‘’O, Christmas Tree! O, Christmas Tree!/ Thy leaves are so unchanging’’ do the lyrics of the well-known and widely sang carol dictate. Neil Olson, a Wausau, Wisconsin inhabitant and war veteran proves the world that Christmas trees are immortal not only as legendary symbols, but also in real life situations. The one adorned by him forty years ago reminds the man of all the Christmas holidays of the past four decades and remains standing and festive even today.
Neil Olson, 89 years old and the owner of the long-lasting Christmas tree, compared its once green needles with a festive miracle: “The needles are kept on for a reason. It’s supernatural, I say”, USA Today reported. That the adorned Christmas symbol has remained in the same state for decades is no coincidence and its veteran Olson kept it untouched with strong reasons. The Christmas tree was acquired and festively decorated in the winter of 1974, when two of the six sons of Neil Olson left for the Vietnam War. The father then promised to take down the tree only in the year when all his boys would return to their parental house, but Olson has been waiting ever since. Although the lively green colored needles of the Christmas tree have withered and faded to a yellow-brown color, the tree remains standing and old Neil considers it to be part of the house: “It’s part of the furniture” (…) “It’s like family now. I hate to take it down.” Old and dusty as it may be, the 1974 adorned Christmas tree keeps the decorations and the glitter of past years under the thick layer of time.
Although impressive and dramatic, the story of the long-standing Christmas tree is not a tragic one, as all the six sons of Mister Neil Olson are alive and aged approximately between 50 and 70 years old. The majority of the sons live in Wausau (5 boys), but one of them, the oldest, lives in Washington state and due to his disability has not been capable of returning home in Wisconsin, so the Christmas tree remained untouched. On a symbolic and somehow superstitious tone, Neil Olson (war veteran himself) firmly assured: “I bet you if my sixth boy comes home, the needles will drop right off.”
Who knows? Maybe the Wisconsin Christmas tree is eternal and its spikes are set to carry on the family story until the end of time. The winter feast and its symbols are miracle messengers, after all.