Storytime: The Christmas Broom
After posting the previous storytime entry, my friend Jonathan e-mailed me to ask, "Why not a Christmas story, or more specifically, a Christmas BROOM story?" So, for all of you boys and girls out there who don't know about the Christmas Broom, let me share it with you.
Once upon a time, in a town called Cuyahoga Falls, there lived a young woman named Mandy. Every year, Mandy had the loveliest, most beautiful Christmas tree in all the land.
Each Christmas season began with Mandy spending hours at the Christmas tree farm, hunting for the perfect tree. Then, she would bring the tree home and display it in her front window to share its splendor with all who passed by.
Mandy would spend several hours wrapping each branch with delicate white lights, until the tree was aglow with the Christmas spirit.
Next, Mandy would spread out all of the ornaments; some classic pieces she’d collected over the years, some elegant pieces she’d found by chance, and some unique pieces she’d received as gifts. Mandy would expertly select the proper ornament for every branch, stepping back after placing each one to ensure that the location she chose was perfect.
When all of the ornaments were in place, Mandy would sprinkle white snowflakes over every branch, giving the tree the snowy, glowing aura of nature.
Lastly, there was the bow. Most other trees had a star or an angel on top, but not Mandy’s tree. Atop her tree was a handmade bow of scarlet and gold, with ribbons cascading down through the tree branches. After all, the tree’s beauty was a gift to the eyes, so it was only natural to top such a gift it with a beautiful bow.
Finally, after devoting so much of her time, thought and effort, every light, ornament, and flake was in place. The tree was done and it was absolutely perfect. Mandy sat in front of the tree, basking in the beauty she had created.
The next day, Mandy was at work when her supervisor told her, “You have a phone call.” Mandy wasn’t expecting a call and wondered who it could be? She ducked into the office and answered the call. It was her friend Lee.
“Now, don’t worry. Everything will be fine,” he said with a worried tone in his voice. Becoming a bit concerned, Mandy asked what he meant. Lee replied, “It’s not as bad as you’re going to think, but don’t worry about anything. We’ll fix it.” Mandy started to contemplate the worst as Lee continued, “OK, here it is. The Christmas tree...kind of...fell over.” “What?!” Mandy screamed. Lee explained, “Jonathan and I came home to find the tree lying in the middle of the living room. Some of the ornaments broke, but we’re cleaning it up right now. We’re just having a hard time getting the tree to stand up. But don’t worry, we’ll figure something out. Everything will be fine.”
Mandy hung up the phone. She didn’t know whether to scream, cry, or do both. She fumbled through the rest of her day in a daze, dreading her return home to see her masterpiece in shambles.
Later that evening, Mandy pulled in the driveway, being careful to keep her eyesight directed away from the front picture window where her beautiful tree had been. She nervously walked up the steps and, with a jittery hand, opened the door.
And there it was. With a few remnants of broken decorations still scattered about the carpet and a dusting of snow all around the room, Mandy’s once perfect tree was nowhere near perfect anymore.
But then she noticed a new addition to the tree’s decorations. There, sticking out of the center of the tree, propped against its trunk, keeping the tree upright, was a broom.
Lee and Jonathan both began talking at once, hurrying to explain, “We wanted it to be standing when you got home… It just wouldn’t stand up…We thought we’d use the broom to hold it up, at least temporarily…We can figure out another way to keep it up, but for now…”
Mandy burst into joyous laughter. How could she not? The guys didn’t have to clean up the mess. They didn’t have to do anything, but they did. And they were so creative in their problem solving and so concerned about minimizing her disappointment.
So the tree wasn’t perfect. Big deal. Mandy knew she had two good friends and the Christmas Broom to make her smile for a lifetime.
The end.
Once upon a time, in a town called Cuyahoga Falls, there lived a young woman named Mandy. Every year, Mandy had the loveliest, most beautiful Christmas tree in all the land.
Each Christmas season began with Mandy spending hours at the Christmas tree farm, hunting for the perfect tree. Then, she would bring the tree home and display it in her front window to share its splendor with all who passed by.
Mandy would spend several hours wrapping each branch with delicate white lights, until the tree was aglow with the Christmas spirit.
Next, Mandy would spread out all of the ornaments; some classic pieces she’d collected over the years, some elegant pieces she’d found by chance, and some unique pieces she’d received as gifts. Mandy would expertly select the proper ornament for every branch, stepping back after placing each one to ensure that the location she chose was perfect.
When all of the ornaments were in place, Mandy would sprinkle white snowflakes over every branch, giving the tree the snowy, glowing aura of nature.
Lastly, there was the bow. Most other trees had a star or an angel on top, but not Mandy’s tree. Atop her tree was a handmade bow of scarlet and gold, with ribbons cascading down through the tree branches. After all, the tree’s beauty was a gift to the eyes, so it was only natural to top such a gift it with a beautiful bow.
Finally, after devoting so much of her time, thought and effort, every light, ornament, and flake was in place. The tree was done and it was absolutely perfect. Mandy sat in front of the tree, basking in the beauty she had created.
The next day, Mandy was at work when her supervisor told her, “You have a phone call.” Mandy wasn’t expecting a call and wondered who it could be? She ducked into the office and answered the call. It was her friend Lee.
“Now, don’t worry. Everything will be fine,” he said with a worried tone in his voice. Becoming a bit concerned, Mandy asked what he meant. Lee replied, “It’s not as bad as you’re going to think, but don’t worry about anything. We’ll fix it.” Mandy started to contemplate the worst as Lee continued, “OK, here it is. The Christmas tree...kind of...fell over.” “What?!” Mandy screamed. Lee explained, “Jonathan and I came home to find the tree lying in the middle of the living room. Some of the ornaments broke, but we’re cleaning it up right now. We’re just having a hard time getting the tree to stand up. But don’t worry, we’ll figure something out. Everything will be fine.”
Mandy hung up the phone. She didn’t know whether to scream, cry, or do both. She fumbled through the rest of her day in a daze, dreading her return home to see her masterpiece in shambles.
Later that evening, Mandy pulled in the driveway, being careful to keep her eyesight directed away from the front picture window where her beautiful tree had been. She nervously walked up the steps and, with a jittery hand, opened the door.
And there it was. With a few remnants of broken decorations still scattered about the carpet and a dusting of snow all around the room, Mandy’s once perfect tree was nowhere near perfect anymore.
But then she noticed a new addition to the tree’s decorations. There, sticking out of the center of the tree, propped against its trunk, keeping the tree upright, was a broom.
Lee and Jonathan both began talking at once, hurrying to explain, “We wanted it to be standing when you got home… It just wouldn’t stand up…We thought we’d use the broom to hold it up, at least temporarily…We can figure out another way to keep it up, but for now…”
Mandy burst into joyous laughter. How could she not? The guys didn’t have to clean up the mess. They didn’t have to do anything, but they did. And they were so creative in their problem solving and so concerned about minimizing her disappointment.
So the tree wasn’t perfect. Big deal. Mandy knew she had two good friends and the Christmas Broom to make her smile for a lifetime.
The end.
posted by Amanda at 2:16 PM
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