BUON NATALE E FELICE ANNO NUOVO
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR
For the past four Christmas, the Wishing Tree has greeted passengers and visitors to Rome Termini Station. The tree started off as an ordinary Xmas Tree one of several that decorate the foyer and entrance hall of the city main railway station, but then, quite spontaneously, people began to pin scribbled notes on to the lower branches. First, it was mainly children, with their lists of wishes for Babbo Natale (Santa Claus), but now the tree is submerged with the hopes and wishes of passengers of all ages and nationalities. Some are from students begging Babbo Natale to help them pass their exams or to find a job, while lovelorn teenagers pray for divine intercession to make Roberto notice me or convince Giulia to come back to meť. Others, on a more serious note, beg for good health or to be healed from an illness. A grandmother prays that her grandchildren will always be safe and well and there is even someone who hopes for a good government.The Wishing Tree seemed to us an appropriate symbol to convey our personal wishes to all our readers for good health, tranquillity and prosperity - in short, every conceivable good thing for this Christmas and the coming New Year.
Signed: Julia Davidson, Margaret Stenhouse, Harry Reid, Antonio Rigillo and all our editorial staff.
