The Scent of Pine

December 9, 2002

When we lived in the Philippines, one of the things we missed about the US was pine trees. Aside from occasional vacations in Baguio in the north, the only pine trees we saw were in 5-star hotels during the Christmas season. Our family had a tradition that every Christmas we would go to a hotel to smell the real tree. The season starts in September in the Philippines, and it ends January 6 (Three Kings' Day). Sampaguita is Tagalog for jasmine. Plumeria is a tropical white flower with yellow pollen. Both flowers have positively heavenly aromas.

The hotel lobby was resplendent in Christmas glory
Garland draped luxuriously on the walls
Wreaths announced the joy of the season
And in the middle, the crown jewel stood in all its splendor:
A tree of real pine, imported just for Christmas.

The scent of pine filled the air
Recalling memories of snowy slopes
Of sledding down the hills
And making angels in the snow
Memories of walking through a pine forest
The sweet smell wafting through the fresh air
Memories of long ago and far away
In far-off America

A scent in the hotel which we enjoyed but once a year
Stepping out of the heat of the outdoors
Into the cool of the air-conditioned hotel
Standing at the foot of a real pine tree
Savoring its sweet fragrance

Christmas season would soon be past
And the year through we would enjoy the savory fragrance
Of the enchanting sampaguita and the fair plumeria
And we would look forward to September
When the Christmas season would begin
And we could once more enjoy
The scent of pine.