My Christmas tree is beautiful. I finally finished decorating it except for the star. The top branch is too high though I could try standing on the couch or a table, but I know my history so I’m waiting for a friend who will do it today. The tree decorating began with the lights. I wound them around and tried to hit the inside dark spots. I have regular colored lights, two strands of chili pepper lights and one special set of lights which is always last. It is Santa with his eight reindeer and each hangs separately. I have the reindeer flying to the top of the tree. Next I hung the cranberry and popcorn, colorful beads and a strand of stars. Last were the ornaments. The first ones hung were three from Ghana my friend gave me. She had bought them in Kumasi in 1969. As she doesn’t usually have a tree, she thought I would be a good caretaker. I keep them in a special box, and they are always first.

My tree is so many things. It is my childhood with the glass bulbs my mother gave me. Some of them have lost their paint, but they are all still bright with memories. Other ornaments were stitched by me. I had given them to my mother as a Christmas present one year, and they came back to me after she died. She loved sheep and lambs and two of the ornaments have lambs. Places I’ve visited have special ornaments. There is a stitched heart from Hungary and ornaments from England, Portugal, Italy and Germany. I also have some really ugly ornaments I love for their whimsy, their ugliness. One is an angel with just a few strands of hair, buttons for eyes and a cloth body with arms holding a piece of greenery. On her chest is stitched Joy. Another is a beach goer who is carrying a folded umbrella, a towel and is wearing a bikini. She has wispy hair,what little there is of it. A couple of circus clowns in bright colors are always on my tree. One is holding a tiny umbrella, far too small to hold off the rain. I have a few Cape Cod ornaments and others with no pedigree. I just liked them.

The last ornament I always put on the tree is made from children’s blocks. I had made an ornament for every member of my family with each name spelled out in blocks for the last Christmas we spent together. I have my mother’s. It says Chick, which is what everyone called her. When I put it on the tree, she is here for Christmas.