The Reading, Pennsylvania Christmas tree, loved back to beauty. Photo by Ben Allen/WITF

So when a sparse and shabby 50-foot Christmas tree went up in the middle of the downtown area this year, many residents saw it as further proof that Reading didn't count for much. "We're the underdog city, and it's the underdog tree," said one resident. Some people wanted to turn the tree into mulch.

But gradually, something shifted. Instead of scrapping the tree, the people of Reading began to celebrate it. The local paper, the Eagle sponsored a contest for school children to write a letter to the tree. On the night of the tree-lighting ceremony, the town turned out in force. An anchorman from the local TV station read from the book, A Charlie Brown Christmas, which is also the story of a decrepit, carefully tended tree. There were ice sculptures on view, and stuffed animals were awarded to winners of the letters contest. One winner was Celeste Vega, whose letter said, in part:

Dear Christmas Tree, I have something very important to say to you. What I have to say is that you are beautiful and I appreciate you. It makes me want to cry when people say things like that is ugly or not even a homeless squirrel would live in that tree..... What if there were no Christmas tree and you were the only one..... Sometimes I think that if you could hear them and you knew, would they still insult you? If you ask me, you are the one and only tree this city needs.

As the people of Reading looked up at the luminous branches of this, their most unforgettable tree, it is likely that every single one of them agreed with her.

May this story inspire you during this winter holiday season and in every season to bring attention, love, and beauty to wounded places. Because such acts of giving have the power to transform not only the place but also the human heart.