The Tree

 

I have not celebrated or participated in the Christmas holiday for several decades. In fact, it has been one of the reasons that I escape the U.S. each winter. Preparations for the shopping madness often get underway as early as late September when eager merchants decide it is time to instill 'the holiday spirit'. I get out before the music starts.

 

But here in Siem Reap, it is nice to spot a few brightly decorated Christmas trees; in the lobbies of fine hotels and in some of the bars and restaurants. One brightly lit tree was cleverly displayed on an ox-cart at the Night Market. Though Cambodia does have a sizable Christian following, most of the trees that I saw were for the benefit of the travelers, expats, and tourists.

 

The small tree that gripped my attention was at the Warehouse which is a western-run bar, restaurant, and art gallery across the street from the Old Market.

On the second floor is the Art House where collections of paintings, drawings, sculptures  and other contemporary works by various Cambodian artists are on display. Up on the seldom-visited roof-top patio, on  a table in the corner, the  metallic shape of a Christmas tree stands about a meter tall, but without colorful decorations, glistening strands of tinsel, or flickering colored bulbs.

 

A closer look reveals its construction: trigger mechanisms welded to an AK-47 barrel. The piece makes it difficult not to reflect on Cambodia's darkened-heart past. I can only imagine the thundering hell that the tree once unleashed on the people of Cambodia. As much history as art, the tree somehow managed to nudge me into a modern form of true Christmas spirit.