The Pine Tree .....part Four

The Pine Tree by Hans Christian Andersen
a story in Five parts .... part Four

IV. IN THE ATTIC
"Now all the finery will begin again," thought the Pine. But they dragged him out of the room, and up the stairs into the attic; and here in a dark corner, where no daylight could enter, they left him.

"What's the meaning of this?" thought the Tree. "What am I to do here? What shall I see and hear now, I wonder?" And he leaned against the wall and stood and thought and thought. And plenty of time he had, for days and nights passed, and nobody came up; and when at last somebody did come, it was only to put some great trunks in the corner. There stood the Tree quite hidden; it seemed as if he had been entirely forgotten.

"'T is now winter out-of-doors!" thought the Tree. "The earth is hard and covered with snow; men cannot plant me now; therefore I have been put up here under cover till spring! How thoughtful that is! How good men are, after all! If it were not so dark here, and so terribly lonely! Not even a hare. Out there it was so pleasant in the woods, when the snow was on the ground, and the hare leaped by; yes—even when he jumped over me; but I did not like it then. It is terribly lonely here!"

"Squeak! squeak!" said a little Mouse at the same moment, peeping out of his hole. And then another little one came. They snuffed about the Pine Tree, and rustled among the branches.

"It is dreadfully cold," said the little Mouse. "But for that, it would be delightful here, old Pine, wouldn't it!"

"I am by no means old," said the Pine Tree. "There are many a good deal older than I am."

"Where do you come from?" asked the Mice; "and what can you do?" They were so very curious.

"Tell us about the most beautiful spot on earth. Have you been there? Were you ever in the larder, where cheeses lie on the shelves, and hams hang from above; where one dances about on tallow candles; where one goes in lean and comes out fat?"

"I don't know that place," said the Tree. "But I know the wood where the sun shines, and where the little birds sing."

And then he told his story from his youth up; and the little Mice had never heard the like before; and they listened and said, "Well, to be sure! How much you have seen! How happy you must have been!"

"I!" said the Pine Tree, and he thought over what he had himself told. "Yes, really those were happy times." And then he told about Christmas Eve, when he was decked out with cakes and candles.

"Oh," said the little Mice, "how lucky you have been, old Pine Tree!"

"I am not at all old," said he. "I came from the wood this winter; I am in my prime, and am only rather short of my age."

"What delightful stories you know!" said the Mice: and the next night they came with four other little Mice, who were to hear what the Tree had to tell; and the more he told, the more plainly he remembered all himself; and he thought: "That was a merry time! But it can come! it can come! Klumpy-Dumpy fell down stairs, and yet he got a princess! Maybe I can get a princess too!" And all of a sudden he thought of a nice little Birch Tree growing out in the woods: to the Pine, that would be a really charming princess.

"Who is Klumpy-Dumpy?" asked the little Mice.

So then the Pine Tree told the whole fairy tale, for he could remember every single word of it; and the little Mice jumped for joy up to the very top of the Tree. Next night two more Mice came, and on Sunday two Rats, even; but they said the stories were not amusing, which vexed the little Mice, because they, too, now began to think them not so very amusing either.

"Do you know only that one story?" asked the Rats.

"Only that one!" answered the Tree. "I heard it on my happiest evening; but I did not then know how happy I was."

"It is a very stupid story! Don't you know one about bacon and tallow candles? Can't you tell any larder-stories?"

"No," said the Tree.

"Thank you, then," said the Rats; and they went home.

At last the little Mice stayed away also; and the Tree sighed: "After all, it was very pleasant when the sleek little Mice sat round me and heard what I told them. Now that too is over. But I will take good care to enjoy myself when I am brought out again."

But when was that to be? Why, it was one morning when there came a number of people and set to work in the loft. The trunks were moved, the tree was pulled out and thrown down; they knocked him upon the floor, but a man drew him at once toward the stairs, where the daylight shone.

 *************************tomorrow part five ************************************

Hmmm...apparently I'm on a recycling kick. Or it could be 'cause I have so much stuff around to recycle. Anyhoo, I love this tree idea because it uses something I always seem to have a lot of.... Toilet Paper Rolls! It's fairly simple to make with just paint, sequins, glue, yarn and of course a TP roll!  This TP Tube Spiral Christmas Tree Ornament was found at Spoonful .com 

 

And to continue the spirit of recycling, our next tree uses recycled cardboard boxes but its not your average tree. I love this DIY Christmas Tree Dollhouse found at MrPrintables .com It's a truly unique idea. I think I'd like to try it in more Christmasy colors but whatever colors you use, it's sure to be fabulous.

 

Today I'm giving you two edible trees. This first one is a kid (and adult) favorite. Rice Krispie Treat Christmas Trees. Not only are they fun and easy to make but I even found a video for you to follow. And they've added a little something extra to these trees by using mini Reese cups as the tree stand. Yum!

Holiday Rice Krispy Treats:  Christmas Trees

• 3 tablespoons  butter or margarine
• 1 package regular marshmallows or 4 cups mini marshmallows
• 1 teaspoon  green food coloring
• 6 cups  Rice Krispies® (don’t skimp!  The real ones do make a difference)
• Mini red M&Ms, red-hot candies or other candies for holly berries
• Rolo candies or mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for tree trunks

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in food coloring.
2. Add RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.
3. Using 1/4-cup measuring cup coated with cooking spray portion cereal mixture. Using buttered hands each portion into a cone-shaped tree. Decorate with frosting and/or candies.
Best if served the same day.
recipe found here

Our second edible trees are M&M Christmas Trees that I found at Glitter Glue and Paint .com
They make great gifts as well as great decorations. These trees are pretty simple to assemble and you should be able to find everything you need at a Micheals or Joanns. The bottoms of the trees are decorated candle holders and the tops are actually frosting bags. Absolutely brilliant!