A Christmas tree wishes you…

It was Christmas Eve a few years ago. We were standing with a colleague of mine, and we were looking at the decoration of the city, the lights, the golden balls, that were glowing, and we enjoyed the phantasmagoria of this era.

-You know, she told me, when we were children in my village, we had neither ornaments nor lights, but the decoration of the tree was done every year, and it was a big event for us.

-How? I asked surprised.

-Our father used to bring a small tree, he cut from the forest. All year round we kept the silver papers that were in the cigarette packs, the coloured wrappers of the candies and anything that was polished or bright. With them, we made the ornaments and adorned our tree. You can’t imagine how much we were enjoying it!

This story recalled, our own Christmas tree when I was a child. I remember looking at the few ornaments it had in admiration and through the light they emitted, I was immersed in the magical world that existed behind everyday reality.

Growing up and acquiring the judgment and criticism that the society of rejection teaches, I discovered that the decoration of our tree was very poor and not at all impressive.

I also remembered a fairy tale I had read at the time, about a little girl who lived in the woods and had no ornaments to decorate a Christmas tree. The animals of the forest, to please her, adorned the pine tree outside her window with white snow and fruits, making them all shimmer.

Magical Christmas of my childhood, when you taught me that behind reality there is another world, illuminated by love, hope and beauty. And that little child who is born in the manger, before he becomes the sacrificial Christ, brings with him this message of beauty, which the stars and the light of the universe have.

I give you these humble memories along with the tenderness they bring to my heart. I hope they decorate your days and give warmth to your soul, which will accompany you this holiday and perhaps all year round.