The magic of Christmas

With jostles, shoves and pushes
a beautiful Christmas tree is 
given pride of place in the living room
but, forlorn and disheveled 
with twisted limbs
from being squashed through the door
it is a sad shadow of what it once was.

Undeterred, children circle the tree.
Carefully, they place colourful baubles 
and wrap themselves in tinsel
as they swathe it around the branches. 

Slowly, the heat from the fire
relaxes the Scot’s Pine
releasing it’s beautiful woody resin
creating memories of snowy evergreen forests. 

Outside, 
the light of a dull December day 
is taken over by darkness.
Inside, 
delicate strings of twinkly fairy lights
are lovingly placed around the tree.

The forlorn and disheveled tree,
now an object of beauty,
is worthy of taking pride of place.
A magical symbol of Christmas.