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Organization collects tiny Christmas trees for kids staying in the hospital during the holidays

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The holiday season is a time for joy, but for patients stuck in the hospital, it can be difficult to get into the Christmas spirit.

To help, volunteers with the Tiny Trees organization collect donated Christmas trees and deliver them to patients staying two or more nights during the holidays. So far this year, they've collected more than 700.

Monday, the organization dropped off hundreds of trees at the East Tennessee Children's Hospital, WBIR reports.

Melissa France started the program when her oldest daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. When she finished chemotherapy treatments, France looked for a way to give back.

“Tiny Trees with a Big Heart is one of the tools we use to help give back – as so many freely gave to us during that difficult time,” writes France.

France says Tiny Trees is just trying to bring a little bit of normality back to the lives of pediatric patients.

“One big thing that these families experience during treatment is the absence of ‘normal,’” writes France. “This is just a small, simple way for these families to have something normal in the chaos that has become their lives.”

To learn more about the organization and how to get involved, visit the Tiny Trees Facebook page.