The Chewie who Remembered Christmas

Dear Glob,

Today we not only received our very first Christmas Card, but also purchased our 2006 Merry Christmas Tree. It has been as while since I had put real effort into Christmas. For the past couple of years I was too involved with work to accompany my Parents on the annual Christmas Tree shopping extravaganza. I had an almost Grinch-like annoyance towards the tradition, complaining about all the extra vacuuming and post-Holiday clean up. Last year I even told my Parents that the Tree was a waste of time, and if they bought one, I would have nothing to do with it. It’s not like I hated Christmas, quite the opposite; I was just so burnt out and miserable from working crazy 80+ hour weeks to think about Trees and such...

And the more Chewie thought
of the mess it would bring
The more Chewie thought,
"I must stop this whole thing!
"Why I’m too tired to vacuum
those pine needles now!
I MUST stop this Tree from coming!
...But HOW?"

But whatever the reason,
Lack of sleep or the cleaning,
Chewie decided this Christmas would have a lot more meaning.

...So after dinner, and a lot of whining from Little Chewie, Father, Mother and I headed to Lowes to buy this year’s Christmas Tree. Intoxicated by the smell of pine, we all split up and flocked towards our own favorite section of trees. Father immediately took a liking to a beautiful Noble fir with branches full of thick green needles. Drawing my attention away from a pretty Douglas fir, I watched as Father shook his tree to reveal its perfect Christmas Tree shape. Instantaneously, we were both hooked. On seeing what section we were in, Mother looked hesitant as she walked over. Being the most reasonable of us three, Mother had carefully read the pricing sign before allowing herself to become attached to one particular tree. As fate would have it, Father’s picturesque Noble fir turned out to be double the amount of all of the other trees in the lot. Father continued to fight for his tree, while Mother pointed out its imperfections. In addition to being a bit pricey, the tree was on the short side and had a slight bald spot near the very top. Finally admitting to these faults, we sadly set the tree aside. I became discouraged; maybe this whole Tree thing wasn’t worth the effort and disappointment. I was half heartedly browsing through another row, when Mother pulled a tall Balsam fir from behind a stack of trees. Reluctantly I headed over to where Father and Mother were inspecting the new tree, not expecting it to live up to our earlier Noble fir, but as soon as its branches began to unfold, I knew in my heart that we had found “The One…”

And what happened then?
Well in Rockland they say
That Chewie's young heart
Remembered that day!
And the minute her heart revealed memories of old
The spirit of Christmas began to unfold
And she helped carry the tree with the utmost of care...
And she...
Chewie HERSELF!
Volunteered to vacuum the stairs!

And Chewie thought of something she hadn’t before,
What if Christmas depends on the effort and “chores,”
Then maybe Christmas would mean a lot more!

Rally Troops! Bring your Cheer!
No more excuses should we all hear!

All of our plans, let’s do them NOW,
And not ask who, when and how.
Welcome Christmas while we stand,
Heart to heart and hand in hand.