The Aluminum Tree
By Lisa Blackwood
An
aluminum tree, really? My
grandfather worked for ALCOA, and nothing would do for him except that crazy
aluminum tree. In my earliest years we would gather at his home to watch him
assemble that tree and place that twirling colored lamp at the side. It
was a sight to behold! But the modern look of that tree was waiting to be
assaulted by those ancient ornaments. My great-grandfather arrived in the
states via Germany, his home country. What remained of his possessions by
the time I was born were his treasured and beautiful handmade and hand blown
Christmas ornaments. To a child, that glittery tree with all that silver sparkle
was worthy of an award. Those dull ornaments, some with the hangers
broken or missing, were far less enticing.
I
haven’t thought about those ornaments for a very long time. My grandparents
moved away when I was ten, and those ornaments with that sparkly tree left at
the same time. Today when I think back to those times, what I remember the
most was a joy-filled family, dancing and singing around a tree, casting
shadows by the fireplace in an old house filled with treasures. Each ornament
held a story of our heritage. Looking back, I know they were beautiful and
amazing. However, I was too distracted by the sparkle of a new glittery aluminum
tree to take in all the stories the ornaments were trying to tell. But didn’t I
know the stories by heart anyway?
I’m
much older now, decades older. And now I understand that the enticement of the
glitter and glam is not the real thing. Now I know that where we came from
matters. Our stories, our lives are intertwined and they all go back to a time
when the world was complicated and hard (sounds rather familiar, doesn’t it?).
The world needed a Savior. The world needed something so much more than superficial
sparkle.
God
sent us His Son, His only beloved Son. He did not arrive in a golden coach or
in regal garb. He was born in a stable, placed in a manger, and even so, the
glory of the heavens sang and people sought Him.
Enjoy
your sparkles and your festivities—I know I will. But at the same time I plan
to do some kneeling around that lowly manger. It’s a story that I can tell
by heart, and it’s a story that still needs to be heard.
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