Forest

Halloween is passed. The aroma of yesterday's Thanksgiving dinner lingers throughout the house. It's time for the magic. The magic of Christmas! Forests of trees have grown in vacant lots around town. The forests are lighted by strings of bare light bulbs supported by wooden poles. Small wooden shacks or tents provide protection from the cold for the hearty souls that take care of the trees. Some trees have been harvested and leaned against the outside walls of grocery stores. Some are on wooden stands,,,two slats of wood nailed in an "X" shaped and nailed to the bottom of the trunks. These are special forests because they hold different kinds of trees. There are firs, pines, cedars, and balsas. And they come in many sizes from 3 to 12 feet tall and 3 to five feet wide. The firs and pines have dozens of long branches in shades of green from deep rich forest green, paling to middle green. Some have silver highlights. The branches are covered with one to one and a half inch thin needles, leading to three fingered "hands" at the ends. The strong branches are long at the bottom and progressively get shorter toward the top forming a conical triangle. The trunks are greenish-gray with needles covering them. The pines might have an occasional surprise,,small, three inch long, dark tan cones hanging from a few branches. The cedars, with their deep dark brown trunks, have wide paddle-like, medium green branches like flat spears. The branches are weak, but beautiful. The balsas are the Cadillac of trees. The trunks and branches are medium to light brown, sometimes almost tan, and wide apart. The needles are long, three to four inches that form large fans at the ends. Soon, families will visit these forests searching for their "perfect" tree. They'll check the strength and length of the branches and for "bald spots",,,a gap in the branches. And, when all the family agrees, they'll buy it and tie it to the top of their car or put it in the trunk, to take home to make it the centerpiece of their magic.