Aleksandra Galert's Blog: I'm thinking about... - Posts Tagged "christmas"

Once upon a time there was an Angel on the top of a Christmas Tree. She was wearing a white dress and its long, blond hair were shining in the Christmas lights. The Angel liked to dance and throw colorful sparks into the air. She was so happy to see all the family of the house smiling and preparing the perfect Christmas. The little creature couldn't wait till the Christmas morning: everybody will be opening the presents and the Angel will be sending them her blessing.

During the night of 24 December the Angel couldn't sleep. She was so excited that she was all the time flying from one branch of the tree to another, looking if the Santa Claus was already arriving. She was just going to put her little feet on the top branch of the tree, when some noise distracted her. Her foot slipped, she lost balance and fall down. Screaming, she was sure it was the end. Falling, she hit a few branched and her wings got broken. Fortunately, at the last moment she landed on the lowest branch of the tree.

It took her a while to catch her breath again. After a moment, she got up and managed to stand on her shaking legs. The Angel looked around: it seemed much darker here, the branches were much longer and there were less decorations. Finally, she managed to see her own, empty branch – very high up. The Angel looked at herself: her hair was tangled and lost its shine, her dress was torn and the wings were broken. The little creature started to cry. ‘What should I do?’ – she was thinking.

After a moment of despair, she decided to ask somebody for help. Slowly passing from one branch to another, she arrived to a Chain made of thousands of tiny, shiny ribbons.
- ‘Excuse me’ – said the Angel. – ‘Could you give me one of your ribbons? My dress is torn and I need to repair it and you have so many of them’.
- ‘What a question?!’ – said the Chain with an angry voice. – ‘First, she’s showing off all the time up there and now she wants to destroy me and make me feel even less attractive. If you’re so beautiful as you think, you don’t need my ribbon”.
- ‘I’m very sorry’ – answered the Angel – ‘I wasn’t aware you think I’m showing off. And I don’t think I’m so beautiful’.
- ‘Bla bla bla. Go away.’ – said the Chain.

The Angel was devastated. She never thought she was showing off. She just wanted the Christmas Tree to look as good as it only could and she was trying to add some shine to it. Maybe the Chain just had a bad day? Maybe it was scared that the Santa won’t arrive in time? Having such thoughts in mind the Angel arrived to the Box – a decoration imitating a real present. She asked him for a ribbon, but the answer was very similar to the previous one. The Angel was confused: ‘Was I really so rude to them? Even if I didn’t realize that?’ – she kept on thinking.

Eventually, she decided that the most important thing at the moment was to arrive to the top of the Tree again. There she’ll find a way to repair her dress. She went then to the Fairy Lights.
- ‘Dear Lights’ – the Angel said – ‘could you help me to go back to my branch? I’m lost and my wings are broken. On my own I will not manage to arrive there till the morning comes.’ - she asked as nice as she only could.
But the Lights looked at her haughtily.
- ‘You want us to help you? Since when you know we exist? You think you’re the most beautiful shine of this Tree, so go on your own.’

Poor Angel. Crying quietly she was walking slowly from one branch to another, lost in despair. She knew Santa Claus would be there any minute. What will he think seeing a Christmas Tree without an angel? And what will the Kids say when in the morning they don’t see her?

Suddenly, she heard a hoarse voice:
- ‘Why are you crying, my dear child?’
The Angel looked around and noticed an old Glass Ball smiling to her. The Angel realized that she heard many stories about this Glass Ball. She has been in the family for over 100 years. She was already old, with many scratches on her faded paint. That is why she was always at the very back of the Tree, but she didn’t seem to care about it at all. She was so nice and calm that the Angel sat down and between the sobs she told the Glass Ball what had happened to her. The Glass Ball was stroking her arm with compassion. When the Angel finished, the Glass Ball turned red of anger.
- ‘What was that supposed to be?’ – she shouted so loudly that the whole Tree could hear her and even the Angel got a little scared. – ‘We are the symbols of unity and help during Christmas and you are behaving this way? You are too proud to behave as the Spirit of Christmas has told us. You are undeserving of being on this Tree!’ – the decorations that hadn't helped the Angel got small of shame. But the Glass Ball continued: - ‘Do you really think she does all that because she’s selfish? How do you imagine a Christmas Tree without an angel? What would you tell to the kids tomorrow?’ - Not waiting for the answer she turned to the Angel and with a calm and kind voice she said: ‘Come, Angel. Don’t worry. You will be there, when the kids wake up in the morning.’

And the old Glass Ball kept her promise. She combed the Angel’s hair with the Tree’s needles, so that it was shining again. With the help of a few Christmas Dolls she repaired her dress. She used the juices of the Tree to cure the Angel’s wings. Eventually, she asked another Chain to take the Angel to the top of the Tree as she was still too weak to fly on her own.
- I don’t know how to thank you – said the Angel, hugging her for a goodbye.
- Just be the most beautiful decoration on this Tree and send your blessing to everybody around – answered the Glass Ball. – That would be the best award for me.
The Angel wanted to add something else, but her voice broke of emotions. The Glass Ball clapped her on the shoulder and said:
- ‘Go, child, go. Look, the Santa is coming.’

And, as always, she was right. First, they heard a heavy breath and then they saw a big, old man wearing a red coat entering the room. He was carrying a bag full of presents. The Angel kissed the Glass Ball one more time and, with the help of the Chain, within a few moments she was back to the top of the Tree.

Ah, it was so amazing to be there again. She saw the Santa Claus putting the presents under the Tree and quietly leaving the house. In the morning she saw the kids running to the Tree, opening the gifts and showing her, what they got. The Angel was sending her blessing to their laughing faces and to everyone she could see in the house. When the guests arrived, the first thing the kids have shown them was their beautiful Angel at the top of the Christmas Tree.

But the Angel didn’t forget about her adventure. She helped the old Glass Ball to move to the front of the Tree. She was so special she couldn't be hidden in the shadow. She also visited the decorations that hadn't helped her earlier, and that were very ashamed of their actions now. She left them some of her sparks, so that the bottom of the Tree didn't seem worse than the top.

It was the happiest Christmas in the Angel’s life. She understood that the beauty of the Tree doesn’t depend only on her look, but also on the one of the others. She realized, she can help every decoration to feel good, beautiful and shiny. When she was packed in the box, to wait there until the next Christmas, she was already planning how to organize a beauty salon on the Tree next year.