Grandma's Button Tree

Dear Diary,

I started decorating the house for Christmas.  I had to distract myself from all the horrible news on the television.  I don't do as much "decking of the halls" as I use to but this year I wanted to try and make the house as pretty as I could.  I just put a tiny tree on the sideboard in the dining room.  It is decorated with felt ornaments I made using buttons from my grandmother's huge collection.  I especially love the round white ones that use all the tiny white buttons and one red one.  I made them several years ago for my cousins too.

My ancestor stones are under the tree as is the red mittens Dotty made for me last year; like the ones my grandmother would make for all the children in the family each year.  The embroidered poinsettia runner my mother made.  It is a real family affair!  I always think of my father when I put up lights at Christmas.  We had those big bulbs of multi-colors and he would start putting them up in late November.  Those bulbs weren't very energy efficient but they looked so great edging the porch especially when it snowed.

I think I really take to heart the song, "I'll be home for Christmas...if only in my dreams."  That is where I go at this time each year.  Perhaps everyone does to some extent.  We go up to the attic of our minds and open the old trunk labeled "Christmases Past" and we are little children again sitting at the top of the stairs waiting to get the word that we can go down to see what Santa brought this year.  This year I just want him to bring some healing to this sad country crippled by gun violence and hatred.