One Henry County home this holiday season is displaying a Christmas tree more than a century old.

It stands in the home of Gene Morris, and no one who knows him would be surprised by this. Known for decades as the county’s historian, Morris has an exceptionally long family history here and was one of a few Henry Countians who responded to a request by the Times to share some favorite Christmas memories.

“The story began in 1907 when my grandfather was born,” he said. “His grandparents, my great-greats, gave him a small artificial Christmas tree made from duck feathers dyed green attached to a small wooden pole.”

The tabletop tree stood less than three feet tall and was decorated with small glass and celluloid ornaments. Over the years Morris’ great-grandmother added ornaments that she wove from wheat.

Now the tree is “more of a Christmas tradition than a memory,” as Morris put it, since it has been passed down from generation to generation with various family members adding decorations along the way. This year is the 115th time the tree has stood watch over family Christmas celebrations.

“I am the fourth and current steward of the tree,” he said. “Eventually [I] will pass it on to one of my children and I hope the tradition continues.”

Morris noted that this is his 60th year of being personally involved with it, and he still takes a great deal of joy in unboxing the tree each year and hanging the ornaments. Every time it takes him back to previous seasons he shared with great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, siblings, and his own wife and children as time presses on.

“We’ve shared the memories and stories of the wars, depressions, plagues and challenges of the last 115 years,” he said, “but, more importantly, talking about the joys and blessings we have enjoyed. Telling stories of those who have gone on to Heaven. Most of all giving thanks to Almighty God for His greatest gift to us – our Lord Jesus Christ for whom the day is named and celebrated.”

While Morris has spent nearly every Christmas of his life in Henry County, others are more recent residents and have their own memories from around the world.

Stockbridge Mayor Anthony Ford recalled growing up in the St. Louis area and noted that one of his absolute favorite gifts as a young person was a pogo stick. Along with millions of other children during that era, he spent hours enjoying it.
Three specific Christmas events are at the top of his list. His first holiday season with his wife as newlyweds was spent on the outskirts of Cleveland where he was stationed at the outset of his career as a U.S. Army officer. They spent time together around a wood-burning fireplace in their home during the cold winter so many residents of the northern parts of the country endure every year.

Another frigid post was near Chicago, where a quarter-century ago the Fords celebrated their first Christmas with their daughter, who was only a few months old.

Perhaps the most memorable holiday of Ford’s military career, which ended 11 years ago when he retired as a colonel and moved to Stockbridge, was during a lengthy overseas deployment. He got two weeks leave and raced back to the United States to see his family.

“The tree was already up and all of the decorations were out when I got there,” he said. “That was a great moment after being in a combat zone.”

Longtime businessman and civic leader Tony Moye, who has lived his entire life in Henry County – roughly three-quarters of a century – cited a host of memories that nearly everyone reading this can relate to.

He noted the many times he saw the lighting of the Rich’s tree in Atlanta amid the singing of choirs and people of all ages “with streets full of love and safety,” as he put it. There were also the rides on the legendary Pink Pig while looking down in a store filled with toys.

Moye recalled an American Flyer train running around the living room of his childhood home for everyone to step over. A highlight of those included “having two wonderful loving parents to support me,” he added.

He spent many hours as a young person caroling with church youth groups and riding through neighborhoods “lit up like Times Square” with Christmas lights.

Those happy times have stayed with him and are enhanced with new ones as time goes by.

“Memories are made every year that God keeps me on this earth,” he said.