Susan Writes

While wandering through the Christmas Forest at the Cookeville History Museum, the words of a carol came to mind:  O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, How lovely are your branches!

            These branches aren’t decorated with apples, gilded nuts and red paper strips like on the trees that German settlers introduced in the United States during the early 1800s.  And I didn’t see red balls or ropes of glittery beads or silver tinsel or Santa Claus.  Although there are a few gold stars atop trees, most toppers would never be on your home Christmas tree.  

            These trees have been decorated by members of twenty-eight local civic or nonprofit organizations and each tree reflects the organization’s mission and each tree is unique. 

The organizations range alphabetically from AARF – All About Rescue and Fixin’ Inc. (an organization made up of a group of volunteers whose goal is to save the lives of animals) to WCTE (the Upper Cumberland’s Public Broadcasting Station). 

When you walk through this exhibit, you’ll find favorite trees just as I did.  I had to look closely to realize what the ornaments on the Tennessee Tech Archives tree really are.  Flat circles, all the same size and decorated differently:  some with lace, some with yarn, some with sparkling red stones, some painted.  Now I know what to do with the many CDs that Husband and I collected in the 1990s.  And what first appeared to be tiny Ferris wheels are actually small film reels that are painted gold and silver and dipped in glitter.

Taking me back to the 1960’s, Polaroid film boxes, tied together with gold ribbon, lay under this tabletop tree.  And beside the film boxes is a sheet of paper printed with QR codes – one that lets me hear a woman I met in 1965 and whom I instantly admired.  A click on my cell phone gives a recording of Joan Derryberry, wife of former TTU president Dr. Everett Derryberry, interviewed by Calvin Dickinson and Harvey Neufeldt in 1988.

I don’t understand how a small black and white symbol allows me to hear voices that were recorded more than thirty years ago, but I’m thankful the folk at Tennessee Tech Archives made it possible.  

The Velma Thompson Doll Collection tree is all pink. This tree is for those of us who ever owned a Barbie or bought Barbies for our children and grands or saw the recent Barbie movie. 

The Master Gardeners’ tree is laden with dried hydrangeas and yellow cosmos and white daisies and tiger swallowtail butterflies. It’s like walking through a garden.

Remember those encyclopedias we used?  Leave it to a librarian to create a tree of books.  The Putnam County Library tree is a stack of books – shaped like a six-foot Christmas tree.  It’s definitely the most unique.

Sometime before January 3, walk through the Christmas Forest.  I’ll take my Grands.  I wonder which trees will be their favorites?

The Cookeville History Museum, located at 40 East Broad Street, is open Tuesday – Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Filed under: Christmas | Tagged: Christmas tree, History Museum |