So... the wrapping paper and bows are stored away for another year. The lights and outdoor decorations back in boxes out in the garage or up in the attic. 

Christmas is officially in the rear view mirror and many of us are again a little sad that the Season of seasons is done with. I know I always felt a little depressed and sad that all the color and magic of Christmas is now another year away. It's my favorite time of year, (couldn't guess that huh?).

But, did you know there are towns that celebrate the Season of Joy all year long?  Take a look if you want a magic place to vacation or just visit.

I have always loved the forests. Walking in the silence covered and shadowed by leaves and branches.  It is primal, like the oceans or mountains. Mother Nature from where we all came at some point.

Trees have an important role however, beyond just reminding of us where we came from.  Trees breath in Carbon Dioxide, which humans and animals breath out, and they replace oxygen which we all breath in and need in order to keep living.

"A single tree can absorb 48 pounds of Carbon Dioxide and provide enough oxygen for two people to breath for a year."   https://www.thoughtco.com/how-much-oxygen-does-one-tree-produce-606785. 

I wanted to make "Little Tree's Big Dream" about a happy ending, but of course for most Christmas Trees the ending is much more like the 

As a child we would have a live tree which my father would chop down from the forest. When I got a little older, I would help with this. We would bring it home, put it in a stand with sugar water, and decorate it.  My Mother was traditional and a stickler for 

On January 6 or 7, we would take the decorations off along with the stand, and pull the tree outside where it could be chopped up and the pieces burned.  With modern knowledge of climate change, many people have opted for a 

I love the smell of an evergreen though.  So I did a little research about keeping a Christmas tree alive and found that it is very possible. Provided you have somewhere to plant it of course.

So next Christmas, if you can, consider buying a live tree and then planting it.  You not only will save the life of a tree, but help absorb CO2 and return oxygen to the planet!

HI!  This is my first blog post and I wanted to give readers some idea of where story ideas come from. At least for me.

Long ago, (around 1971) I was given an English class assignment to write a story.  I've always loved the woods, and the idea to write about a tree that wanted more than to grow up in the forest came to me.

Recently, I had a review done on "Little Tree's Big Dream" and was told my story actually is a retelling of a Hans Christian Anderson tale called "The Fir Tree"

 I really don't remember reading this story, however it is fairly close to the one I wrote so it is possible I read it as a child and unconsciously remembered it. 

I was also made aware of another Christmas Tree story and the title is eerie considering, 

SO... where do story ideas come from? I can only say they are always coming into my head, always have. I've never consciously copied another person's story, and have no idea why stories can be similar like this.  Maybe the mystics are right and we all tap into a collective consciousness?