cream or colored crackers. Not too bad, but gives a festive look!
• Buy colored syrofoam plates and/or cutlery.
• Better yet, set a theme with whatever plates you have. John Deere? Then go with green and yellow candles and a few toy animals with wreaths or bows about their necks. Or set a miniature tree in the center and decorate with toy farm animals, etc. How about a toy tractor as your centerpiece with a small festive wreath hung over half of it? Pink flowered plates? Use pink candles, or pink napkins, with silver streams crisscrossed in the center of the table. Lay a few baubles here and there. Gorgeous! Apples? Great! Build a tier of different apples. Use a tiered candy dish or other. Use a syrofoam tree and glue fake apples to it. Use a big, big bowl and fill with apples for your centerpiece. Add bows of twine. Or for a real cute touch, see if you can get apples with stems: tie miniature bows to them and set one at each place setting. If you can't get stems, then, maybe wrap around the apple? Use your imagination!
• Set paper doilies at each place setting. Use cheap Christmas ornaments. Use ornaments you no longer use on the tree, or Christmas rope. Use pine cones, animals, toys, broken or discarded toys.
  
• For a real personal touch, write a note, poem, or memory and wrap into a scroll and place at each setting.
  

Are you in for a treat! Our "coming-up-on-Friday interview with multipublished author Lean Dooley will be a good one. AND Lena has promised to give away two books! That means two people will get a book! Fun.

Lena says:
Why I became a professional writer: "I have always written. I thought everyone did. If we needed a program, I wrote it. I often daydreamed of writing the great American novel. Sometimes while I was in my middle 30's, I thought I would like to write a book based on the Proverbs 31 woman. and I still may write that book. A friend told her: Lena, you're suppose to do that (write an inspirational romance). A christian bookstore manager said, "If God has given you this talent, you are to develop it." "






Quote:
When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things—not the great occasions—give off the greatest glow of happiness. --Bob Hope


Blessings!