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116. Bill’s special Christmas tree
Bill: "That’s terrible! All the Christmas trees are sold out. Mama, you waited too long."
Mother: "Well, I thought that if we buy it later, then the tree would be cheaper. You know that we don’t have a lot of money."
Bill: "Rosi prayed yesterday for a tree. She’ll be disappointed, and so will the other girls."
Bill thought about his father. While he was still alive, they always got a tree early in the season. Without him everything was so different.
Mother: "Bill, there’s one over there. Hallo, I would like that tree, please."
Man: "I’m not selling that one. It’s for my children. They’d be mighty disappointed if I didn’t bring a tree home today. Merry Christmas!"
The man went away. Bill and his Mother picked up the fir branches that were lying on the ground and carried them home. Four sad girls came to the front door.
Girl: "Do you have a tree?"
Mother: "No. I’m so very sorry."
Quietly, they all sat down at the table to eat supper. It was Rosi’s turn to pray.
Rosi: "Dear Lord Jesus, I asked you to get us a tree. Did you not hear me? But don’t worry about it anymore. It’s too late now. Thank you for giving us something to eat. Amen."
Later when the girls were in bed, Bill had an idea. Intently, he made notches in the broomstick handle with his pocket knife and attached the fir branches to it with wire. He placed the broomstick in a bucket of sand so it would stand up, and then he wrapped brown paper around it.
Mother: "Bill, the tree looks lovely! You did a great job on it. I’ll get the decorations and the angel for the top. The girls are going to be amazed."
Rosi was happiest of all.
Rosi: "Bill, that’s the most beautiful tree we‘ve ever had. Jesus really did answer my prayer."
Happily, the children nestled against their mother as she read the Christmas story aloud.
(sound of pages turning)
Mother: "And Mary had her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger."
And why did the mother also read the story about Jesus‘ crucifixion?
Mother: "The cross of the Lord Jesus was really a tree. A tree much more important than a Christmas tree. The manger and the cross belong together. The Lord Jesus came to earth in order to die for us. Christmas would be nothing without the cross."
People: Narrator, Bill, mother, man, girl, Rosi
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