A Tale of Two Christmas Trees and Two Grandmothers
Eric and Caroline, ages 5 and 3
By Kenneth Hesselbacher
Dec. 9, 2025: This is a story of two Christmas trees. It also has two pairs of grandchildren and two Haikus and two grandmothers! I hope you enjoy it!
My wife Sandy and I always look forward to Thursday. This is when we mind our two grandchildren, Eric and Caroline who were 5 and 3 respectively in 2019 when this story began. It was the Pre-Covid Christmas, which seems so long ago.
As Grandy began preparing supper, I took the children for a walk through town. At Sunset Hill, where it was believed that the Chief Gramatan enjoyed watching the setting sun, we came upon a planter with a tiny little Christmas tree adorned with a few decorations. At the base of the tree was a small stone with the words “Charlie Brown Christmas Tree” painted on it. The grandkids were thrilled with this discovery.
I then told the them the history of the most famous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. And that night we all watched the tree lighting ceremony. When they saw the ice skaters below the tree I told Eric and Caroline when Grandy was a young girl she would go ice skating at the Rockefeller Rink. She was such a beautiful skater that many people thought she was Peggy Fleming!
Since this was such a nice Christmas memory for all of us, I wrote an article for the local paper, The Bronxville Bulletin, that was published in the December 2019 issue. I thought that would be the end of the story.
But no, that was not the end. In the January 2020 issue of The Bronxville Bulletin an anonymous grandmother wrote me a letter thanking me for my kind words about her “Charlie Brown Christmas Tree.” She had planted the “scrubby evergreen” that reminded her of the Charlie Brown Christmas tree a few years ago. This year her two grandchildren were visiting and they decided to decorate the tree just like the famous Charlie Brown tree. And so they did. She was so happy that our grandchildren enjoyed the tree as much as hers. She had also planted two Japanese Maples in a nearby planter and wrote the following Haiku on a small rock at the base of the trees:
Japanese Maples
Observe, Enjoy, but Let Be!
Water When You Can
Anonymous
It seems that this grandmother preferred to be warm, wise and wonderful and remain anonymous. I thought that if I created a haiku, I would not remain anonymous, so here is my Haiku:
Grandchildren
Observe, Enjoy, but Let Be!
Water When You Can
Kenneth Hesselbacher
And now we begin the season of Christmas 2025. The lighting of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree will be a joyous event that will lift our spirits. Sadly, the Bronxville Charlie Brown Christmas Tree will not be with us. We do have so many lighted trees and decorations throughout the village it is truly and winter wonderland. And to add a storybook ending to this tale, the Anonymous Grandmother would appear and tell us that she is Peggy Fleming!
And if you are reading this in MyHomeTownBronxville, then yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus!
Community Service Organizations Directory
HOME & GARDEN
Bronxville Beautification Council
Organized in 1982, the Bronxville Beautification Council (BBC) is a not-for-profit organization administered by a volunteer Board of Directors. The mission of the BBC is to enhance and maintain the natural and man-made beauty of the village of Bronxville, with an emphasis on the downtown business district.
Click here to learn more
Boulder Ledge Garden Club
Founded in 1966, the Boulder Ledge Garden Club is rooted in a mission to inspire a deeper appreciation and love for gardening and flower arranging. The club is dedicated to fostering and promoting interest and knowledge in gardening.
The Club maintains Bronxville’s Bicentennial Park and other civic gardens. In 2019–2020 the club raised $18,000 to replace trees in the village, reflecting its active role in community beautification. It also holds garden therapy projects and educational garden trips for members.
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Bronxville Giving Garden
The Bronxville Giving Garden is a community-centered garden that donates organic produce to Eastchester Community Action Partnership in Tuckahoe and Community Service Associates in Mount Vernon. The garden is also a gathering place where school children and volunteers can discover the joy of tending plants and growing food.
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Bronxville Green Committee
The Bronxville Green Committee is a volunteer organization that is part of the Village of Bronxville. It proposes and implements environmentally sustainable programs in our community.
You can contact them HERE.
SCOUTING
Bronxville Boy Scouts
The village of Bronxville has a long tradition of scouting. “The troops and packs of Bronxville have maintained the finest scouting organizations and have taught the boys of the Bronxville area to be leaders and outstanding members of the local, national and global communities.”
Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information
Bronxville Girls Scouts
The Girls Scouts is “the world’s preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls where, in an accepting and nurturing environment, girls build character and skills for success in the real world.” In Girl Scouts, “girls discover the fun, friendship and power of girls together. Through the many enriching experiences provided by Girl Scouts, they can grow courageous and strong.”
Here is more information about girl scouts.
HISTORY
Bronxville Historical Conservancy
Inspired by the highly successful Bronxville Centennial Celebration in 1998, the Bronxville Historical Conservancy was founded to record and preserve Bronxville's history and life in the village today.
BRONXVILLE SCHOOL
Bronxville School Foundation
The Bronxville School Foundation, founded in 1991, is a non-profit organization independent from the school with the sole purpose of supporting the school.
The mission of the Bronxville School Foundation is to enhance the quality of public education in our community by engaging the support and energies of educators, citizens, parents, students and alumni.
The Foundation awards grants for projects
CLICK HERE to learn more.
LECTURES, EXHIBITS, CONCERTS
Bronxville Women's Club
The Bronxville Women’s Club offers lectures, exhibits and concerts. It also has a beautiful clubhouse which is available for rental for events.
135 Midland Avenue
Bronxville, New York 10708
914-337-3252
Concordia Conservatory
Concordia Conservatory, a preeminent center for music education in Westchester and Fairfield Counties, is a welcoming community where children and adults find lifelong inspiration and joy through learning, performing, listening to, and participating with others in music.
The Conservatory’s mission is to inspire, instruct, and enrich lives through music offering excellence in education and performance.
CLICK HERE for more information.
COUNSELING
Counseling Center
Founded in 1971, the mission of the Counseling Center “is to provide a wide range of psychotherapeutic and counseling services to individuals, couples and families by a staff of highly trained, experience and dedicated psychotherapists.
The Counseling Center
180 Pondfield Road
Bronxville, New York 10708
914-793-3388
www.counselingcenter.org
SERVICE & VOLUNTEERISM
Community Fund of Bronxville, Eastchester & Tuckahoe
The mission of the Community Fund is “to support broad social services in Bronxville 10708, Eastchester and Tuckahoe through grants and technical support to local agencies and community projects. All money raised here in our community stays here in our community.”
15 Park Place
Bronxville, New York 10708
914-337-8808
www.thecommunityfund.org
Junior League of Bronxville
The Junior League of Bronxville is “an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and to improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.”
Rotary Club of Bronxville
The Rotary Club of Bronxville is part of a national network of 1.25 million problem-solvers. They see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.
READING & LEARNING
Friends of the Bronxville Library
The Friends of the Bronxville Library is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to focus attention on the “Library’s services, facilities and needs” as well as sponsor projects and provide materials that are beyond the reach of the Library's regular budget and perform other services.
SENIORS
Gramatan Village
Gramatan Village is a unique community model offering programs, services and social connections that help members continue to live independently in their homes as they age. In addition, GV offers one-on-one consultations and counseling with our experienced staff to guide members through life’s transitions.
Senior Citizens of Bronxville
Senior Citizens of Bronxville is a not-for-profit organization that provides services and programs to seniors within the 10708 zip code area. “Programs cover a wide range of activities from educational seminars and cultural enrichment to community services, bridge classes and exercise.”
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