Christmas Favorites

I want to squeeze in one last post about Christmas before I take down the old calendar and put up the new! If I had to list my favorite Christmas related things, these would be my top five:

ornaments

Christmas trees
Santa

snowmen

nativities

My last post feature the stitched ornaments on my tree, but I love all kinds of ornaments! I especially love Shiny Brite ornaments. Several years ago I began seeing them at flea markets and fell in love with them. I display the ones I bought in a beautiful bowl that belonged to my grandmother. Max Eckardt created Shiny Brite ornaments in 1937. He worked with Corning Glass, a company that made light bulbs, to adapt their process to make clear glass ornaments. They were then shipped to Eckardt factories to be decorated by hand. 

I'm not the only one in the family that loved Shiny Brite ornaments. My grandmother had them on her tree. Her ornaments would have dated in the 1940's to 1950's. After her death, my mother displayed those ornaments in her house. Now that my mother has gone, I am honored to display some of those treasured ornaments in my home. 

Of course if you have ornaments you must have Christmas trees. Oh, I love Christmas trees from large to the very small! This year I have 24 Christmas trees scattered around. Along with my large Christmas tree I have bottle brush trees, wood trees, ceramic trees,  and  metal trees.

The only thing I know that could make a Christmas tree better, is for my grandsons to be gathered in front of it!

It's always an experience to get the Christmas pajama photo each year!

Of course Christmas trees must have some Santas on it!
This star-shaped Santa is one of my favorites. 

Although I have pleanty of Santas, I really like snowmen better. Sorry Santa! I have a small four foot tree that is loaded with only snowmen ornaments.

I saved the very best for last. I can't imagine having Christmas without focusing on the birth of the Christ Child.

"For unto you is born this day
in the city of David
a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

~ Luke 2:11

I've enjoyed one last look at Christmas, but now it's time for me to begin putting it all away!

Wishing you a Happy New Year!

A Year In The Making

Last December right about this time I set a goal for 2018. My goal was to cross stitch one Christmas ornament each month. I'm here to say . . . I DID IT!! Actually I exceeded that goal. I stitched 16 ornaments this year; nine for my tree and seven as gifts.

Here's a look at my 2018 Christmas ornaments . . . 

JANUARY

Toyland Sleigh

(Mill Hill)

FEBRUARY

Frosty Flakes

(Little House Needleworks)

MARCH

Quaker 9

(Kelmscott Designs)

APRIL

Chickadee Winter Welcome

(The Sweetheart Tree)

MAY

Tree Farm

(Little House Needleworks)

JUNE

Snow Forrest

(Just Nan)

In July I began stitching ornaments for my family. Each year I stitch one for each of my five grandsons. The oldest grandson now has a collection of sixteen ornaments that I've stitched. I also stitch one for my daughter’s and son’s family trees. My choice this year for the boys was Freezing Season which you can see below.

JULY

Freezing Season

(Foxwood Crossings)

In JULY I stitched the second Freezing Season.

AUGUST

Season's Greetings

(Little House Needleworks)

and the

third Freezing Season

In SEPTEMBER I stitched the fourth Freezing Season.

OCTOBER

In October I stitched the fifth Freezing Season. I also stitched a modified Freezing Season for me. While stitching the five ornaments for my grandson I made a huge mistake on one of them. I usually stitch at night while Jerry watches television. There must have been a good show on that night because when  I picked up my stitching the next night, I realized I had completely left off the section with the word Freezing in it! SO, I started another one for the boys and then finished this one for me without the words!

NOVEMBER

Warm Hands Warm Heart

(Just Cross Stitch Magazine)

I stitched two Warm Hands Warm Heart, one each for for my daughter's and son's family trees.

DECEMBER

Star Of Wonder

(Homespun Elegance)

Cross stitching is something that was moved to the back burner several years ago. I have enjoyed picking up my needle and stitching again this year. Pushing needle through thread is rhythmic and quite relaxing. I have several ornament charts already lined out for next year, but I'm not sure I'll push for one each month because I have run across several other charts in my stash that I'd like to stitch.

The inspiration behind my year of stitching ornaments came from Carol who has been stitching monthly ornaments for nine years. Not only is she a wonderful stitcher, but she has wonderful ideas for finishing her ornaments. If you would like to see her 2018 Parade of Ornaments please visit her blog.

Thank you for stopping by

and

Merry Christmas!

Busy Hands

While everyone has moved on to the new year, I seem to be stuck at Christmas. That's most likely because I spent almost the entire month of December stuck home with a viral upper respiratory infection. I didn't feel horrible, I was trying to be wise and not spread this horrid infection. 

