For the last several years around Christmas time, somebody has been decorating a 35-foot-tall pine tree on N. Shiloh Drive, near the I-540 on-ramp. I guess it’s a pine tree. Cedar? I’m no tree expert.
Every year, the decorations seem to get a little more elaborate, with the garland reaching a little higher in its branches, and more giant ball ornaments, wreaths, and other adornments covering the lower portion of the tree.
The tree isn’t in anyone’s yard. I don’t suppose it belongs to anyone, unless it belongs to the city? The state? Doesn’t matter.
I’d love to know who is decorating the tree, but a more interesting question is why does this person/these people do it?
Is it a public art project? Is it a joke? A religious statement? Is it just an attempt to spread a little holiday cheer to weary shoppers who’ve spent the day at the mall and department stores on Joyce Boulevard?
I don’t know the answer to any of these questions, but here’s what I do know; The idea of someone decorating that tree ever year, and the effort and care they put into it as if it is their duty to do so, makes me happy.
I’d like to think that’s the point.
If anyone knows the person who decorates the tree, or the story behind it, feel free to share in the comments.
If not, I’ll just imagine that some awesome person does it every year for the hell of it, because they enjoy doing it, and because it makes people happy.
