WFAA-TV

FORT WORTH - There is a spot off of Interstate 30 where a mimosa tree shouldn't grow and a Christmas display wouldn't normally go, but both exist.

Every year, as if by magic, it's lovingly decorated.

"We always called it the 'Charlie Brown Tree,'" said Kim Smith, who is one among many who have taken the time to decorate the tree. "T here's been stories for a long time floating around."

Leslie Gordon, a local author, wondered if there was a way to figure out the true creator of Fort Worth's most famous Christmas tree. Gordon even wrote a fictional book about the tree's creation. Then one day, she came across something better. The author found a woman named Carla Christian and the truth behind the tree.

"[Carla Christian] had had a rough life and wound up on the streets," Gordon said.

Gordon learned Christian eventually escaped the streets, but not the memory of the homeless friends she left behind.

"She was really sad and thought, 'What can I do for these people?'" Gordon said. "And so she climbed the hill for the first time and put balls on this little mimosa tree."

The tradition continued. Then one year, Christian could no longer climb the hill, which is when other Fort Worth families rose to take her place.

The tradition moved from Kay Rice to her daughter, Kim Smith, and then to her granddaughter.

"We have a box every year that says "Charlie Brown" stuff," said the granddaughter.

Now the tradition has moved onto Christian's own family as well. Christian died last year.

Smith said she believes at least 100 people have contributed to decorating the tree over the years.

"We're going to carry on and keep her message going on," said Christian Meyer.