This song rounds out a triumvirate of Christmas tunes that exist in the more abstract memory recesses of my mind – recalled vaguely for their melody, and for some ethereal sense of Christmas and winter. The first was ‘The Holly and The Ivy‘, and the second was ‘Bring a Torch Jeannette, Isabella‘- this is another airy entry. The idea of three ships sailing in for Christmas seems like a glad one, but it doesn’t speak to any Christmases I ever had in landlocked upstate New York. Instead, I set sail in the boughs of an evergreen, floating high above the little city of Amsterdam and soaring mostly in my fantasies.
There was one evergreen in our backyard, right at the corner of the pool deck, perfectly formed like the standard Christmas tree, only this one rose about 70 feet in the air. Its branches started low enough to the ground that we could jump up and climb into its heart. The lower branches were spaced at even ladder-paces, perfect for a young boy to practice his climbing. The evergreen needles were healthy and bushy, and the space close to the trunk, where I’d cling so carefully, was mostly hidden to any prying eyes. I loved that secret aspect of the climb more than anything else.
As one neared the top, the branches spaced out a bit, and the needle cover was increasingly sparse. The higher one went, the greater the risk for exposure, but oh how much more exciting the view got, along with the exhilarating feeling of being that high above the ground. I was level with the top floors of our house, and it looked small and quaint at such a distance and from such a height.
At that height, one could also feel the sway of the tree. The trunk was no longer as wide as my young torso. It wasn’t as stiff and stalwart as it was near the ground. Thinner and more malleable, it would shift in the wind, and all that once felt safe and secure was suddenly seen as flexible and changeable, subject to the whims of the wind. There was a thrill in that too.
If we were by the shore, such a vantage point would prove useful for seeing any ships that were coming in for Christmas. As it was, I only saw more sky, a bit more land, and a view reserved for the birds and the butterflies.
