Following that dream

A new holiday story centers on an evergreen tree that longs to become a Christmas tree.

Mountain Brook resident Ann Martin Rutland published “The Happy Life of Christopher Tree” in late 2016, but she first told this story to her young daughters on a drive to Gadsden for Thanksgiving more than 40 years ago.

“They were beginning to fight, and my husband does not like to drive when the children are fighting in the backseat. I made up this story because I had to do something to entertain them so they would quit fussing,” Rutland said.

She wrote down the story soon after telling it. Rutland has lived in the Birmingham metro area for more than 60 years with her husband, and she has raised four daughters and nine grandchildren here.

The book’s main character is Christopher Tree, a tree who lives in the forest with his family and community of trees. The story shows Christopher working to one day become a Christmas Tree, even though the men who choose the trees ignore him every winter.

Christopher eventually grows into a beautiful, huge tree, persevering through the judgments of the trees who doubted him. Instead of being placed in a home, Christopher becomes the Christmas Tree for the entire city by being placed in the park.

The story ends with Christopher’s wood being used for “sandboxes, swing sets, dollhouses, toys” and even contributing to park benches surrounding next year’s tree “so grandmothers and grandfathers could enjoy the celebration.”

Even though the first telling of the story was over 40 years ago, Rutland said she’s been editing the story over the years, making changes and additions as need be. She hopes that children who are beginning to read will enjoy this tale.

“It's an encouraging story for everybody,” Rutland said. “And adults need it as much as kids, especially older ladies who have raised their families, and they might have had a dream at some time that they really wanted to do — they don't need to quit. Go on and follow that dream!”

Rutland’s family has played a big role in helping her create this story. Frank Martin, her brother, is the story’s illustrator. She appreciated that she could be honest when working with him without hurting his feelings.

“My grandmother probably flipped a few times in her grave, because she knows we never did get along,” Rutland said. “When we finally got it done, we were very proud.”

Rutland isn’t an author by trade — this is her first and possibly only book. She has a draft of a baby book she has written, but she doesn’t know whether she’ll be publishing it.

When asked what motivated her to finally publish this story after all these years, Rutland said, “Age. I thought, this is a good story. This is something that I should be proud to put my name on. And I wasn't getting any younger.”

She added, “I have a grandson who died, and he liked [the book]. And I thought, 'Well if Geoffrey liked it, it's worth publishing.’”

A page at the beginning dedicates the book to Geoffrey’s memory and honors all of Rutland and Martin’s children and grandchildren.

Find “The Happy Life of Christopher Tree” on Amazon.