The other day at lunchtime, a man knocked on our door, asking if he wanted our Norway Spruce cut down. He’d noticed that wires coming in from the street intersected the tree, and he wondered if he could do us a service by removing it to free them up. (Say what?!) He went on to explain that he was from Metro Parks, and that he was scouting around town for the Nashville Christmas tree. Sure enough, his official city van was parked out at the street, so I figured he was bona fide.

My first thought was, “Wow. Honored that you would ask. Wouldn’t that be something.” My second was, “So you’re trying to finesse this by casting it as a public service?” My third: “Hey, do you know Ron Swanson?”  (For those indifferent to quality TV, I’m referring to the Parks and Recreation character played by Nick Offerman, who serves Pawnee, Indiana, along with “Leslie Knope” (Amy Poehler) and “Andy Dwyer” (Chris Pratt); and, yes, I do have a Ron Swanson lapel pen, bought in the gift shop of Charlotte’s Mint [Art] Museum.)

As you can see in the photo, wires were, indeed, passing through the branches of our spruce (with sweetgum in the background). Not a pretty sight. And an impulse for service to my community was rising within me. I was intrigued by the offer. My bride, not so much. In short order, I agreed with her, and we excused the municipal representative with thanks for his kind interest.

That being said, I’m looking forward to the seeing the tree they selected. And I’m glad they’re selecting a Christmas tree. You never know these days whether the “woke” will insist on optic cleansing of the public square, ridding it of any identification with the Judeo-Christian foundation of our nation (sometimes pairing a tree with a Hanukkah Menorah).

Of course, there’s been pushback against Christmas observance through the centuries. The Puritans found it too Catholic and Anglican; the “cult of reason” atheists found the religious hoopla revolting; and many (including C. S. Lewis) have bemoaned the commercialization of the season. But you find Christmas trees all over, though perhaps renamed “holiday trees” to make skeptics happy. Besides, you don’t have to accept the Son-of-God birth to get into the spirit. Indeed, I’ve seen Christmas decorations in Indonesian airports serving the largest concentration of Muslims on earth.

The tree itself traces back to the pagan Roman observance of Saturnalia, the mid-winter feast during which folks thought a little sympathetic magic could prompt the return of spring and summer; hence the use of evergreens to remind nature that this particular color was good and worth restoring to the landscape. Years later, Catholics (who’ve been masters of assimilating culture) picked up on both the timing of the feast (with its winter solstice location on the calendar) and the greenery (symbolizing life), and we eventually got O Tannenbaum, as the Germans put it.

So I’m glad Nashville is hunting her tree. But, if you  please Mr. Woodsman, spare ours this time around.

PS: Having written this, I went up on line to get the rest of the story, and I found this, posted October 27. I don’t think we would have “made the cut,” but I’m glad they asked:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Metro Parks is searching for the perfect tree to serve as the city's official Christmas tree this year. 

The department said they are specifically looking for a 30 to 40-foot-tall Norway Spruce that "looks good from all angles."

"We would very much like to have a tree that has grown too big for its current location or needs removal. We know it’s out there! We just haven’t found it yet. For anyone that believes they have such a tree, please make sure and include the location of the tree so our staff can take an initial look. The tree should be a Norway Spruce which has the same shape that we see in children’s books about Christmas," said Randall Lantz, Metro Parks' horticulturists. 

Metro Parks will cut down the tree, grind out the stump and plant a replacement tree for the owners. If you have a tree that fits this description, call Lantz at 615-862-8400.

The tree will be displayed at Public Square Park and decorated with thousands of multi-colored LED lights as the centerpiece for Nashville's holiday celebration. 

And then I just read this, posted on November 29:

Barton House, one of the state's leading memory care facilities, donated a 35-foot Norway Spruce to Metro Parks last Wednesday. The beautiful 35-foot Norwegian Spruce moved Monday from Bellevue to Downtown Nashville's Public Square. Elizabeth Masic, Barton House's Executive Director, said they are ecstatic about the donation.

(The dedication is scheduled for December 10.)