Arts & Culture, Humor

Why We Should Not be a Soggy Pile of Pine Needles

Have you ever wrestled a Christmas tree? I wouldn’t recommend it. Just think about this: the tree is much larger than you; it has pokey barbs covering it that will impale you from every angle, and it itself cannot feel pain. It would be akin to fighting a giant toddler equipped with seven hundred knives. So if that’s your idea of fun, go for it, my friend. But personally, I’d avoid it.

This month’s art piece depicts a man who attempts to subdue the toddler and finds himself overpowered instead. Artistically, the first thing that stood out to me were the determined expressions of both man and tree. (Yes, trees apparently can have expressions. Leave it to Norman Rockwell.) But if you look at it, the tree really does appear alive and sentient. Its pose is very similar to the man’s; both are curving toward each other in a similar way, almost as if they’re butting heads. Somehow Rockwell gave this tree so much personality that you can almost feel its mischievous determination not to let the star stand up straight. You can feel the smirk that would be on the tree’s face– if, of course, it had a face. And look at the expression on the man’s face also: he’s looking at the tree as if at a real foe.

Another artistic element that stood out to me is (drumroll) contrast! Obviously there’s a color contrast between the red wall and green tree, which is a pretty simple use of complementary colors, but there’s also contrast in use of space. Look at the right half of the image versus the left half. The right is filled almost completely by the giant, hulking tree, which looks obviously out-of-place against the simple chair and wall décor. But then the left side is almost empty (aside from the chair and painting which are needed so that it’s not too lopsided.) Don’t you feel off balance when you look at it?  Don’t you want to tip your head to one side to make it more even?  I certainly did.  But I think that’s exactly the reaction Rockwell wanted.  He wanted us to squirm uncomfortably at the un-balancedness that occurs when we let Christmas trees intrude into our lives. Additionally, there’s a contrast between the simplicity of the man’s life and the gaudiness of the tree. The house and the man’s clothing are about as plain and boring as a cardboard box, while the tree is decked out with bright lights, flashy ornaments, and strings of popcorn. 

And finally there’s the humor of the situation itself. We’ve all done this, haven’t we? We’re just trying to do something fun, nice, or relaxing, and we find ourselves hopelessly entangled in a battle with a knife-wielding toddler. Sometimes we can become so wrapped up (literally) in the tinsel and ornaments that we lose sight of what really matters.

There are a couple of Christian ornaments decking out this tree, but an imitation Christ can’t possibly come close to taking the place of our living, loving Lord. As I’m sure you’ve figured out by now, I love thrusting Christian themes upon you now that you’re trapped reading my articles, so here goes: please don’t let the joy of the holiday season overshadow the reason why the holiday exists at all. Don’t let wrestling Christmas trees take our focus away from Jesus.

Christmas trees are funny things: we deck the outside with lights and ornaments, but we never pause to consider the trunk, yet that’s the most important part. Without its core, a tree is just a useless pile of pine needles; imagine trying to stuff presents under that—it wouldn’t work very well, would it? 

After all, as Rockwell shows us, the Christmas season is temporary, and the tree and tinsel will fade soon enough. Once all the festivities are over, what remains? We admire the decorations and needles of the tree, but without its trunk, it’s just a pile of pokey things.

So. What’s at your center this Christmas?

 

Photo credit: https://fineartamerica.com/

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