A Small Christmas Tree

The Small Christmas Tree

by:  JAT and Gail

           

This is a story of a small Christmas tree that dreamt of growing up so that he could be a Christmas tree amongst the humans on Christmas day. He wanted to be in a living room that had bright lights, candy canes, and ornaments all around him He wants to be noticeable from the living room window when cars would pass by so they can awe over him. He was so pleased when one day a little girl came with her parents to choose a fir tree to decorate their living room. The little girl adored him at first sight, but she noticed he wasn’t as big as she wanted him to be. She didn’t care about how small he was or how big he was she thought he looked perfect. She begged and pleaded for her parents to let her have him in their living room. So they dug him up and put him in the bed of their pickup truck. When they arrived to their house, the little girl soon began decorated her new Christmas tree. After she finished decorating her new Christmas tree the tree had so many lights it became really bright in no time. It became Christmas Eve the next day and her family came over that night to have dinner. Everyone was amazed of how well their Christmas tree turned out to be. In a flash Christmas was over and it was January. The family took all of the decorations and boxed him up and put him away until next year. The tree was glad they kept him for many years on the road for every Christmas. As he came out of his box the next year he laughed at the big trees for saying he was too little to be a part of a family. All that mattered to the Christmas tree he was glad that he made a little girl happy.

One Last Christmas

“One Last Christmas”
by: JAT and Gail

            Dax was only a year old and was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia and traveled with his parents several hundreds of miles away from their small town of Washington, IL. This was to receive medical care at St. Jude’s Children’s research hospital in Memphis, TN.

            Dax battled his disease for well over a year spending 15 months at St. Jude’s before doctors determined in the fall of 2009 that there were no more medical treatments available. Doctors sadly told his parents Austin and Julie that he probably would not live through December.

            Determined to give their son one last Christmas the family returned home to Washington, IL and decorated their home, bought a tree and purchased presents for Dax, even though it was only October. When neighbors caught on their hometown and then their entire state followed to. They decorated as if it were Christmas putting lights up that read “Dax”. Once CNN heard the story pictures were soon going all around the world and everyone was decorating in honor to support Dax.

            After a long struggle Dax didn’t die before Christmas. He was in a tough battle for the longest time. He passed away on December 30^th, 2009. His family still supports     St. Jude’s Hospital because it was like a second home to Dax.