A Christmas Like No Other...

Merry almost Christmas, my friends! Well, we did it--we've nearly made it to Christmas in this very difficult year... It will certainly be a Christmas unlike any the world has ever seen. So many changes and lives lost over this past year. This was supposed to be the year my 5-month-old grandson would spend his very first Christmas with us. But, of course, Covid took care of those plans--we just have to look ahead and hope he and his parents will be here for Christmas in 2021. 

But, I already got one of the best presents I could ask for--an early Christmas present so to speak. My youngest son, whom I had not seen in nearly a year (since he visited last Christmas!) is home!!! YAY!!! He took two Covid tests, four days apart, and he's been isolating so we feel safe having him home with us for five days. I have to admit I started jumping up and down when he walked through the door yesterday morning and ran over and gave him the biggest hug ever. I still can't quite believe I hadn't seen him in a year (especially given the fact that he lives only a four hour drive away). That's just the way this crazy year has gone...

Because of the uncertainty of the past nine months, I think traditions have become more important than ever. And one thing that remains constant year after year, is my Christmas tree--same old tree, just a dozen new ornaments added to it. 

2020 Christmas Tree

 

I feel like most of you have seen my tree many times (and are probably a bit tired of it!), but I know I have many new readers here who may be seeing it for the first time. Here are some close-ups... I sure wish I could sit down and share each individual ornament with you, but if you read back through my blog for the past 12 years, you will find details on each and every one. 

My taste in ornament stitching is quite eclectic...

I stitch everything from cute and happy to more traditional ornaments.

 

And just look outside the sunroom door... we're having a white Christmas for the first time in many years!

Lots of Santas and snowmen!

I love simply sitting in the sunroom and reading by the tree at this time of year.

Many of my favorite tiny ornaments decorate the top of the tree.

The tree takes on a whole new look at night time.

It's hard to capture them at night, but the ornaments sparkle and shine as they reflect the Christmas lights--so very pretty!

And then there is the reflection in all the windows and doors of our sunroom. Isn't it lovely?

One last look... day into night.

QUESTION AND ANSWER TIME!

I have had many questions about my cross stitch Christmas tree through the years and so I thought I'd share them, along with my answers today. Let me know if there is something else you are wondering about (in your comments) and I'll be happy to answer your questions... 

 1. Is your tree real or artificial? We always used to purchase real trees, but when my middle son's allergies got so bad about 20 years ago, we went to an artificial tree. And, believe it or not we've had the  same tree ever since!

    2. How tall is your tree? It's almost 8 feet tall. I sometimes wish it was even taller as our sunroom has a cathedral ceiling that would nicely accommodate it.

    3. How many cross stitch ornaments are on your tree? I counted them last year and there were 155, so this year, with the 12 new ones, the total is 167.

    4. Do you have a favorite ornament? I have several and I've shared four of them in the photo above. I still think the little Five Golden Rings angels by Cottage Garden Samplings are at the top of the list, though. 

    5. Did you stitch all the ornaments on your tree? Yes, all were stitched by me. I used to put those given to me by stitching friends on it, too, but it simply got too crowded. I now put my friends' ornaments on the mantle and on the garland going up my stairway. 

    6. How long did it take to stitch all of these? Although there are a few that I stitched back in the early 80s when I first began cross stitching, all but half a dozen or so have been stitched since I began blogging in 2009. 

    7. What will you do when you run out of room? Well, I have always said I wouldn't get another tree at my age, but I am seriously thinking of getting a thin flocked white tree to display my black ornaments. They really don't show up well on our green tree and at night, they take on a bit of a "black hole" look!

    8. How long do you think you'll keep up your "ornament a month" stitching? As long as my eyes hold up! In all honesty, I just take it year by year and I'm sure one of these days I simply won't feel like stitching ornaments any longer.

    9. Big or small--which are your favorites? For my entire life, I've loved tiny things. My family often makes fun of me because I remind them of our one grandmother who loved "tiny, darling, cunning, sweet" types of things. And that is me... The smaller the ornament, the more I like it! That's why I stitch so many of my ornaments "over one" or on 40 ct. linen. 

    10. What will happen to all of your ornaments some day? (Or as my oldest son once said, "Mom, what are you going to do with all these things?") Hmmm... it is my biggest hope that my sons and their families will divide most of them up and use them on their own trees some day. If not, I suppose they'll end up at a thrift shop after I'm gone--and that makes me very sad...

Stitching an ornament a month... I've had many people say they would love to stitch an ornament a month like I do. My advice--just go for it! If you don't complete all twelve, that's fine; at least you'll have a few new ones for your tree by the time December rolls around. It definitely gives me a wonderful feeling of accomplishment having done this each year for over a decade. It doesn't take that much time and yet, the reward is great. I'd love to have you join me in 2021... anyone up for the challenge?

Giveaway winner... There were quite a few of you who wanted to win the Santa chart that I offered in my last post. Sure wish I had more than one, but the winner's name drawn from the hat is...

AMARA (in Germany)

Congratulations, Amara!

Thanks to all who participated and please keep your eyes on this spot--I'll be offering more charts in the future. Amara, please send me your mailing address and I will get this in the mail sometime next week--congratulations!

I hope each of you who celebrates can capture the joy and magic of this Christmas season, even while we endure lockdowns and quarantines, cancelled plans, and missed loved ones. It's not easy sometimes, but look to the future and also to the past; to those special memories of Christmases spent with loved ones long ago.

To honor my relatives, I baked only old family recipes this year for my cookie baking.  At the top of the photo are my dear mother's Date Bars, on the right are my maternal grandmother's Coconut Macaroons, the bottom cookies are my mother-in-law's Almond Thumbprints, next to them are my paternal grandmother's Orange Drop Frosted cookies (my personal favorite!), and the little green trees and red bells are my mother-in-law's Caramel Butter Spritz cookies. Every recipe brought back memories of special Christmas gatherings filled with love and laughter. I'll be missing my mom (and my dad, of course) ever so much this year, but I'll also be smiling at the wonderful memories that I will forever carry in my heart. 

Thank you all for stopping in today. A big thank you to those of you who take the time to leave a comment--that means a lot to me! Merry Christmas to each of you--I look forward to hearing all about your Christmases next week. Bye for now...

 

Wishing you much peace and joy!