I've reached the other side of my down time, but still deal with fatigue. The fatigue was worse than all the other symptoms combined. I don't think I've every experienced anything like it. Taking two naps a day pretty much explains how bad it was!

All was not lost though, in between coughing and napping I dug around my craft room looking for something to occupy my time. I uncovered a small stack of Christmas ornaments that needed finishing. Some were completely stitched and just needed assembled, some were partially stitched, and then I began a couple of new ones.

In the past I was an avid stitcher. A day didn't go by when I wasn't putting needle and thread to fabric. Then, my interest waned and I developed other passions; first scrapbooking and then photography.

Recently I've been inspired to pick up needle and thread again. The reason for my inspiration? I discovered Carol's wonderful blog, Stitching Dreams. I was fascinated when I read that she stitches one Christmas ornament a month and has been doing this for several years. I love her choice of ornaments and her creative finishing ideas. If you'd like to visit the blog post where she shares her 2017 ornaments you can click here. I've set a goal for myself to do likewise; stitch an ornament a month in 2018. The ornament below is my January 2018 finish. It's hard to tell from the photo, but there are a lot of beads on this and a sweet little bear charm hanging off the back of the sleigh. Toyland Sleigh was a kit from Mill Hill that I picked up a while back.  It was easier to start with all the needed supplies together, since I've been unable to get out and shop.

These are by no means the first cross stitched ornaments on my tree, after all I began stitching in 1972. As I took my ornaments off the tree to pack them away, I decided to count them. I have . . .

65 cross stitch,

27 others handmade by me,

55 ornaments I've been given,

6 ornaments in memory of loved ones,

6 from my childhood,

12 Old World glass,

and

???? miscellaneous ornaments.

(I took off the miscellaneous last and
forgot to count them!! I just know
there's a lot!)

Not only did I enjoy stitching the ornaments, I enjoyed taking pictures of them. It gave me something to do on a very cold rainy day! I must also give Carol credit for great ways to photograph ornaments!

Now that the Christmas decorations are boxed away, maybe I can move on to the new year!

As we begin this new year,

I wish you hope, joy, love, and peace!

Scene & Story - December 2017

Sometime in the late 30's or early 40's my grandmother, Nanny, clipped a recipe out of the paper. Betty Crocker published a cake recipe and ran a contest to name it. Nanny never heard what they actually named the cake so she called it The Nameless Cake. She added candied fruit, white raisins and nuts to the recipe and it became the family's traditional fruitcake for the holidays. After Nanny died my mom took over the tradition of baking the cake even though she and I were the only ones that liked it. I always felt a special closeness to mom as we ate our pieces of cake together. After my mom died it seemed pointless to continue the tradition, since I was the only one that would eat it. I certainly couldn't eat the whole two-layer cake myself. 

I'm not sure why, call it nostalgia or the fact that I'm missing my mom, but this year I needed to bake the cake. I wanted it to turn out just like mom's, so I was a little nervous as I mixed the batter. After putting the cake in the oven, I stood back and smiled. The house began to smell of fruitcake and I was flooded with memories of past Christmases.

My daughter and daughter-in-law did eat some of the cake with me, but I don't think it's a favorite for them. Will I bake the cake again? Probably, but it won't be a family tradition as it was in the past. Things change, I accept that and we do have other desserts that are a holiday tradition . . . Fudgie Scotch Ring, Iced Sugar Cookies, and Candy Cane Cookies. 

My Nameless Cake turned out beautiful and tasted delicious, just like I remembered it. I'm glad I went with my heart's tug and made the cake this Christmas. As I said, I just needed to make it.

* * * * *

I'm linking with Scene & Story hosted

by Sarah and Lee.

This will be the last time that Sarah and Lee are hosting the linkup.

It's been a fun year sharing and reading stories.

I will miss this group.

Mansion Elegance

Christmas decorations can be simple like those in my last post or they can be glitzy and glamorous. From the moment you walk up to the front door of the Arkansas Governor's Mansion, sparkling beauty greets you everywhere.

The formal living room feels cozy with pretty stockings hanging from the fireplace mantle. I love the colors that are used to decorated the mansion. They're chosen to blend well with existing drapes and furniture.

The formal dining room fireplace is draped with a gorgeous garland that sparkles in the light of crystal candelabras and chandeliers.

We are very blessed in Arkansas to have a Governor and First Lady that know the real meaning of Christmas. I wish I had counted how many nativity sets were among the decorations ranging in size from tiny to one set with figures about four feet tall. There is also a life size nativity on the front lawn.

