When I was small, Papa got two 'Christmas trees' in somewhat awkwardly large pots (around 4 feet tall) - not too tall that we couldn't reach the treetops while standing on a stool. He told us - me and my brother that each one could pick one and take care of it.
During our holidays, I was also assigned the task of watering the plants, including the Christmas trees. As sibling competition would have it, I probably would water my tree a bit more than my brother's so that it may live longer, grow stronger and prosper. When the trees outgrew the pots, they were rooted in what I would call our backyard.
For many years (maybe just half a decade), I would decorate one of them - only one which was designated as mine - for Christmas and New Year with colored strings and paper balls and also some polyester cotton to mimic snow. The problem with regular cotton being it becomes damp and does not form good flakes.
Now, they've not just outgrown me, but also dwarf my home. One of them - my brother's - also fended off a termite attack! Of course, Ma and Papa tried to help by coating medicine on its exposed trunk - I think the family fended off the attacks.
Ma still has those odd colored threads in safe custody. If I were to string them up again, the spools would run out of length in a couple of rounds around the trunk. But, looking at those siblings growing long and strong in our backyard, I know they will reach great heights. I still don't understand why they're called Christmas Trees when the ones used in Christmas are some different variety of pines. But for me, I think they will suffice.
Merry Christmas, Christmas Trees, and everyone else.
