Standing in a field on farmer John's farm was a stand of green Christmas trees.

Some were short, some were tall.  Some were pretty and some not at all.

Every year just before Christmas families would come to farmer John's to pick out their special Christmas tree to take home and decorate for the holidays.
The children would run through the trees with their Mommy's and Daddy's, laughing all the while looking for just the right tree.
All the trees would puff out their branches and try to reach high into the sky with the hope that a family would pick one of them to be their special tree for Christmas.


There was one little tree that was not as tall as the others and it was a little crooked.  Every year the little tree would try to stand as tall as he could and he would puff out his branches, hoping that some little boy or girl would take him home for Christmas.
He could see himself standing in the window with all of the coloured lights and decorations hanging from his branches.  There would be a star with an angel looking down from his tree top.  Best of all on Christmas eve, Santa Claus would come down the chimney and put presents under his branches.
The sad little Christmas tree wanted so much to be some little boy and girl's tree for Christmas.
But every year all the little boys and girls would run past him and no-one stopped to tell their Mommy and Daddy that this was the one they wanted.
After hoping year after year the sad little Christmas tree finally gave up.
He would watch the children come and go but he would stand there with his branches drooping down because he had given up.
Then one year as Christmas was near, families were walking in farmer John's Christmas tree field.  As the sad little Christmas tree looked up there was a little boy and a girl standing there staring at him!

The boy's name was Mark and the little girl's name was Marissa.
They were smiling and laughing and pointing at him and were very excited.
The sad little Christmas tree heard Mark yell to his Daddy and Mommy "This IS THE TREE!  THIS IS OUR CHRISTMAS TREE!" Mommy answered "Are you sure" and Marissa yelled "Yes this is the one!"

The little tree suddenly was very excited and he stood as tall as he could.
Daddy looked at the tree and asked "Are you sure this is the one.  It looks a little crooked".
Mark and Marissa jumped up and down and yelled "Yes this is our tree.  We will decorate this tree with lights and balls and the star will sit on top and this will be the best Christmas tree you will see in the land!"
So Daddy and Mommy helped Mark and Marissa cut down the tree to take home to decorate.



The sad little Christmas tree was smiling and he could not believe that finally he was gong to be a little boy and girl's Christmas tree.








As the family decorated their tree with green, red, yellow and blue lights, Mark and Marissa put coloured balls on the little tree's branches. They hung sparkling silver tinsel from top to bottom.

When they were all done Daddy lifted Mark and Marissa up to the top of the tree and they placed the star and the angel on the very top.

Mommy turned on the lights and the family stood there and looked at the little tree.

Mark and Marissa had been right.  It was the most beautiful Christmas tree in all the land. 
As the sad little Christmas tree stood there with all his decorations and lights shining in the window he was sad no more.  He was the Christmas tree he had always wanted to be.
Pretty soon Santa Clause will put presents under his branches and he will watch Mark and Marissa and Daddy and Mommy have a very Merry Christmas.

THE END