Story 9. Written by Jim Waitlord

Once upon a time, in a small village where people knew everything about each other, there lived a nimble-witted boy, Mark. Every Christmas there was a great contest in the village: who would have the most beautiful Christmas tree. The local baker, Kálmán, always set up the biggest pine he brought from the depths of the forest, but there is a bitter pain left in his lining: why cut a vigorous tree and then, in a week's time, go to the rubbish heap?

Mark asks, "What if we didn't cut any pines this year? Would you prefer something else to be a Christmas tree?" The villagers laughed aloud, especially the envious Francis, who never had enough beautiful trees. "Do you want to make the tree of snowman?" he mocked.

But Mark wouldn't let it go. He convinced Kálmán to try something new this year. One night, the boy began installing drones. People did not understand what he was doing, but when he appeared at the village center on the morning of December 24, everyone had a jaw. The drones formed a giant floating light Christmas tree in the sky, which flashed in color, played music and even dropped gifts into the hands of the children.

People were amazed. Kálmán, who was always proud of his greatest pine, said with a touch: "This is not only beautiful, but also environmentally friendly."

But the drones were not without fault. When one of the children tried to catch candy, the drone accidentally targeted the cat playing hide-and-seek, who fell into the hay barn, unbalanced. People burst into laughter for several minutes, until the cat shook the straw out angrily.

And when everyone thought that Christmas had been saved from the mourning of the cut-out trees, a man appeared in the sky, emerging from the gray clouds. An old man with a snow-white beard came down with a huge book full of records. "Who was the one who upset tradition?" he asked in a thunderous voice.

Mark stepped forward. "It was me. But I just wanted everyone to be happy without harming the land or the woods."

The old man smiled. "That's a very noble idea. But you should know that changing traditions is always a great responsibility. Every tree that is not cut out gives new life to the planet. But is the drone sustainable?"

Mark nodded. "We work together to make these living light trees better every year. My past will be truly planet-friendly."

The old man flew and handed him a battered Christmas bell. "When there's trouble, you just ring the bell. Maybe someday the power of love can even save drones from becoming an instrument of our lady wars."

From that day on, Mark's name was mentioned every Christmas in the village's history as one who proved that love, innovation and humor can transform even the most traditional traditions.

The Secret of the Christmas Tree