The decorations for our magical little tree
On his knees, tending the garden of the Old House, Master Eusebio's gaze was focused on the variety of flowers, but his mind wandered back to the time when the whole family prepared for the Christmas celebrations, and, curiously, what he remembered most in his solitude was the ritualistic way in which his children and his wife decorated the pine branch for Christmas, made their nativity scene, and everything was filled with a strange and magical atmosphere of peace.
Of their four children, three were far away seeking better living conditions abroad, and with them, three of their grandchildren, one from each child, filled the happiness of their family units, despite not being in the best economic conditions, but they learned to value family love despite the limitations and saw how their children repeated that magical ritual year after year as a legacy.
His eldest son stayed in the small hamlet working the land, relying on effort and perseverance as a way to improve his economic situation, in order to support his three young children after his separation from his wife, who shared his love and half of their time.
Teacher Eusebio, lamenting, thought that he had somehow influenced his eldest son's behavior, since he too was separated and alone, despite maintaining a supportive relationship with the person who had been his partner for many years, because the bond and affection for children and grandchildren could never be broken.
At that moment, his thoughts were suspended in time, when the voice of a little four-year-old boy said to him: Hello, grandpa, blessing.
"Hello, my beloved Puss in Boots. God bless you, my heart," the teacher replied excitedly.
"I've come to put your Christmas decorations on the little tree in the yard. Will you help me?" she asks in an angelic voice.
"Of course, sweetheart. Tell me, what should I do?" Eusebio asked. The beautiful and tender creature's mind began to wander, and she started giving pine seeds to her grandfather, and together they placed them among the branches of a small eucalyptus tree in the garden.
The little boy says to him: Grandpa, we have to put lights on the little tree.
-Sweetheart, I don't have any little lights.
"Sure, there you go." And with a bit of imagination, he took three small, broken pieces of a hose. He asked his grandfather to help him pass them through the branches.
Silently, from the doorway, Anaís, Santiago's sister, saw everything and ran out. She found some old decorations she asked her aunt for and returned to the garden of the Old House with a surprise for her grandfather and brother.
"Blessings, grandfather," Anaís said upon arriving.
God bless you, my dear. What a pleasant surprise!
The three of them finished decorating the small tree, whose nonexistent lights shone brighter in their hearts than any tree.
That afternoon, with tears in his eyes, teacher Eusebio learned another lesson from his grandchildren: Christmas, like happiness, resides in our hearts. It is up to us how we face loneliness and our relationships with loved ones. The photos of the beautiful and unusual little tree reached his children. They all agreed that Anaís and Santiago's tree was the most beautiful this Christmas.
Master Eusebio