Letter: A Christmas story

A dear friend of mine, Jim Gill went through a divorce and had his son visit him on occasion through child custody settlement arraignment.

I too had my son come live with me for two or three weeks a year. This one year we were going to have our children come visit us over the Christmas holidays. Gill and I planned to cut our own Christmas tree and set it up just for our two kids.

I got a call from my ex-wife saying my son, Scott, could not come up to Nevada for the Christmas vacation. We would not be together over the holidays. Saddened by the announcement, I chose to keep it to myself and not dampen the occasion for Jim and his son.

Jim and I went to cut a tree in the Pine Nut Hills southeast of Carson City. Jim had a four-wheel drive pickup and could get deep into the best-looking Christmas trees on the sunny side slopes of the Pine Nut Hills.

We got out and grabbed our axes, ready to cut the best-looking tree for Jim and his son. Off we trudged in fresh snow up to our knees going uphill for about a half a mile. Jim spotted a chin high full skirted Silver Tip spruce tree and asked if it would do for me and my son as a good Christmas tree.

Caught in my own consideration for Jim, I was forced to sadly relay to Jim that my own son was not going to be with me for Christmas this year. To this news, Jim related to me that his son was not going to be with him either for the holidays.

So here we were knee deep in sub-freezing snow both looking at each other in complete shock realizing what we had come to do for each other.

Jim’s mouth still open started to laugh. I too started to laugh, and tears came as we turned to each other and fell into each other’s arms laughing hysterically.

True story of two great friends.

Ronald Sutton

Carson City