Post-Holiday Blues
- Photo by Joshua Barajas
I’ve only kept one newspaper article.
I have a 2003 USA Today newspaper clip on the I-30 tree near Ft. Worth, TX. It has since yellowed, but I’ve kept the clip for the story’s underdog narrative and the fact that a national newspaper covered an extremely local curio. Sadly, the online version uses art of Charlie Brown decorating his limp, but hardy Christmas tree instead.
The Charlie Brown comparison is apt. The gist of the I-30 tree story is this: It shouldn’t exist atop that hill. Some see it as a “miracle.” And random folks decorate it year-round for various holidays. During my freshman year in New York City, I pinned the article in-between photos of Ian Curtis and Morrissey as an inspiring footnote.
Having since moved back to Texas, I forgot about the I-30 tree. It wasn’t until I stumbled upon the old article did I thought to actually visit the tree for an update. Surprisingly, it was still there. I snapped this photo update at sunrise during the second week of 2012. It looks exactly the same, except there’s a bench there now.
Sidenote: When is it socially acceptable to take down the Christmas tree? My stepfather said January 13th. It’s more than a week past that date, and the tree is still up at my parents’ house.
