A Wisconsin man has had the same Christmas tree for four decades.
Neil Olson put up a Christmas tree for the last time in 1974, when his six sons went to fight in the Vietnam War and he promised not to take the tree down until all the men were back home safe for the holidays, the Marshfield News Herald reports. Olsen hasn’t taken that tree down since.
Olson’s oldest son was injured at war and hasn’t been able to get home to Wausau, WI, from Washington state for Christmas. The tinsel-dripping, ornamented tree, meanwhile, looks just as it did 40 years ago, though its needles are a bit yellowed.
“It’s supernatural, I say,” Olson, 89, told the Wausau Daily Herald. He added that if his sixth son gets home for Christmas one year, he predicts “the needles will drop right off” the waiting tree.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- The Revolution of Yulia Navalnaya
- 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
- Stop Looking for Your Forever Home
- If You're Dating Right Now , You're Brave: Column
- The AI That Could Heal a Divided Internet
- Fallout Is a Brilliant Model for the Future of Video Game Adaptations
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Write to Elizabeth Barber at elizabeth.barber@timeasia.com