false 590962 0385327218 9780385327213 117 35 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1176079732m/590962.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/590962.Mr_Willowby_s_Christmas_Tree 858178 Robert E. Barry 123 36 5 1 false Sat Dec 22 01:23:54 -0800 2007 Sat Dec 22 01:30:37 -0800 2007
I'm certainly not the only one in my family to remember this tale. Growing up, my grandparents had a beautiful flocked tree. It was so, so tall, covered in velvet snow and little red satin birds. Of course, artificial trees have a lifespan and by the time I was in my last year of high school, the tree had been replaced by something new. The new tree was also beautiful, but to me it just wasn't right. Part of me was so sad to not see the snowy tree and the flock of little cardinals. Someone must have noticed. The next year when I moved away to university, there was a special delivery at Thanksgiving: the top 4 feet of the old flocked tree, with its own stand and a few perfect little birds. If that entire idea sounds unimportant, Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree may just have the explanation for why that little tree was the best Christmas surprise I could ever imagine.]]>