A story of the fir tree…

Long, long ago in a country where the winter days are dark and cold, and snow and ice cover the ground, every year as the days grew shorter and the nights grew longer, the people became frightened: what if the summer never came back; what if it stayed cold and dark all the time.

There is a story told of a family where the father didn’t know how to answer his children when they became afraid that the Sun would go away and never come back. He therefore went to the wisest man he knew to get an answer-a Druid. Druids learned about some of God’s laws from the trees and forests.

The Druid said to the father, “What trees grow near your home?” and the father said “The cherry tree and the green fir tree.” And then the druid told the father how to answer his children. When he went home he brought inside the house a little green fir tree.

“Children,” Father said, “this is the story of the fir tree.”

“As it grow colder and darker he commands the fir tree again and again to drop its leaves. At last on the darkest day of the year, the fir tree answers the Frost Giant: ‘Light is stronger than darkness; warmth drives away cold, good is stronger than bad; and Life conquers death. No I will not drop my leaves.’

“The next day the Sun shines a little longer and the following day is brighter than the one before. The Frost Giant is angry and the snow is deeper and the air is colder. But still the little fir tree says, ‘Light is stronger than darkness, warmth drives away cold; good is stronger than bad, and Life conquers death.’

“The Frost Giant growls at the fir tree:'”The cherry tree has beautiful blossoms, you have only sharp needles. The cherry tree goes to sleep and obeys my power; how dare you keep your leaves.’

“The little fir tree replies: ‘I know the cherry tree is more beautiful and more useful than I am, but I keep the faith of the forest alive for ‘Light is stronger than darkness, warmth drives away cold, good is stronger than bad, and Life conquers death.’

The father told his children to remember what the Druid said, that the fir tree tells us not to be afraid of the Frost Giant ever again.

The little boy looked at the fir tree and said, “If the fir tree wants to be as pretty as the cherry tree, I’ll give him my red scarf to wear.”

“He can have my ribbons,” exclaimed the little girl. “He can have my bracelets,” added the mother.

So for one day the fir tree had brighter trimmings and looked more beautiful than even the cherry tree in spring, because the fir tree kept the faith of the forest and the faith of the people alive. And that may be why we still have an evergreen tree which we cover with bright and shining things at Christmas time.

Stories can teach us so many lessons…