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How Lovely Are Thy Branches (The Christmas Tree Fight Song) Our Christmas Tree fights were the fights of the year – With fights like Tree fights, who needs Christmas cheer? First there's the fight about what's right or wrong – A live one? A dying one? Or one made in Hong Kong? If it's a live one, who'll dig the hole? Say a prayer for that last one. Did no hole play a role? Who wants a phoney from Lord or from Taylor With no dropping needles nor scent we can savor? So what'll it be? Blue spruce, balsam, or pine? And where's the best shaped one? In the back of the line… How soon shall we trim it so it's still got some needles On Christmas? From Thanksgiving on we get wheedles and wheedles… What a tempest it causes coming in the back door, Spreading it's needles on the family room, then the kitchen, hall, dining room, and living room floor. And why did we buy one that's two feet too tall? One that looks best with three sides to the wall? Then there's the "woodsman" who slices his hand Trimming the trunk that's too thick for the stand. And who's got the plastic so that the gore Of sawdust and blood, needles and water, and broken ornaments won't spoil the floor? And Christmas ain't Christmas until we have wrangled About how lights in a box can become so entangled. Of course our stringer of lights has the incorrigible knack Of too few in the front and most in the back. Then some prefer icycles – others want snow – While the paper-chain kid is told where to go. Yet love helped us play out this scene year after year – If only she and her kerchief were still with us here…
Bob Carlson 12/21/74 - 12/25/10 To 'The Tannenbaum Chronicles' |