Document Type
Description Essay
Publication Date
1995
Excerpt
In early December every year, Dad makes his pilgrimage into the dark cold garage attic to retrieve the Christmas tree. He climbs the rickety ladder with flashlight in hand to emerge into the long skinny attic with a sloping ceiling. He stands stooped at the top of the stairs, wondering in dismay how he is going to find anything in this place that looks as if it has been ravished by a series of tornados. The task seems overwhelming, to find one battered, bent and warped box among dozens. The only thing to distinguish it from the rest are the words "CHRISTMAS TREE" written in bold black marker on the side. When Dad finally spots it with the flashlight, he tromps through the piles of discarded treasures we will of course need again someday--stacks of camping equipment, boxes, cobwebs and layers of dust--clearing a path for the Christmas tree. Dad carefully edges his way down the steep steps, slowly dragging the tree box behind him. He finally makes his way to the living room where the rest of us have been patiently waiting, trying to suppress our excitement.
Recommended Citation
Catlin, Rebecca, "Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree, Where Are Your Branches? (1995)" (1995). The Valpo Core Reader. 253.
http://scholar.valpo.edu/core_reader/253