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Sunday, December 24, 2000
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal WINNER: 'The Umbrella Tree' By HELEN NELSON Las Vega
By HELEN NELSON Las Vegas In a small town in northern New Mexico, we five children and our mother were a close-knit family. It was right after World War II and many things were still scarce, especially money. But our mother was resourceful and we made do. When Christmas was drawing near, we began to beg Mother for a Christmas tree, as we had never had one. "Impossible," our mother said. "We have no car, so there's no way we could get a tree." "But wait! I have an idea!" She rummaged through the closet and brought out the old green umbrella. Then she went outside and brought in a bucket of sand -- not very dry, as it had begun to snow. She poked the handle into the sand. Then one more trip to the closet and she brought out a single strand of blue lights. We waited impatiently until she plugged in the lights. We stood in awe. We had never seen anything so beautiful! After midnight Mass, as we trudged home with frozen snow crunching beneath our feet, we caught a glimpse of the blue glow shining through our window. How that sight warmed our hearts! Every Christmas the memory of our umbrella tree holds a special place in my heart.
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