DEARTH OF CHRISTMAS TREES MAJOR CRISIS.

Byline: James Bemis Commentary

Forget the impeachment process. Forget the megamerger of Exxon and Mobil. Forget even the NBA strike.

There's a real crisis out there, threatening the survival of civilization as we know it.

I'm talking, of course, about our shortage of Christmas trees.

After all, no matter what happens to our mendacious president, the republic will survive. Exxon, schmexxon, big deal. Corporations only exist on paper anyway. And if the NBA players never play another game . . . well, you know.

But a Christmas without Christmas trees - now, that's a real problem.

According to a Dec. 3 story in the Daily News, we're facing a dearth of Christmas trees this year. Some experts blame too much rain from El Nino; some say agricultural land in Oregon and Washington is giving way to commercial development; and still others believe lower prices in the past have led to fewer tree growers, thereby reducing current supply.

Whatever the reason, it's causing us problems now.

Just to be sure, I drove around to several local Christmas tree lots to see for myself. Sure enough, there's real scarcity out there. Not only are there fewer trees, but those that are available are scrawnier and, naturally, costlier. In fact, I'm not sure there are enough decent ones to go around.

The crisis bites harder than presidential perjury prosecutions, big business boondoggles or the haughty hoopsters' hiatus for one very simple, but important, reason: tradition.

Today's burning issues are like ephemeral shooting stars, arching across the media sky for a relatively brief instant and then flairing out, barely leaving a trace. It's our traditions - the wisdom, rituals, the ceremonies passed down to us and that we transmit to our children - that are truly enduring and long-lived.

Traditions like Christmas trees are threads linking us to our past and binding us to the future. They give stability and permanence to customs and ideas, providing an element of continuity for the inevitable change occurring in our lives. Through the legacy of those who went before us, we learn to distinguish between what's eternal and what's transitory, between what can be discarded and the things to be preserved.

The greatest compliment we give our ancestors is passing on their traditions to our successors.

People recall little about past political battles that seemed important at the time. But nearly everyone has a vivid memory of a Christmas tree: Searching through the long rows of bristly, fragrant firs with dad to find the best one; helping mom set up the ornaments and tinsel; singing Christmas carols with family and friends around the decorated tree, the house smelling of freshly baked cookies and frothy eggnog.

I still remember how as the big day approached, our Christmas tree grew increasingly more beautiful, changing our darkened living room into an enchanted, peaceful meadow. Lying next to the glowing fireplace, I gazed at the tree - imagining what delights lay within those gleaming packages - hour after dreamy hour. What joy seemed to lie beneath that blessed tree.

That's why the Christmas tree shortage is more important than even presidential impeachments and is a threat to our traditions more serious than the woes of any one man. Christmas trees symbolize a living heritage that predates our form of government, and one that outlasts it, too. In contrast, major political events speed by like a train passing - a long, whirring streak flashing by, blurry and indistinguishable. Once gone, it's quickly forgotten.

How little happiness governments can bring to human hearts, compared to that of a Christmas tree.