The Lonely Tree
Made especially for Eleanor Roo Skinner. Happy first Christmas! With love from Amanda, Laura and Tim xxx
It was a cold and frosty Christmas Eve. People were bustling and shopping bags rustling, carollers carolling and tree sellers bargaining.
There was one little tree who had been patient all month, knowing that before Christmas Day someone would pick him. He would be decorated and adored and would look after lots of presents under his little branches.
As the day wore on his sparkly dream of lights, baubles, tinsel and popcorn started to fade. He struggled not to lose hope, but became more and more sad as people hurried past him, snapping up the bigger trees and pushing him aside.
As the sun got low and the air got colder the little tree felt tears starting to well. He hadn’t thought about what happened to the trees who weren’t picked, the trees left alone without a home to brighten on Christmas morning.
When the clock struck 6 he heard the market man say ‘time to pack up Larry, I’m off home to see the family. Merry Christmas!’
Merry Christmas!
Larry was left with the little tree. They’d had a busy December and this was the only one nobody wanted so it would be easy to sling it in the bin on the way home. The little tree didn’t know this and as the van started to chug along a f licker of hope emerged and he felt his spirits lift.……....until the van stopped.
The doors opened and Larry propped the tree up by the bins in a dingy factory carpark. Without a care he hopped back in the van and headed home to the warmth of his family who were waiting with a 7ft tree, three times as big as the one he had abandoned. The little tree had tried to stay strong but he felt so cold and so lonely and so sad having no home to light up on Christmas eve.
He sat there for hours, alone except for one car left in the carpark. Much, much later in to the night, while Santa was delivering presents and children were sleeping excitedly in houses far away the little tree heard a noise‌‌.it was the door from the factory.
He saw a young, weary looking man walking in the direction of the car, muttering to himself. He looked so sad, and he was because he had promised his little girl a little tree and his boss had made him work so hard and so late that everything was closed. All the tinsel and lights and baubles they had chosen together would go to waste. He couldn’t bear to see the disappointment on her face when she trundled downstairs on Christmas morning.
The little tree looked on with a mixture of hope and despair, the poor man looked so worn out and upset and here he was, all alone, needing a home. He summoned all his strength, pulled himself up as tall as he could, then with all his might (and a little Christmas magic) he rustled his branches louder than ever before. The man looked startled, he spun around and peered in to the gloomy depths of the carpark.
He approached the bins cautiously but the sight of the little tree made his eyes light up and his smile return. The boughs and branches of the lonely tree filled with joy and the tears he shed were now tears of happiness‌..he would have a home for Christmas!
It was very early on Christmas morning when the man arrived home and his little girl Poppy was tucked up fast asleep. He placed the tree by the window and took down the box of decorations Poppy had chosen. As the lights were twirled, tinsel sparkled and baubles jingled, immersed in festive cheer the little tree thought he might burst with happiness!
Tired and joyous the man went to bed, falling fast asleep with contented snores. The tree felt sleepy too after all the excitement of the day and felt his eyelids droop. Then as the clock struck 4 there was a faint jingling and a faint jangling and the faint sound of footsteps on the roof.
Santa! He gasped! He must have nodded off because when he looked below his branches he saw that Poppy’s presents had appeared, beautifully wrapped with bright paper and ribbons.
As the frosty Christmas sun rose in the sky the little tree realised he had found his place‌‌.. he had a home! With that thought in his mind he drifted happily off into the forest of dreams with a heart so light it could f loat.
It’s Christmas Eve in the market. One little tree dreams of a Christmas in a happy home. But time is running out and nobody wants him. Will he be abandoned or will his dream come true?