Main Character - Cody Schroder. 12 years old. Part curiosity. Part mischief-maker. A dash of altar boy thrown in for good measure. Adopted son of the long-time sheriff of Astatula.


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As he twirled the piece of chalk between the fingers of his right hand, Gordon Heigal faced his class of boisterious students. On the board behind him he'd written the first ten numbers in descended order from ten to nine, then eight, all the way down to zero.

Mr. Heigal said, "I will subtract one question from your quiz on Friday for each correct answer you geniuses give me in our discussion today. Did you know every year there are about thirty million Christmas trees sold in stores around the country?"

Someone called out, "According to who?"

Mr. Heigal responded, "The National Christmas Tree Association. Who can tell us about this organization? This information was in the material I had you read."

One of the over-achievers of the class, redheaded Julia Addison in the front row responded, "Almost seventy-five percent of all Christmas trees grown in the US are farm-raised by growers associated with them."

"Ah, but the question becomes what happens to Christmas trees when Christmas is over?" Mr. Heigal asked.

Calvin Boykins blurted out, "They go to the Christmas tree North Pole." His comment brought snickers from several students around the room.

Mr. Heigal waited for the class to settle down. "As you know, not every Christmas tree is sold. Some never leave the farm they are produced on, and others remain in the stores' lots after Christmas is over. Most of these trees are turned into mulch and wood chips for city parks like ours. Right here in Astatula, there are a couple groups that collect these trees and turn them into compost."

Usually quiet, Mariah Morley stated, "My dad told me lots of cities do that. He said sometimes they even sell the compost to buyers."

Mr. Heigal asked, "Okay, class. Who can name the six largest Christmas tree growing states?"

"North Carolina."

"Michigan."

"Pennsylvania."

"Oregon."

"You forgot Wisconsin and Washington, doofuses!" Tommy Smythe smarted off from the middle of the room.

Immediately, Mr. Heigal corrected his inappropriate behavior, "Be nice, Tommy. It is Christmas and Santa won't come see you if you're mean."

He turned around and erased some numbers off the board, then faced the class and said, "We're entering the home stretch now. Astatula even offers Christmas tree curbside pick-up and drop-off sites. And, these are free services anyone in town can use."

There was one number still on the board when Mr. Heigal turned to Cody. Lost in his own world, the blond munchkin paid no attention to the conversation around him and continued to doodle in his notebook. The only Christmas tree he'd ever had was the one Sheriff Daniels and Beth decorated in the den of their home three days ago. Cody remembered how his eyes lit up as bright as the lights on the tree were. He never saw a Christmas tree in Palo Pinto, or anything else connected to Christmas...certainly not with Earl Anthony Schroder buzzing around!

Mr. Heigal informed the class, "The last question I have will be asked of Cody. No one help him out."

Cody's ears perked up when he heard his name mentioned. Not wanting even a one question quiz, the other students glared at him in eager anticipation.

One of them encouraged, "C'mon, Cody. We're all counting on you for the right answer!"

The teacher's question came, "Cody, what is another way a Christmas tree could be discarded that is beneficial to everyone?"

Cody closed his notebook. He clicked his pen and stuffed the implement into the pocket of his shirt. Looking at Mr. Heigal, he answered matter-of-factly, "I dunno. Drop it in the middle of Sullivan Lake. It'd probably make a good habitat for the bluegills there."

"You are right, Cody. It would," Mr. Heigal agreed.

The bell rang and Cody bolted out the classroom door. He couldn't wait for Christmas Break.