70-year-old Christmas tree survives WWII and an atomic bomb
There's a fascinating story about Warren Nobuaki Iwatake, a Nikkei from Hawaii who has lived in Japan since 1941, and his family's 3-foot-tall Christmas tree that his parents bought in Hawaii in 1937. After his fisherman father was lost at sea, his mother returned to Japan where her family could help her raise her children. Their family was in Hiroshima when the bomb was dropped. The front of the home was destroyed, but the tree survived because it was at the back. During WWII, his mother put out the tree even though they risked ostracism and arrest. For their family, it is a symbol of unity, a tradition they proudly maintain even now in their small apartment in Tokyo. Included in the article is the story of how he was in the Japanese army during WWII and how he met George H.W. Bush, and how he came up with his name Warren. It's a nice, poignant story that's nice to read during this holiday season. Here's a link to it on The Bakersfield Californian website, but I think it's from the Associated Press: Christmas tree survives war, A-bomb pretty amazing story and christmas tree, that can survive so long. We used to get real trees all the time until we got tired of the mess they made, we purchased an artificial tree. But after reading this story next year I think we'll go with a real one. I can't imagine what this family would think about all the trees though that get cut down then thrown out at the end of the season.  My husband and I usually purchase a real tree when we have one, but growing up, our family had an artifical tree. Now, when I look at it, it seems small, but when I was little, it seemed really big and full of love as we decorated it with our assortment of ornaments, some store-bought, some home-made, some given to us as gifts. It was always such a special part of celebrating Christmas to decorate the tree. |
This is a very interesting story, it's more like a legend, you can imagine now the real meaning of the Christmas tree for these people. I have great respect for it too.
Prelit Christmas tree