The Cultivation of Christmas Trees
There are several attitudes towards trees,
Some of which are utilitarian,
Some ecological, some aesthetic,
Reverential, flatly symbolic
(And there are things a tree can symbolize
That might not immediately strike us),
But no attitude as circumscribing
As that which surrounds the Christmas Tree lot,
Where potential centuries meet cement
And farmed nature is gaily sifted through,
Measured against bright living room ceilings,
And tied down to the roofs of cars. Perhaps
We shoppers, scurrying in our festive rounds,
Should not be baffled by the sadness
Tinging the Christmas Joy of that rare child
For whom the needle-shedding, gilded tree,
Tinsel-boa'd and capped with an angel,
Is not only a symbol, but a tree.
by Max Gutmann
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Max Gutmann has contributed to dozens of publications, including New Statesman, The Spectator, and Cricket. His plays have appeared throughout the U.S. and have been well-reviewed (see maxgutmann.com). His book There Was a Young Girl from Verona sold several copies.