Christmas Tree Still Standing – 40 Years Later

WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) — Neil Olson put up a Christmas tree in 1974 when two of his boys went off to war, vowing not to take it down until all six children came home for Christmas.

The same tree is still standing in his living room, needles intact. The 89-year-old Olson calls his 40-year-old tree "supernatural."

The Marshfield News-Herald reports Olson's oldest son was injured in the Vietnam War. His disability has stopped him from returning Wausau, Wisconsin for Christmas. Five of his other children live nearby in Wausau.

Olson says he still hopes his oldest son will make it home for Christmas one year. When that happens, he says he thinks all the needles will fall off.