by ‘Papa’ Lorne Rostotski
December 25, 2011

At the age of three, Aydan loved having stories read to her. Her library had a nice collection of books, many of which had not yet been read. One particular story caught my immediate attention. Nobody else is going to read this story to her. It’s my story to read, I saw it first! I chuckled as I buried this book at the very back of her library. On the front cover was a picture of Winnie the Pooh. He was standing out in the snow holding a box of Christmas ornaments. At his side was Piglet, his trusty companion. This is the bedtime story I read to Aydan on Christmas Eve.

Winnie and Piglet are looking for the perfect tree to decorate. Winnie sees a tree that he lives just fine, but Piglet says it’s too small. They move on to the next tree. Again, Piglet thinks it’s too small. After several trees, they finally find one that suits them both perfectly. However, there is a problem.

The tree is so tall that the two short friends can only decorate the bottom half. The problem is solved when Tigger, who bounces on his tail, volunteers to decorate the top half. The last thing left to do is place the star on the very highest branch. Birds to the rescue! They fly up and position the shiny silver star at the very peak, completing the project. A beautiful animals’ Christmas tree deep in the snow-covered forest.

“Aydan, I’ve got a little secret to tell you, so please listen carefully. You’ve seen all the bunnies playing hide-and-seek in the bushes and the birdies flitting joyfully through the air. Your daddy even feeds the crows. There are foxes playing tag with each other in the backyard. One time there was actually a big moose eating mommy’s flowers. You see Aydan, there are a lot of little and big animals everywhere. All of these furry and feathered friends love Christmas too. They even have their very own decorated tree somewhere in the woods. Aydan, if you are a very good girl you might someday see their tree. Only the very best boys and girls ever get a chance to see the animals’ Christmas tree.” After a sweet cuddle, her sleepy smiles fades as she floats off to dreamland.

What was a bedtime story for Aydan quickly became a labour of love for me. I had a few hours of work that had to be done before morning.

My plan was to decorate an outdoor tree before Aydan woke up. Every item had to be something that the animals and birds could eventually eat. I started by slicing carrots into little orange discs. I did the same with two apples, putting ribbons through them so they could hang on the branches. Jill had six seedpods that usually hung in canary cages, which would work just fine. I decided to pop some popcorn and string it together as garland. After two short strings, my fingers were about the blister from the needle. The rest of the popcorn was left in a bowl to toss loosely over the snow. What to do about the top of the tree?

As I was pondering this, I was in the kitchen preparing to eat an orange. My friends all know that when I peel an orange, the peel comes off in one piece. Aha! That’s the answer.

I gathered all the environmentally-friendly homemade ornaments and headed for Sara’s place. She had one small spruce that fit the bill perfectly. After decorating it, I went inside to complete my plan. Through the change-room window you could see the tree clearly, Putting a stool in that room, I shut the door and waited excitedly for the morning.

The milk was gone and the cookie had a big bite taken out of it! The bottom of the Christmas tree was hidden by a mountain of gifts that weren’t there last night. The pitter-patter of little feet came down the stairs followed by squeals of joy. Christmas morning was the best day of the year! First the stocking were emptied. Toys, chocolate, candies, wow! And then the mountain of gifts, how intoxicating! Hours of unwrapping, opening, playing and laughing. There were plenty of hugs and kisses to go around. But there comes a time when even this becomes a little tiresome. Now was the time for my plan.

“Aydan, Papa needs a stool. Can you get it for me from the change-room?”

I never did get my stool. The sheer joy and enthusiasm that poured out of the change-room was uncontainable. Because Aydan was still in her pjs, daddy swooped her up in a blanket and out the front door they flew!

What happened in the creative heart of that child at that precise moment will last an entire lifetime. Her imagination will forever be fertile. But she’ll also retain her common sense. How do I know? Because her next question was, “but Papa, where are the animals?”