How can I put this … I’m not at war against it or anything but, I’m not into Christmas. My family had trees when I was a kid, and I loved it then, but I’ve never had one as an adult. When I ran my business, I had employees who wanted to decorate and put up a tree. “Okay,” I’d say, “but you have to put up a Menorah too.” The worst parts of the season are the songs––somebody, please write new holiday songs––and of course, the three months of commercialization. Alright, that’s enough of my rant.

Today, on my walk through the neighborhood, I saw a Christmas tree on the roadside. It looked like someone was giving it away, and I noticed tags tied to the boughs. I expected them to be care instructions or tree information, but as I got closer, I saw handwritten messages on the tags: “World Peace” with a drawing of the earth” and “A Vaccine for All” surrounded with hearts. Then I noticed a box of tags, colored pens, and a sign that said, “The Wishing Tree.” So I made up my own tag, “Peace with Mother Nature.” I guess I do have a bit of holiday spirit, after all.