The little tree, Arnold, is no more. Some idiot murdered him.
For years this little straggly Charlie Brown Christmas tree has been a source of joy and amusement for many, as we drove past him on Arnold Drive. Each holiday, Arnold was decorated by people with love and a sense of humor. The homemade decorations had charm, originality, and a certain “I am back in grade school making something cute for my mom” vibe. Sometimes I forgot it was a holiday or what holiday it was, until I drove by Arnold.
The sad story of the little tree’s murder was shared in print and online. But, the thing that hit me right in the gut, is a prominent online comment posted by someone called WagonMakerH.
“Just goes to show you there’s a lot of angry unhappy people out there. The fact that this tree was decorated for Christmas, Independence Day, Memorial Day, just tells me it wasn’t a QAnon Trump supporter that chopped down the tree. Hatred of anything American is alive and well in the Sonoma Valley.”
Several people responded to this WagonMakerH with what they thought of his theory. But, this WagonMakerH never gives up. If anyone posts that his ideas or theories are nothing more than BS, he comes back with more. Here are more of his comments.
“I’m not positive my theory is correct. But due to the fact that the tree was decorated in patriotic displays at times makes me think it’s somebody from the “America evil” crowd. It just as well could have been a bored youth high on his parent’s medical marijuana.”
I have taken the liberty of correcting his typos, misspellings, and general mangling of the English language. I also left out a bit of ranting on fear and loathing of Joe Biden as president and a reference to Marxist radicals.
Our world is changing, fracturing, and mutating. In all the upheaval and chaos of the last few years, Arnold has been there for us, pulling us up when we needed it most. What is heartening is that Sonoma Mission Gardens is donating a new tree and the vineyard owners are reaching out, helping to get Arnold 2 planted. I look at this outpouring of love and concern like I look at Arnold, appealing to the best part of us and making us think about each other and how what we do, think, write, and act on can make us whole. While sadly the comments loom that are judging us and compartmentalizing us into characterizations to be hated, we can lift ourselves up and do better.
The little tree, Arnold, had no political affiliation and he could not be compartmentalized. We should follow his example and not rush to judgment as to who murdered him. It could have been anyone. We may never know if the culprit “hates America,” smokes weed, or just plain does not care about anyone or anything other than themself. There are many here that do care, so maybe this tree murderer will see that, reflect, change, and make amends.
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