A Symbol of Our Heritage and Peace Throughout the World
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The Christmas tree I remember as a child in Washington DC was a towering pyramid of light and color. It was so high, it reached the ceiling of our living room, and at the very top was a porcelain angel, the 'spirit of Christmas'.
My grandmother, whose father came from Berlin in the 19th century, would take out the tree decorations on Christmas Eve. They were all from Germany: silver fish, multicolored elves, golden balls with wintery scenes inside, figures of the three kings, and beautifully angelic painted glass faces.
Each had its own story and, for us, each was more precious than jewels. My father had the task of decorating the tree, of carefully taking out each precious glass image and hanging it where it could be admired by all.
After Christmas Eve dinner, we would go into the living room and the whole family would sing Christmas carols. We all put our hearts into our singing, but there was still room enough in the hearts of us kids for the Christmas cookies that would miraculously appear from the kitchen.
Our Christmas tree with all its lights and decoration represented for us the focal point of our family, both the past and the present; it was the symbol of our heritage and the hope for peace throughout the world.
While we munched on my mother's and grandmother's cookies, my father would hand out one present to each of us. It never really mattered to us what was in the box we opened; we were all so happy to be sitting in front of that tower of light and joy that even the socks from Aunt Céleste or the jack-in-the-box from Uncle Will could not disappoint us.
Very reluctantly, we would go out on Christmas Eve to church, each of us yawning and hoping not to fall asleep. When we returned home, my father would light the tree again while my mother served us a small breakfast before we would be sent up to bed.
Our last view of our Christmas tree remained with us throughout the night and for the 12 days after Christmas Day.
After the Feast of the Three Kings, our tree with all its glittering finery disappeared, but the image of our tall and perfect Christmas tree stayed with each of us.
Frohe Weihnachten! Merry Christmas!
Raymond Ourand
