Noble Prickly Love ❤️ 🎄

As a sapling, I was teased relentlessly since my branches were too skinny. Raised at Wintervale Christmas Tree Farm, my two nursery mates, Sappy and Piney, took root alongside me. The grower grumbled as he shoveled the dirt. I was the runt of the grove and probably would not amount to a Noble Fir. He planned to use me for firewood if nobody wanted me. When he examined me, he said: "I'll call this one Prickly."

On cutting day for Noble and Fraser Firs, who had turned fifteen that year, the most regal of the season would be crowned. But I didn't care since I had no shot at the title. I was in love with Piney, who, with her symmetrical shape and sweet scent, would be the Queen of the Crop.

Sappy was what the grower called the ideal specimen. He was the tallest of the harvest, reaching eight feet into the winter sky. Sappy was flocked with light snow, and his limbs sparkled in the morning sunlight. For a tree, he was funny and, yes, downright sappy. But he was, in one word, majestic, a standout in the glittering field. Everyone said he would need a mansion for the festivities to house his ample size and height.

And then there was me, barely five feet tall with a slight arc to my trunk, and I never grew into my needles. Over the years, I was on the low end of the growth charts. Fortunately, my arc was in Piney's direction. The families would be arriving soon, and our time together would end. I had to tell Piney that I loved her before we got cut down and hauled away. The gates opened, and cars filled the parking lot as we prepared for the purpose we had grown.

I bent closer to her. "Hey, Piney. I need you to know something before everything changes today."

"What is it, Prickly?”

"I just want to say… I care about you, Piney. You bring laughter to brighten the darkest winter nights. I don't know what'll happen once we're gone from here, but I hope you carry that light always."

Sappy chuckled, "Well, well, well, what's this? Prickly confessing his feelings to Piney? I should have brought popcorn for this love story!"

"Sappy! It's not like that…."

Sappy shook with laughter as snow fell from his branches. "Oh, come on, you two! Keep going! I didn't know we were having a romantic moment out here. Should I set the mood with some twinkly lights?"

"Very funny, Sappy. Just because you think you're the only sensitive one doesn't mean you get to poke fun at Prickly for being a little emotional today," Piney said, clearly annoyed.

"Ha!” Sappy replied. “If Prickly had a heart, It would be melting right now! But really, it's great to see, even if it's coming from the prickliest one on our row!" 

"Oh, Prickly, don't listen to Sappy. You're tough on the outside, but your heart is pure. No matter where we end up, we're always connected. We've shared so many moments growing up," Piney said, sure of our intertwined fate.

"Thanks, Piney. Good luck today." I breathed, stretching to my full height, ready to face my destiny. But I still didn't confess my love; I was too insecure.

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"Color, fullness, height, symmetry, and scent are the hallmarks of the perfect tree," the old grower told the head decorator of Herrington Condominiums, who inspected our row. Sappy was the first chosen to decorate the front lobby of their building in downtown Burlington. It was just like him to be the center of attention in the city. He shrieked as the axe chopped at the base of his trunk, leaving nothing but a stump behind. He went dead silent after the fall. I called out, but they whisked him away and loaded Sappy into a company truck.

I shivered at the thought. Did it hurt to be cut down? Could I still be heard by other trees after being severed from my roots? Would I be relegated to silence, only able to think and talk to myself? I didn't speak after Sappy was taken. I pondered my purpose and held my trunk as straight as possible. Piney was next selected by a family with two young boys excited to have such a beautiful tree to take home. 

"Prickly, I’ve always loved you," Piney said as the axe took her footing, gracefully tumbling. I watched them tighten her limbs as they hoisted her onto the car's rooftop rack. 

I yelled out to her, but she was gone. I was a coward who was too timid to speak up for all those years. "I love you too, Piney, since we met in the greenhouse and our pots first touched," I said to her stump, my limbs lowered in despair.

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I was alone, the last of the lot, with two stumps by my sides where my best friends once stood. Cutting day was supposed to be the best of our lives, but I felt hollow inside. That's when it happened. My second family appeared, with a Dad and two siblings, both teenagers like me—a boy and a girl. They stood studying me, disagreeing about whether I was the one.

"Considering our last name is Brown, and we named you Charlie and Sally, this is our tree," said the Dad. The teens nodded as they tapped on their phones. Then, the axe fell, carving its path until I toppled. I was down in the snow and bundled up to go. 

The pain was fleeting when my roots were severed. After that, I felt nothing. I was surprised to be unplugged from the earth, which kept me grounded in life. Why did I have to die to make my second family happy? Growing up, I witnessed the fifteen years of holiday seasons on the farm. The kids' eyes would light up when they found their perfect tree. I clung to the hope of finally measuring up.

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Decorations, with twinkling lights, ornaments, and glistening tinsel, brought me back to life. Finally, I felt noble, the centerpiece of this family for Christmas. I had been chosen by the perfect people who appreciated my lack of symmetry. Charlie and Sally dressed me up fine in silver and gold with red all around. My colorful lights twinkled in the twilight.

