Years back, when my first husband was alive, he delighted me one Christmas with a handmade antique dollhouse.
Not a dollhouse in the true sense of the word, I guess, as it has no “rooms” per se. The interior is one big open space. It does, however, have a front entryway and a back door with a little back porch. The little house has a time worn finish of crackled and peeling paint; its window inserts are plastic.
I’ve always considered the dollhouse one of my favorite possessions. I so love the crudeness of it, and have always wondered for whom it was originally made. It lends itself so well to seasonal and holiday adaptations.
My little house has been in storage for several years as my life passed through its ups and downs. For the years I was in retail, I didn’t have a “normal” Christmas, I DID Christmas – wrapping gifts and making gift baskets for customers till late Christmas Eve day. There was little time and less energy left for tree and home decorating for the holiday.
This year, as my life has settled some, I will have a Christmas! I purchased and finished a “proper” table for my beloved little house and adorned it with some holiday finery. I put a string of lights inside that glow through the windows in the evening. The small pine cone wreath I made years ago received its due repair. I had missed my little house!
Now I can look forward for years to come, God willing, to my grandkids enjoying the house with Gramma K and Uncle Frankie. It will keep its place of prominence in our home, my special little Christmas house.
