Penny had always wanted to a Treetop Angel. Every Christmas it was the same. all the other Angels would preen and primp, looking at their reflections in the glass ornaments, and hope they would be chosen for the very special job of Treetop angel. When shoppers would come by, the other Angels would straighten up their wings, smile their sweetest smiles, and well, just look angelic. One after another, the happy shoppers would ooh and aah over the Angels and then choose one to take home, until at last the shelf was empty. Well, almost empty - every year Penny would be left on the shelf. If she wasn't chosen this year, Penny thought the store owner would probably throw her away.

It was late on Christmas Eve, and as usual, all the other Angels had been taken home by happy people who wanted a perfect Treetop Angel. But Penny was still on the shelf. She knew she wasn't perfect and that was why no one had ever chosen her to be their Treetop Angel. Her wings weren't even - one was longer than the other, and her halo perpetually drooped over her left eye. Even her robes weren't right - who every heard of an Angel wearing a red robe? Penny just knew the store owner would have to put her in the trash bin this year. A big tear slid down her face and spilled on her red robe.

The store owner walked over to the Angel shelf, which was empty except for Penny. He looked at Penny for a moment, then reached out to pick her up. "Oh no!" Penny thought, "He's going to throw me in the trash before Christmas! I can't bear it!" And another tear dripped onto the red robe.

Just then, the bells on the shop door jingled and jangled as a last-minute shopper rushed in. "Have you got any Treetop Angels left?" she asked. "Mine fell off the top of the tree and broke. I can't fix her." The shopper couldn't help the tears that spilled out of her eyes. "She was the Treetop Angel my mother had, and now she's gone." The tears came fast now, and the shop owner was deeply touched by the lady's sadness.

"I only have one left, and she's not perfect, I'm afraid," he said to the lady. "But she's very sturdy and wouldn't fall off your tree," he added hopefully. He reached around to the shelf to pick up Penny.

Penny had been struggling to even up her wings and straighten her halo, but there was nothing she could do about her red robe. She held her breath as the store owner gently displayed her in his hands so the lady could see.

Penny was afraid to open her eyes - she just knew the lady's face would be a mask of disappointment. After what seemed hours, she heard the lady's voice… "Oh, she's beautiful!" Penny opened her eyes. The lady's face was radiant. Penny smiled shyly.

The store owner timidly said, "I'm glad you like her, but her wings are uneven and her halo won't stay up. And who ever saw an angel in red?" His voice was soft, but his words struck fear in Penny's heart again.

The lady gently took Penny from the store owner and said, "She is beautiful! No one in the world is perfect, so why should angels be? Children might have pulled on her wing, wanting her to pick them up. And that halo over her eye! I'll bet she makes everyone smile. But the red robe is the best. My mother's angel wore a red robe." And, as if this explained everything, the lady took penny to the register to pay the shop owner.

The shop owner had been listening as the lady spoke, and his own eyes filled with tears. He had been so eager to please his customers all these years, that he had almost forgotten what Christmas was really about. It had taken a small, imperfect angel in a red robe and a desperate, broken-hearted shopper to remind him.

He put Penny in a beautiful box and handed her to the lady. "Merry Christmas," he said, refusing her payment with a smile.

~Sondra Wright~

Graphics by Angells

Next

Home