I had only one regret: not expressing my love for Piney. It was my first night in my new home when Charlie opened the blinds to let me peek outside. I would recognize her flawless symmetry anywhere. I saw her shining across the street in the window, dressed elegantly in white. It was Piney, not the twinkling lights, that made her shine. Did she recognize me? Fate had kept us connected, and now we were row mates again. I willed my limbs to tremble, hoping she would notice. But it was no use; I couldn't get a response.

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My needles withered over several weeks; no amount of water could stop them from falling. I'm no longer one with the earth. I'm slowly dying, but I'm not alone in my vigil. Piney is there, holding my roots in the soil. She stands in that window, slowly slipping away each day. I see her light when we are alone at night, just like on the farm. I hoped she had found her purpose in that home.

I had a new family who needed me, so I kept my limbs up, proudly standing as the Noble Fir for the Browns. Over the last few weeks, each family member has visited at night as Christmas approached, pouring their hearts out to me. 

Dad came first, criticizing himself for not providing enough for his family, wishing he could take them on fancy trips and send them to better schools. I wanted to tell him he had a loving family who cared for one another. As I observed them going about their lives, I realized they were a unique and special unit. It reminded me of my own family, Sappy and Piney.

Mom came to me, reflecting on her past. She felt guilty for working long hours instead of spending time with her children, who were almost grown. As she sat in the shadows, the fire crackled beside her, and she was startled when Charlie appeared. 

"Mom, can I talk to you?" Charlie sighed, sitting down beside her, looking downcast. 

"Of course, sweetheart. What's on your mind?" Mom asked.

"I don't get it. My friends are all getting into these Ivy League schools. I didn't even get an interview or a crack at a scholarship. It feels like I don't belong. It makes me feel… I don't know, like I'm not good enough."

"Charlie, I'm so sorry you're feeling this way. I know how much you've worked for this. It's difficult when you see others achieving what you want."

"But it just feels so unfair! I worked hard, and they didn't even want me."

"Life isn't fair, I know. But sometimes, the best opportunities come in unexpected packages. Let's focus on the schools that do want you."

"I guess…I just wanted to be like them."

"Son, you don't need a fancy Ivy League school to succeed." 

Charlie forced a smile, "I know, Mom. I see how hard you and Dad work, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate you when I complain. I love you so much." 

They hugged under my lights as I looked at Piney, sparkling like the cosmos we grew up under. I had been like Charlie and now understood what it meant to be the prickly one—the one who never measured up and was too scared to take a chance. If I got my second chance, I would take it. 

Sally came last on Christmas Eve, sitting beside me on the sofa while sipping hot chocolate. She confessed her long-held crush on an older boy named David, who was friends with her brother. Now, he's leaving for college, and she thinks it's too late to tell him how she feels. Sally went to bed filled with regret and confusion, pondering the "what ifs" of her choice to stay silent all those times she could have spoken up.

I wanted to reach out and wrap my branches around her to say I understood what it felt like to hold back because you were so afraid. I wanted to scream, Sally, don't let David leave forever without being honest.

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It was Christmas, and I peered out the window, watching Piney glow. I had loved her more and more over the years as our roots intertwined deep in the earth. The moment they cut me down, my heart was severed, though my trunk remained intact. I felt an unbreakable connection with Piney. She was right: our relationship was meant to last a lifetime. These are our last days together, and if we could speak one last time, I would tell her what I've learned and how I truly feel.

Today, the Brown family planted a Noble sapling on their back lawn to replenish my place in the world. The crooked, skinny, prickly tree they all grew to love was the one who listened to them. They told their truths, and it was the reason I was here.

The day after New Year's, they gently removed my decorations and cut me in half, preparing to return me to the earth. I was browning and dry but still alive. 

When Piney was dragged out to the curb, I shuddered and shook when they sawed her in two. We lay battered and withered in a heap on the street, waiting for our pick-up from the mulching truck that week. I yearned to be in the same flower bed as Piney when it's all said and done.

Finally, I spoke, "Piney, can you hear me?"

"Of course! They didn't cut off my hearing—just my limbs!"

I couldn't help but chuckle at her sweet-sounding voice and decided to say it all out loud: "I love you!"

"I know, Prickly. I've always known. I mean, I always believed you were a Noble Fir!" 

I couldn't stop smiling. "What was your second family like? Was it everything you imagined?"

Piney sighed dramatically, "It was magical. The children built a train that circled me with whistles and lights. I was dressed all in white, twinkling like the cosmos at night. And best of all? I had a front-row seat to see you all decked out—not a single branch out of place.”

"My family, the Browns, reminded me of us with Sappy. I wish I had told you how I felt back in the day. I realized my mistakes a bit too late."

"Prickly, It's not too late. I loved you from the moment our pots touched, too. Later, when our roots intertwined, it was quite the connection—you made me feel warm inside."

"Oh, my sweet Piney, you will always be my love. The Browns planted a Noble sapling to remind them of my spirit. It was prickly and the runt of the nursery, just like me. I'll be across the street, keeping an eye on things!" I said proudly. 

Piney chuckled, "Well, that's good news because my family planted a sapling yesterday, too. So we'll be together forever!"