Two Very Special Christmas Trees

I do not have a lot of specific memories of Christmases growing up.  I do remember Christmas as being a special family time with a tree and presents and the Christmas story from the Bible and sometimes special church events.  But two Christmases—or two Christmas trees to be more exact—spring to mind immediately when asked for a Christmas memory. 

After we moved from Long Beach to Hesperia when I was in fourth grade, my dad drove 100 miles to work as jobs were scarce in the high desert.  The only major employers were the Kaiser-Permanente cement plant in Lucerne Valley and George Air Force Base in Adelanto which provided some civilian jobs.  The region was sparsely populated and many were retirees.  But over time the drive to the better paying job “down below”, over Cajon Pass into the LA Basin, took its toll and was not worth the paycheck.  And so began his 5 year quest for a career in the high desert community which culminated in his becoming a firefighter and paramedic with the Hesperia Fire Department.  Those five years were comprised of a series of short term jobs, hard work and struggles to make ends meet.   

Of those five years, two Christmases stand out.  There was money to purchase at least one gift for each of us, but no money for a Christmas tree.  The first Christmas, out of desperation, very late on Christmas Eve, after all the stores and gas stations had closed, my mom picked up one of the leftover trees that would be thrown out when business resumed the day after Christmas, brought it home and decorated it.  Better than a Charlie Brown tree, but not a beautiful tree, to us it was wonderful.  The second unusual Christmas tree was also the result of a too limited budget.  A row of very tall cypress formed a windbreak at the back of our yard.  Their column a Christmas tree shape and when decorated was pretty impressive and to us wonderful.

ular shape did not suggest much in the way of a Christmas tree, but after my mom and dad cut one down, trimmed off the bottom to fit the ceiling height, and interspersed some of the trimmed branches in the lower half, it took on

As a parent (and grandparent) now myself, looking back, the sacrifices my parents made to provide not just needs, but also special things amazes me.  Their love for us and their hard work, even when the urge to tune out must have been overwhelming, made our lives special.  And our Christmases, whether adorned with much or little were very special.