Dear Aunt Mabel,
It's Christmastime, and in a few days, we will be celebrating the birth of our Lord, Jesus. Every year, we look forward to decorating a Christmas tree. My big sister (who is actually very petite) and her husband own a tree farm, so most years, our tree comes from them. This year was a little different, however.
The tradition started well. Your great-great-great nephew's birthday is the 18th, and we usually like to have the tree up and decorated by then. My sister assisted us by delivering a tree several days early. I let it stand outside until the 17th, figuring all would go well. We would put the lights on, followed by yards of shiny silver and gold garland, followed by the ornaments, many of which are handmade. I'm sure you're familiar with Murphy's Law, however. "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong." I suppose this is true in many cases, but I thank God for the exceptions.
This is how it happened: When we put up the Christmas tree, I decided this year we would have as many lights as were practical, in this case, it was three strings of I-don't-know-how-many-lights-per-string, but it was a lot. As we wound the third string around the tree, we noticed a section of about 15-20 lights didn't light. It should have been a red flag to me then, and I was going to take them down and replace them with the set my brother loaned me. The minute I touched the string, however, those failing lights suddenly lit up the top of the tree. It was a miracle!
Well, not exactly. For safety's sake, we always unplug the tree at night. When we plugged it in the next day, that same section of lights would not light. I decided to move forward with my original plan and replace that string with my brother's lights. That's when it happened: I got zapped. I unplugged the tree. As I unwound the faulty string from the top of the tree, I realized how lucky we were. I didn't get a serious burn, just a little buzz on my finger. The tree could have caught fire, but it didn't.
So, Aunt Mabel, I have a special Christmas wish for everyone. If you could pass this message on to all your angel friends in Heaven, it would be much appreciated. If your angel friends have loved ones here on Earth who celebrate Christmas with a tree, or any other holiday that uses candles or lights, ask them to send a few messages on safety. Test the lights before hanging them on the tree. Always unplug the tree at night and before leaving the house, even if it's just to have a cup of coffee with the next-door neighbor. It only takes a minute for a tree to go up in flames. Store wrapped presents in another part of the house until the day before you open them. If the tree does catch fire, help everyone out and stay out until they can call 9-1-1, our emergency services hotline. I think you would agree, families don't need anyone to be the hero who saves the presents; they need their loved ones to stay alive. Objects can be replaced. Buildings can be rebuilt. Let survival be our greatest gift to each other. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and may you have a wonderful New Year.
Sincerely,
Mary