Not all the decorations are elegant, the glass atrium is a wonderland for children. I saw of a lot of happy smiles from the little ones as they watched trains travel around two separate villages. One of the trains was modern and one was vintage.

In addition to the trains, the decorations in the atrium were colorful and whimsical.

If you look up high on the second floor balcony you can catch a glimpse of Santa and one of his reindeer.

 

And, if you head to the grand hall you might just run into the real Santa! I assured him I'd been pretty good this year!

 

If you'd like to see more of the

Mansion's Christmas open house,

there's a nice video here.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas from Arkansas!

Pioneer Christmas

As I sit in my warm, snug home gazing at my Christmas tree with over a thousand multi-colored lights and ornaments galore, I'm wishing. Wishing that Christmas could be a simpler time. A time where Christmas really meant something. When Christmas meant the celebration of the birth of Christ. Don't get me wrong. Santa is loved at my house, always has been. I'm talking about the hustle, the over spending, the craziness of a commercialized Christmas.

I was reminded of a simpler Christmas recently when I attended a Christmas celebration at an 1880's pioneer village. I thought back to when Christmas meant a fresh cut tree, ornaments made from paper, and strung popcorn for garland.

I was reminded of when gifts were made and given from the heart; maybe a whistle or toy animal carved by father or maybe it was a handmade muslin doll or knitted mittens from mother. A time when a simple apple or orange was a rare treat.

I was reminded when decorations were simple.

I was reminded when love was the center of the home and love was the center of Christmas. 

Do I want long for those days of yesteryear? Absolutely not! I do admire the courage of those pioneers who struggled to make a home in a new land far from friends and family. I'm not sure I would have been able to do that. No, I don't long to return to those days. You see, I enjoy my modern comforts. What I do long for is a simple, quiet Christmas. That's my goal this year and so far it's working. I'm enjoying this season. I've also enjoy sampling Christmas treats. At the village we had sugar cookies and apple cider. They were delicious!

I had to laugh when I uploaded my pictures of these wonderful volunteers who dressed in period costumes and played the roll of pioneers. Check out the pocket of the man in the center. Could that be a red cell phone peeking out? Can't get away from modernism, can we? 

How is your Christmas season? I hope it is one of quietness, peace, and celebration of the birth of Christ.

Christmas Pictures

Christmas is over and I'm feeling a little bummed. It's not because I didn't get what I wanted or that there was too much stress or anything like that. In fact, we had a very nice, peaceful, stress free Christmas. The food was delicious and the presents appreciated. The activities I did this season were also fun. The time spent with family was wonderful. Did I say Christmas was peaceful? Well, not quite all the time, but the noise was much loved!!

(You may notice I'm one boy short in this picture. He had to leave early. Since he's a teenager, I'm sure he really didn't mind missing out on the picture!)

So, what's the deal with me being bummed? Photography! I'm bummed about my photography this season. For the last two years, I have not wanted to take pictures of my tree, decorations, presents, candy canes, or anything else related to Christmas. I took a grand total of fourteen pictures this December of Christmasy things and I forced myself to take those. That's just sad!

I had good excuses . . . it's been dark and dreary . . . I really don't have time . . . I'd rather read a Christmas book or work a puzzle. . . I need to get outside for awhile. When I'm truthful with myself I know these are just excuses. There's a deeper problem . . . it's comparison. I've been intimidated by the beautiful, simply gorgeous, amazing pictures of Christmas on social media. I would look at my things and know that I couldn't take any pictures near as wonderful. So, I just didn't take any.  I simply didn't have the heart to compete with what I was seeing.

I thought I would take pictures this week after the hustle and bustle was over, but I'm just not feeling it. So, maybe I won't. Maybe I'll let another year pass without taking pictures of pretty light bokeh, sweet candy canes, colorful stockings, and delightful Santas. Maybe I'll just sit by my tree for another few days and take pictures with my eyes. I'll look at each ornament or decoration and remember the stories behind them. Maybe that's all I need this year. Next year, maybe I'll take a break from social media throughout December. No, that won't work. If I did that I wouldn't see all the beautiful things you post and I really love seeing them. What I need to do is to have a good, long talk with myself. I need to remind myself that comparison is not healthy. I need to remind myself of what is important to me and what I want to take pictures of is my choice. There are all types of photographers out there. I'm a nature photographer. Setting up those lovely Christmas vignettes stresses me out, so why spend time doing that. 

Thanks for being here and for listening to me as I've shared my feelings. It has helped me. I'm no longer feeling bummed. In fact, I'm headed outside where I'd rather be anyway!

I want to wish you all a very happy New year.

I'm looking forward to what 2017 may bring.