Wausau man's Christmas tree still up after four decades

WAUSAU — A slim spruce covered in tinsel and dusty Christmas decorations has stayed parked in Neil Olson's living room for 40 years now, and it somehow has retained its needles over those four decades.

"Most of 'em don't last," Olson, 89, said. "The needles are kept on for a reason. It's supernatural, I say."

Olson put up the tree in 1974 when two of his six sons went off to serve in the Vietnam War. He planned to take it down when he had all six boys home again for Christmas at the same time.

He's still waiting for that day.

Five of the kids live in Wausau. But the eldest, who is disabled, lives in Washington state and has been unable to make the journey back to Wisconsin at Christmas.

"I bet you if my sixth boy comes home, the needles will drop right off," Olson said.

Olson's sons range in age between mid-50s and mid-60s, though he couldn't recall their precise ages. A few are named after kings, including James, John and the youngest, Rich, or Richard.

As the boys grew, married and had families of their own, the tree has remained as they moved on.

"It's part of the furniture," Rich said of the tree. "It's like family now. I hate to take it down."

Rich expects the dusty, possibly antique ornaments on the Christmas tree have gone up in value over the past four decades.

Neil Olson suspects that the tree has set a world record for longest-standing, all-natural Christmas tree. Guinness World Records didn't immediately return requests for information and its website didn't include such a category. Other world records include "most lights on a Christmas tree" and "most Christmas trees chopped in two minutes."

Olson said the lights on the tree, which include large colorful bulbs, are German and close to 100 years old. He hasn't lit it up since 1974.

"It'd just blow up on me. All that dust on there. It'd be like an atomic bomb," Olson said.

Neil Olson served in World War II and the Korean War. Several of his sons served in the military as well. Barry, the one in Washington, was injured in Vietnam. He's still in touch with the family, and Olson maintains hope that Barry will make it home for Christmas with the others one day.

Just before Christmas this year, Neil Olson and his son Rich recounted story after story about the brothers' mischief and memories ice skating on Lincoln Avenue and fishing in Olson's 62-year-old aluminum boat.

When he looks at the tree, it reminds Olson of past holidays.

"I can see 'em sitting around there yet, opening presents," Olson said.

His plans for this Christmas are pretty simple: "Sit with the boys, drink a couple beers, talk about old times and go to bed."

Nora G. Hertel can be reached at 715-845-0665. Find her on Twitter as @nghertel.