Once it stood in a corner the tree released its wintery green aroma, which quickly permeated the living room. A tree in the house brought with it a feeling of mystery. Into the house the tree brought with it the memory of thousands of white-hot summer suns, the long wilderness silence of snow-mantled winters, the crash of thunderous storms, the softness of a new green spring, and all the wild things which had rested in its shade or nestled in its branches. There was something pagan and alien in its presence which pervaded the house.
