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Thursday, 20 December 2012 |
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Marshi and Hasini listened to Father in silence. Secretly they wished they too could have a branch of a cypress tree in their sitting room like most of their friends did. For many years they had decorated a plastic tree their Uncle Nalin had given them one Christmas. But last year when they moved to this new house, a heavy chair had fallen on the plastic tree breaking it in half. Last Christmas father brought one of Mother’s big bamboo trees growing in a cement pot into the sitting room and suggested they could decorate this tree. “We must not cut trees,” he told them and added “This bamboo tree will look just as good as a cypress tree when you decorate it.” Marshi and Hasini had to agree the christmas tree looked wonderful last year. But still they wished they could have a cypress tree. “Screech. Thump.” Marshi and Hasini ran to the window to see what was happening on the street facing their sitting room. They saw Uncle Shane’s pick-up parked in front of Arnold’s house. Uncle Shane was dragging a cypress tree from the back of his vehicle. Every December he bought a cypress tree, so this was no surprise but, what was surprising was that this year the cypress tree was planted in a cement pot. It was not a branch cut off from a tree. It was a living, breathing tree. Marshi and Hasini ran outside to get a better look. Father too came to watch.“That is a mighty fine tree you have got there, Shane,” said Father.Uncle Shane smiled. “When I went to buy a branch of a cypress tree from a vendor near the Vihara Maha Devi park I remembered how you keep telling us it is a crime to cut trees. I had a brainwave and drove to the shop that sells potted plants near the supermarket. This is the result.” He pointed to the cypress tree growing in a cement pot. Father slapped Uncle Shane on the back. “You are a genius, Shane,” He said.“Once Christmas is over you can take the tree outside and keep it in the garden till next December. You can use the tree for many Christmases to come.” “Yes,” agreed Uncle Shane. “Once it grows too big for the pot I can replant it in one corner of the garden.” Father helped Uncle Shane to carry the tree inside. Arnold ran to the sitting room carrying three shoe boxes filled with Christmas decorations. “Help me decorate the tree,” he said to Hasini and Marshi. They set to work and in thirty minutes the tree looked beautiful. “It is like a tree on a Christmas card,” said Arnold. “It is beautiful,” said Marshi. “I wish we had a tree like this too,” sighed Hasini. The three children turned their heads to look at Father who was chatting with Uncle Shane about how they had celebrated Christmas when they were children. Father stopped what he was saying and turned towards the children. “Can you buy us a tree like this Father, please?” asked Hasini. “Yes, please, Father” said Marshi. “It will be a real cypress tree, not a plastic tree or a bamboo tree but a real Christmas tree and the good thing about it would be that we would not have cut down a tree.” “Ok,” said Father. “Hop into the car all of you. Let us find that shop which has cypress trees growing in cement pots.” Marshi, Hasini and Arnold clapped their hands in joy. When Christmas is over they could keep the tree outside in the garden with Mother’s potted bamboo plants and use it next year too and the year after that as well. “Mahatma Gandhi would be happy if he saw us today,” smiled Father. “We are doing what he wanted us to do when he said “be the change you want to see in the world.” -Aditha :- [email protected]
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In just four days time the world will be celebrating Christmas, the
Birth of Jesus Christ. Whether you are a Christian/Catholic or not, all
of you will feel the spirit of Christmas. Special religious services
will be held in churches island wide to mark the dawn of yet another
Christmas. I am sure you must be waiting with enthusiasm to receive
gifts from Santa Claus and to relish a great meal with all your family
members and relatives. 
