"Father Christmas" - 2

--------------- Forwarded Message ---------------



From: 	Lincoln Rd. McHenry, IL, 71222,645

To: 	FetterNet

Date: 	Thu, Nov 11, 1993, 14:40



RE: 	"Father Christmas" - 2



        Two weeks before Christmas and it was all coming together. The

secret negotiations with the train hobby guy were progressing and Dad was

ready to seal the deal. The ALUMINUM TREE had been purchased and this

weekend we were all going to "assemble" it together. I sensed a "red

flag". There was a new word out there - assemble. A word that hadn't

been linked to anything my family had ever done.



        "Assemble?" "Yeah, son, it means that we put it together." "We're

going to put something together? With tools?" "No tools. We just have to

break open these branches and then put them in their proper holes. It's so

simple even guys like us can do it!" Well, in theory it was simple. The

branches were packed tightly (I emphasize - tightly) into 4 flat boxes.

Each aluminum branch was wound tight (very tight). One needed to undo the

plastic wrap and free the aluminumness so that it could "poof out". That

would be our job, and then we would hand the branches to mom and dad for

final tree "assembly".



        I'm not totally sure, but I have a hunch that the aluminum used in

these early aluminum trees was actually prototype aluminum for razor

blades of the future! That stuff was SHARP... REALLY SHARP... ouch... ouch!

We all had cuts and blood all over our hands. It was a messy painful job

this -- assembling! Even mom and dad were all cut up trying to fit the

branches into the individual holes on the tree's trunk. Some of the

branches were slightly chubbier than the holes they were to be put into.

(it was - Made In Japan. What did we expect.) A guy with an electric drill

and the right bit, could have corrected that problem... one - two - three.

Did I say, "electric power tool?" That was definately a foreign phrase. I

must have picked it up on the streets.



        The afternoon had started with "Christmas bliss" permeating the

air. It ended with a living room full of pain and tension. But hey, our

silver beauty was up and looking good... our hands and fingers would be

healed by Christmas... the lights actually worked (no assembly required).

The entire family gathered in the front yard. We peered into our picture

window. There it was - RED (click)... YELLOW (click)... BLUE (click)... oohh,

aahh. She was a beauty. This was going to be the best Christmas ever.



        Now, the doubts started to seep in. Some of us were wondering if

Santa had received the letter requesting the "The Silver Bowlit". Some of

us argued, whether Dad would plunck down another $30, and get us the

"train of our dreams". But like Kent said, "You can't count the aluminum

tree money towards Christmas. And besides we will never need another tree.

When you push that $30 cost out over all of the years ahead of us, that

tree hardly costs a thing!" Wow, our first lesson in money amortization.

"Thanks, Kent."  Mom was wondering -- Was getting that used train really a

good idea?



                End of "Father Christmas"  --- Part 2