Isang lumang Christmas tree na 103 years old ang naibenta ng $4,328 o higit PHP242,000 nitong December 15, 2023.
To think na barya lang ang halaga ng Christmas tree nang binili ito noong 1920.
May taas itong 31 pulgada at may kasamang 25 sanga, dalawang berries, at anim na mini-candle holders.
Kung hitsura ang basehan, wala itong binatbat sa mga naggagandahang artificial Christmas trees na mas matataas, mas mayayabong, at mas mukhang totoo.
Ang expectation nga ng auction house na Hansons Auctioneers sa Oxfordshire, England, kung saan ito isinubasta, ay mabebenta lamang ito ng $76-$102 (PHP4,000-PHP5,000).
Pero bakit may nagkainteres na bilhin ang lumang Christmas tree sa daan-daang libong piso na halaga?
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THE STORY OF THE OLD CHRISTMAS TREE
Very meaningful kasi ang kuwento nito.
Ang lumang Christmas tree ay unang ginamit sa bahay ng pamilya ni Dorothy Grant sa Leicestershire, England, noong 1920.
Dahil payak ang Christmas tree, nilagyan ito ni Dorothy, na noon ay eight years old, ng bulak para magmukhang snow.
At sa loob ng napakaraming dekada, ito ang Christmas tree na ginagamit niya tuwing Pasko.
Nagkaroon ito ng bagong owner noong 2014, the year Dorothy died at age 101 .
Ang lumang Christmas tree ay namana ng daughter niyang si Shirley Hall, na 84 years old at that time.
Namana ni Shirley Hall (kaliwa) ang Christmas tree (center) mula sa kanyang ina na si Dorothy Grant. Ang Christmas tree ay 103 years old.
Fast forward to 2023, nagdesisyon si Shirley na isubasta ang espesyal na Christmas tree ng kanyang yumaong ina.
Paliwanag ng owner ng auction house na si Charles Hanson: “The seller decided to part with it to honour her mother’s memory and to ensure it survives as a humble reminder of 1920s life—a boom-to-bust decade.”
May paliwanag si Charles kung bakit may nagka-interes na bilhin ito sa malaking halaga.
Aniya, “It would have been bought for pennies originally but it’s sold for thousands and that’s astonishing.
"I think it’s down to the power of nostalgia. Dorothy’s story resonated with people.
“As simple as it was Dorothy loved that tree. It became a staple part of family celebrations for decades.
"The fact that it brought her such joy is humbling in itself. It reminds us that extravagance and excess are not required to capture the spirit of Christmas.”
Sa press statement, sinabi pa ni Charles, “The magic of Christmas lives on!
"The humblest Christmas tree in the world has a new home and we’re delighted for both buyer and seller."