O Christmas Tree

Somewhere on a lonely stretch of highway in south Alabama I drive as tiny snowflakes cling to my car's wipers before being tossed aside like so many twinkling stars above. My windshield fogs from the cold outside and I adjust the heater to stave off winter's vice, a familiar struggle that I have become accustomed to on the long drive from Atlanta to Dothan. But such nuisances are but a trifle considering the reason for my travels, for Christmas will soon be here, and with it a reunion of both friends and family alike...a reunion that beckons me home.

Only two headlights part the curtain of darkness this night, two headlights and a neon sign far ahead, a neon sign that offers travelers a respite and warm cup of coffee on a cold December night such as this. I pull off the highway, onto a side road alighted by the neon sign that advertises the price of gas. After fueling my car, I walk inside the station for a cup of coffee and make small talk with the cashier. Her young daughter sits on the floor behind the register, combing a doll's hair that has begun to fall out from the frequency of this routine.

"I think it might be about time for a new doll," I say to the little girl.

She looks at me but says nothing before finally nodding.

"Maybe if you've been a good girl this year, Santa will bring you one." I find an extra twenty in my wallet and hand it to her mother before walking back to my sleigh.

As I drive back towards the highway, I notice that the darkness has retreated down a side road that runs in the opposite direction. A faint white light seems to form a halo just over the horizon and obscure the boundary between earth and sky. For reasons that I cannot fully explain, my hands turn the steering wheel towards the light, guiding my car down an old country road that seems more suited for horse than driver. Further I drive, the light becoming brighter with each passing moment. I know not where I am. I know not where I am going. But as the glow from my headlights yields to that greater source ahead, a smile graces my face as the twinkle in my eye is suddenly matched by the innumerable ones before them.

A Christmas tree, some fifty feet tall and adorned with the radiance of a million tiny lights, casts out the night with a beauty unmatched by either delicate woman or the angels that adorn its limbs. Each branch droops beneath the weight of ornaments of silver and gold that sparkle from countless lights while tiny figurines of Santa, nutcrackers, and snowmen add levity and joy to a scene already so full of wonder. And atop the massive evergreen, perched upon its highest bough, a single star burns far brighter than any hung within the night sky. It shines like that wondrous star of old, guiding weary travelers across unfamiliar lands so that they might find both rest and contentment beneath its glow.

I look upon that magical Christmas tree and smile.

"It's so beautiful Ornela," I say without thinking, glancing over at the passenger seat where my hand has unconsciously reached towards. But the seat is empty, its cover cold. In my momentary distraction, I had forgotten that you are not with me tonight, as until this moment thoughts of you had occupied my mind throughout the long drive home.

For several minutes I simply sit in my car, beholding this wondrous sight before me as memories of Christmases past fill my mind. I think about how magical Christmas always seemed in my youth, when the cares of the world were cast away by chestnuts roasting on an open fire and Jack Frost nipping at your nose. I think of Christmases still to come, of the places I will one day celebrate this joyous season and the people in my life whose presence brings such happiness and purpose. And I think of you Ornela. I think about how I wish you were with me in this moment, as I happened upon the most beautiful Christmas tree I have ever seen down some forgotten country road in south Alabama.

I wish that you had been there to share that moment with me. I wish that we were together for Christmas.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When I was a boy, my family always had a tradition of driving around my hometown of Dothan on Christmas Eve to look at all of the lights and decorations. As my parents sipped hot chocolate and listened to Christmas music in the front seat, my brother and I marveled at our small town so alight in beauty and wonder. Everything seemed so magical...all was right with the world.

If I am ever one day blessed with my own family, it is a tradition that I want to share with them as well. It is a tradition that I wish I could share with you tonight Ornela. I wish that I was in Boston right now to take you on a drive around the city to look at all the Christmas lights, just the two of us snuggled closely together in my car as Silent Night and O Christmas Tree play softly on the radio. Afterwards we would take an evening stroll around Boston Common Park to admire all of the decorations before standing beneath the glow of the park's wondrous Christmas tree as we hold each other close.

That is my Christmas wish Ornela...to simply spend Christmas with you.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Earlier this week I was offered another job in Boston. However, unless you ask me to come to the city I will turn this job offer down, just as I did the last one. I will only come to Boston if you want me to. I will only come to Boston if you ask me.