Oskar, the Christmas Tree Elf: A Christmas to Remember

Chapter 7: The Night before Christmas

Before long, Brad dozed off on the couch while Gus rested motionless on his lap, lazily watching the scene. Emma brought out the boxes of tinsel while Grandpa rearranged a few ornaments as the tree slowly revolved in front of him. "You know how I like it done, Emma. One strand at a time," he said as she passed him the first box.

Emma looked at all the tinsel in the box she was holding and the others on the floor. "That'll take all night!"

"As Papa Andrew always said, if something's worth doing, it's worth taking the time to do it right. By doing it one strand at a time, it will almost look as if silver spiders covered the entire tree with webs of silvery thread.

"Cheer up, Emma," Grandpa continued, as she began to slowly lay strands of tinsel over the branches. "When we're done, this will be the most beautiful Christmas tree you've ever seen. This is special tinsel that Papa Krupzer bought in 1950 that's made of aluminum and been wrinkled to reflect light better than the plastic tinsel of today. You know, tinsel was originally invented to reflect the light of the candles that people would put on their trees, and when it was introduced in 1610 it was only made of silver and only the rich could afford it. But if you ask me, this aluminum tinsel is just as good. I remember when I first started spending Christmas with Grandma's family, I always loved it when the tinsel fell on to the train tracks below because it would make sparks when the train ran over it."

Once several branches had been covered with tinsel, Emma began to see the effect her efforts were having and started to work more eagerly. By the time Luke got up from the couch to help, Emma had grown possessive of the tinsel and only reluctantly agreed to let him decorate some areas of the tree she couldn't reach.

"Grandpa," said Luke as he distractedly began to drape the branches with tinsel, "a girl in my class said that artificial trees are better than real trees. She said that artificial trees save real trees from being cut down and that they don't cause fires like real trees."

Grandpa shook his head and smiled indulgently. "Wrong on both counts," he said. "As you saw, we don't simply go out into the forest and cut down wild trees. The only trees we cut down are trees that we've planted and every year we always plant more trees than we harvest.

"On the other hand, plastic artificial trees are made from petroleum, which can't be renewed in the same way. What's more, when artificial trees burn, they produce poisonous gas. But our real tree is so full of moisture that if you held a lit match to it, the match would burn out. As long as you keep a tree in a tree stand filled with water, it won't dry out for as long as six weeks. Which reminds me," he added, "let's check the water level in the tree stand."

"I'll do it!" said Emma, avoiding the trains as she slid carefully under the tree. She peered into the stand. "It looks like it drank a lot of water, but there's still half the water left."

"Better water it before we go to bed," said Grandpa.

Emma lay on the floor just under the tree. When she looked up she saw Oskar, sitting comfortably on a bottom branch as the tree slowly rotated above her head.

"Meet me here tonight, after everyone else has gone to bed," he whispered.

"O.K.," replied Emma, speaking very quietly so that Grandpa—or even worse, Luke—wouldn't hear her. "But what if I get caught?"

"Just be careful of the creaking floorboard in the hallway," he replied, "and the loose board on the stairway when you come down. Everyone will be exhausted, so as long as you're quiet you won't wake anyone."

Emma slid out from under the tree as Grandpa continued explaining the virtue of live trees. "Real trees are organic and they provide steady work to thousands of tree farmers. They absorb harmful carbon dioxide from the air and give off oxygen. Most farmers grow crops to feed your body, but Christmas tree farmers grow something to feed your spirit. Christmas trees are food for your eyes and your nose, your brain and your heart," he added with a smile.

"How'd you like to put tinsel at the top of the tree, Emma?" he asked. "I'll lift you up there so you can decorate the top while Luke and I finish working on the middle section." As Grandpa lifted her up and set her on a plank above his head, she squealed with delight.

Emma, Luke, and Grandpa worked together quietly as they finished adorning the tree. When the top of the tree was completed, Grandpa brought Emma back to the floor. He carefully disassembled the scaffolding and returned all the planks to the hall closet. By the time Grandma and Sue were finished in the kitchen, the entire tree was covered with a light coating of tinsel that reflected the tree's lights and shimmered as the tree spun slowly around.

The family all settled in around the tree to enjoy the fruits of their labors. The room was lit only by the fire in the fireplace and the lights of the tree. Outside, snow was falling. The tree stood proudly in the alcove created by the bay windows. With tall windows on three sides of it, the tree was in the coolest spot in the room—a perfect place for a Christmas tree.

This tree was one in a million, an extraordinary example the fine art of Christmas tree decorating. Thousands of lights gently twinkled as the tree turned so slowly that its movement was almost imperceptible. Grandma explained that most people didn't even realize that it was possible to have a live tree with lights that revolved. She added that Papa Andrew had specially modified the stand so that he could slow down the motor and dim the lights. In doing so, he'd created a magical experience for them that was truly one-of-a-kind. When Emma squinted her eyes and looked at the tree, it was like watching thousands of fireflies.

Grandpa reclined in his chair with satisfaction. "This must be the most beautiful Christmas tree in Oregon."

"I think it's the most beautiful tree in the world!" added Emma. She looked up at the top of the tree, where she saw two nearly identical elves standing together. One, made of porcelain and threading cranberries, was less than two centuries old. The other elf was much older, and as he waved at Emma he was beaming with pride.

"Let's put on some Christmas music," said Luke. As the songs played, the whole family sang along, told more stories and laughed on into the night. All the while, the tree continued to turn and the snow continued to fall.

At 10 o'clock, the grandfather clock chimed in the hall. "Tomorrow is a big day," said Grandma. "We have to go to church, eat breakfast and prepare for our afternoon open house. And I think I heard a rumor that Santa Claus might be stopping by with some presents. Let's put out the milk and cookies for him and then we can all go up to bed."

"I don't believe in Santa Claus," replied Luke defiantly. "Why don't you get Emma to help?"

While the rest of the family went upstairs tobed, Grandma and Emma went into the kitchen to prepare a glass of milk and aplate with a few cookies and a slice of Grandma's fruit cake. Then they tookthe treats out to the living room and set them on the table by the fireplace.Once everything was in place, Emma picked up Gus and took him up to herbedroom.