PCA’s 1st grade students perform annual Christmas play
By Haleigh McWilliams, PCA Junior
The first-grade class at Pinewood continued its beloved tradition of presenting The Tale of Three Trees on Monday, December 16. The story is a heartwarming Christmas play that has become a cherished annual event. It is always a fun way for students to not only learn about pivotal moments of Christ’s life but participate in it as well.
Based on the tale by Angela Hunt, the play follows three trees (Payson Folsom, Ella Anne Purvis, Ada Faye Davis) living on top of a mountain, each having a unique dream that will eventually be miraculously realized through Jesus. The first tree dreams of becoming a magnificent treasure chest. When the first woodcutter (Liam Weathers) cuts her down, the tree hopes her dream will soon come true, but the carpenters (Clay Sittle, Kai Wingate, Cole Sittle) shape her into a feeding trough for animals. The second tree dreams of becoming a great sailing ship that would carry powerful kings across vast oceans. When the second woodcutter (Brantley Boyett) cuts her down and delivers her to a shipyard, she also thinks her dream is coming true, but the shipbuilders (Bailey Eason, Finn Dasher, Willie Eason) turn her into a small fishing boat instead. The third tree does not want to turn into anything; she only wants to grow into a tall tree where people can look up and be reminded of God. To her surprise, the third woodcutter (Will McEachin) chooses her to cut down; she is delivered to a lumber yard where soldiers (Waylon Taylor, Lan Johnson, Dyess Durrence, Paxton Tippins) cut her into simple planks of wood.
Years pass, and the trees almost forget their dreams until one man comes along: Jesus Christ. The first tree fulfills her dream of becoming a treasure chest when, on the night of his birth, baby Jesus is placed in the manger made of the first tree. The tree realizes she is holding true treasure when she witnesses the wonder of angels (Abby Whittaker, Emmie Rogers, Jaylee Kate Brazell, Eva Dorminey, Lillian Shuman, Kimber Kicklighter, Milli Durrence, Ava Kate Noggle, Hensley Odum, Rosa McCooey); shepherds (Cash Coley, Jack Dotson, Ismail Malek); stable animals (Lainey Anderson Emmie Strickland, Catherine Long, Mary Jane Smith, Lily Watkins, Evelynne Sanders, Maxie Deloach, Evie Smith); and the wise men (Jase Smith, Carter Barrow, Jaxtyn Wimberly, Eli Thomas, Preston Franklin) worshiping Mary (Riley Kate Miller) and Joseph’s (Ollie Stanfield) infant son. The second tree fulfills her dream of carrying a king when she is the boat that carries Jesus (Case Greene) and his disciples (Walker Heath, John William Newman, Chandler Callaway, O.P. McCoy) on the Sea of Galilee during the storm which Jesus calms with only His command. The third tree, shaped into wooden beams by men in the lumberyard, is ultimately crafted into the cross on which Jesus is crucified. She realizes that her dream is fulfilled because the symbol of the cross will always remind us of Christ’s love and humanity’s redemption.
Through their performances, our first-grade students beautifully conveyed how God works in unexpected ways to fulfill our deepest hopes. The Tale of Three Trees continues to serve as both an educational experience and a powerful reminder of how faith, patience, and trust can lead to extraordinary outcomes that surpass our original dreams.
