|
 My little heart
was pounding as my Dad and I started our climb up the hill behind The
Bakery on our quest for our Christmas Tree. Snow was just
beginning to fall and as I huffed and puffed we got nearer to our
destination, the trees growing around birch rock. Dad would
caution me, "Idy, don't slip and head over the mountain to Big
Bottom." I smiled and caught the snowflakes with my tongue.
Just as Dad finished telling me not to slip, slip I did and I could
see Big Bottom below. Maybe I was too excited about our quest to
get scared but a clump of trees sitting right off a big rock caught my
fall. I knew right off that the tree which sort of cushioned my
fall was the one that needed to go down the hill with my Dad and me.
"Idy, honey that tree is scraggly, let's go farther back in the
mountain where no one goes where we will find the biggest, prettiest
tree in Hazard." I knew he was right 'cause we made many a
trek to Birch Rock to dig ginseng, pick the grandest wildflowers in
the world that bloomed in the nooks and crannies of the rocks that
nature had put there for a flower bed, and yep, as I got older we
would take picnic lunches and head to Birch Rock for an outing.
Sometimes, we would take our "fellers" with us and maybe
steal a kiss or two with only the birds, squirrels and other forest
creatures as witnesses to this "stolen kiss".
We continued our quest for the family tree, but guess what, my mind
was with the scraggly tree down the hill. Dad could tell
where my heart was and we began our descent, stopping only long enough
for Dad to take his axe and cut this anything but perfect tree.
The snow was falling harder and the sky was turning darker and we knew
we had to hurry while there was still enough light to get safely down
the hill. However, both of us knew this path by heart for we had
traveled it oh so many times.
We got the tree to our front porch and Mom sort of smiled a hidden
laughing one as I call it, but only said, "Can't wait to see what
you do with this one, Howard."
Here, I have to tell you my Dad was multi-talented and he made most of
the clothes that I wore and I knew Dad could make a beauty out of this
scraggly tree. As me and my sister, Thelma Jean, watched, Dad
got busy and out of boxes of collected Christmas ornaments he chose
this and that and added them with the cranberry ropes and popcorn
ropes, tossing bright silver icicles here and there, and as we stood
there, this scraggly tree was taking on a whole new picture. Dad
carefully placed the tree lights as only he could, making the
"candle light" lights illuminating our tree, not only the
tree but the entire room in which it stood. Dad put the
finishing touch on our tree that year with our Family Star that was
kept for many years after his death. He had worked magic as that
scraggly tree stood all arrayed in a fine and eloquent makeover that
in my heart I knew only Dad could have done. As the Heavenly
Star twinkled at the top and the little candle lights flickered, it
was time for us to go to bed and let the sugar plums dance in our
heads. Oh, for the heart of a little child and the simple things
that we saw transformed into magical things.
"Oh, Christmas Tree, Oh, Christmas Tree, how lovely are thy
branches..."
Another Christmas among my many memories of growing up on Liberty
Street in Big Bottom. Thinking back, it was the perfect place to
be at that time.
Ida Lee Hansel is a contributing writer for HazardKentucky.com. If you would like to comment on Ida's story, contact us |
