The Go Away Box

My grandmother always had her unique sayings, those famous "one liners."One day I noticed a certain item was missing from it's familar spot in her home in Arkansas. I asked her where it was, and she replied "Oh I put it in the GO AWAY BOX." I then asked her if she had given the item away, and she said "No, it's still in the go away box." I had no idea of what she was talking about. This was new information to me.

Now you ask, what is a go away box? I had never really heard her speak of it before. Of course I am older now, and I just may be tuning in better. This was another way to say that I was listening INSTEAD of talking. I am still working on both of them.

I was really interested to see WHERE that go away box was...I was not seeing her little Charlie Brown Christmas tree that had been decorated for many Christmas years past. I had personally seen this SAME little tree decorated for 41 years of my adult life. A new miniature green tree was now sitting on that stool. It had all of those same familiar ornaments of those years past. IT JUST DIDN'T LOOK RIGHT being there.! Where was our Charlie Brown? I was hoping to find it, and believing it would be soon.

It was one of the first miniature silver tinsel Christmas trees made many many years ago. It stood approximately barely 12 inches high. For years my grandmother would put a string of those OUTDOOR Christmas lights, those BIG blue, green & red ones that people usually use on their outside roof area! Those lights were really too big and we almost felt sorry for that little tree. She would then take gobs of icicles and lots of silver garland and attempt to fill in those once full branches . After many years of use, mostly wire with a few strings of tinsel were now visable. This little tree without all of her love and decorations, TRULY was a ugly Charlie Brown Christmas tree story come alive. It then was topped off with a tattered siver & gold little star. It was held together with a pipe cleaner. In her eyes, that tree of many years was still beautiful. One day one of her care takers suggested that she give it up...She refused to THROW it away. She told her helper to go put it into her " GO AWAY BOX". She said that the little tree was probably still there. I hurried off hoping to find it. THERE IT WAS! The box was in a corner and I dug with excitement until I found Charlie Brown. It was still there, and now it would become mine. A treasure to keep with a nice story to share. I asked my grandmother if I could have it. Of course she said yes, and I safely packed it very carefully to take home to Louisiana.

Charlie Brown has been a center piece on my dining table now for several years at Christmas time. I still have those same old decorations. I have had to replace some of those bulbs and of course purchse more garland and icicles over the years as needed.. My children at first couldn't believe that I was actually going to keep this thing. They thought that I had finally lost it when I brought it home. Each year as I began to decorate it, a smile can be seen on my face. My grandmother has now passed away. This tree has an even more special meaning to me. There have been many times WHEN Charlie Brown was ALMOST thrown away by accident. Yes, Virginia, there really is a Charlie Brown Christmas tree....

It is amazing how Love can change something ugly into something so beautiful.

Have a Blessed Holiday and a Happy New Year 2009.


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