The Christmas' tree and the Guardian Angel

     When a Christmas' tree can become a mortal hug

 

 

I have always waited Christmas with great impatience. Christmas in fact is always a time of joy and reunion for all our family.

A smiling Rolando watched me while I was adding balls and decorations to the Christmas Tree, and  then he started to helping me.  “You are wonderful Teodora, you will always be my sweetheart.” I smiled back to him.

I have been lucky with my husband. A wood-cutter, great worker, solid man, social, nice man for family and friends, and always, constantly with a smile on his face. When I first met him I thought: "Oh my…its with him I want to spend the rest of my life!"

When I  completed our beautiful Christmas tree, I lit the electrical lights. As usual I had put the Christmas Tree in the living room close to the window and the curtains.

Everyone who would have stopped by for a visit would have been welcomed by the lights of the tree appreciating them as bringers of joy and hope.

The Christmas Tree was in a space dedicated to itself, giving to the guests and the drivers comfort in the night, joy, peace, serenity. Light is light...

Being an Italian family I cooked and baked a lot of our typical food for the special day: from cappeletti in brodo to lasagne, from arrosto to our sweet traditional cakes, biscotto and ricciolina. I enjoyed with Rolando and with our guests precious time, sharing memories and good momentous of peace and harmony, all together.

I invited my son Giorgio’s girfriends’ parents, Giuseppe and Linda that year for the Christmas' lunch. Giorgio was very taken by their daughter Roberta who is now his wife.  This  was at the beginning of their relationship and I admit I loved and I continue to love this sunny girl so badly.

Christmas was over for a day or two and an abundant amount of snow was descending from the sky covering our landscape.

 I was watching out of the window observing the town and the roads, when my son: “Mom, I talked with Roberta and she asked me to sharing with her and our friends some time together this evening.  I will walk.  I love walking while it is snowing, you know that. In the night our Christmas Tree will guide me home”.

 I replied back: “OK but... It is still snowing! Please wear your scarf. I love to seeing my son in love, but I can’t tolerate a sick son because of the bad weather.”

Giorgio hugged me and said,: “Oh Mom you are adorable! OK, OK, I will do that. Ah: don’t wait me up" he added and left our house all happy and  cheerful. The enthusiasm of a man in love. 

Christmas is a moment of gathering, a young feast, a real celebration of life.

I was satisfied with all of our blessings and I was happy. I was seeing that our only son was joyous in the company of the girlfriend he had chosen.

Life was extremely good. I couldn’t be happier and more cheerful. I went to bed with Rolando exhausted but with joy in my heart and trust in the future and in God.

Giorgio in the meantime was returning home.

From what he had told me, although he had brought a torch,  he couldn’t see the beautiful lights of our Chrismas Tree. His guide was not available.  ”Why is that?" he thought starting to walk always more quickly. He had a premonition. When he opened the door of our house, he discovered that every place, including our bedroom was covered with heavy smoke.

He coughed, putting a handkerchief over his mouth.

He thought he could die of  suffocation.  He went immediately into the living room, and he discovered that the electric lights had burned the Christmas Tree, the curtains, the window, and the sofas.

He rushed into our bedroom calling out to us.  Our bedroom was in fact surrounded by smoke and was a mortal hug to us. We would have passed away without knowing it, if Giorgio wouldn't returned home in time.

I was sleeping soundly, in fact, I had no conscience of the terrible danger that was going on for both of us.  We immediately got up, coughing, overcome by the smoke.  We opened all the windows and slowly, slowly, the fresh clean air purified our house and our hearts from a great fear and a sensation of terror.

Since then, I decided of not adding anymore electrical lights on our Christmas Tree.  I always thank my son Giorgio's guardian angel. He induced him to return home after an evening spent with his friends and girlfriend in time. 

 His arrival meant the life for both of us.

Anna Maria Polidori