Mel Crawford (Canadian, B. 1925) "Bringing Home the Tree" Signed lower right. Original Mixed Media painting on Illustration Board. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. Imagine a lone cowboy riding the open range a hundred years ago. He's been chasing stray doggies for two weeks. He's tired, cold, and just a little bit lonely. But tonight it's Christmas Eve, so he hurries into town to pick up some gifts the shopkeeper has been holding for him. Then one last stop along the trail to cut down the little spruce tree he's been keeping his eye on for months. He heads home with his pack horse loaded with Christmas spirit. A light snow is falling and he can see through the flakes a familiar puff of smoke curling up from his cabin. Inside, his family is cooking Christmas dinner and eagerly watching out the window for his return. Christmas in the Old West was very different from Christmas today, and yet it some ways it was very much the same. Image Size: 14 x 12 in. Overall Size: 17.25 x 15 in. Unframed. (B07720)