How tall is your Christmas tree?

Christmas is just around the corner and I am yet to shop for a tree and decorations. :-(

When I think of a Christmas tree I always remember the incident from my B-School days. To brighten up the room I had placed a small Christmas tree on the study table at the beginning of the year. The housekeeping staff usually assigned to cleaning the room had seen it.

Then around Christmas a new housekeeping guy was assigned to my quad. I was sitting in the common living room as he went about cleaning my room. When he came to me to tell me that the room was done he asked me if I celebrate Christmas. I said, yes.

He had a puzzled look on his face and asked me if I am a Christian. Now realization dawned on me. He couldn't link my idols of Ganesha and Krishna with my Christmas tree. I said with an amused smile "You don't have to be a Christian to celebrate Christmas, do you?". He smiled at that and left.

I remember that after he left I had sat there wondering if I had the right to be amused at his reaction. Years before I had asked one of my Chinese colleagues about the religion he followed. I had the same confused look when he said "None".

So as I sit worrying over whether I can buy a taller tree this year, the following quote comes to mind:

Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree.

In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.