Welcome, welcome to the 16th annual Parade of Ornaments here at "Stitching Dreams." It's a bright sunny day as I sit here typing away in my cozy kitchen. We got six inches of snow over the weekend so everywhere I look outside, it is blindingly white. But, it's oh-so-cold! It was a mere 10° here yesterday morning. Honestly, I never remember a December being so cold or being this snowy before Christmas. That being said, it's warming up into the 40s and 50s here later this week. Sadly, there goes our chance for a white Christmas.
So, if you're willing to bundle up warmly, pop on your hat with its fluffy pom-pom, don your long underwear beneath your clothes, and add some hand-warmers into your coat pockets, I hope you'll join me for this year's ornament parade! As always, I'd love to know what you would choose as your favorite ornament after the parade is done. My pictures aren't the best because I took them on a non-sunny day, but I think you can get the idea...
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| My 2025 "Parade of Ornaments" |
Oh, dear, the ornaments are a bit far away, aren't they? How about a closer look?
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| January ~ March 2025 |
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| April ~ June 2025 |
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| July ~ September 2025 |
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| October ~ December 2025 |
Once again, Prairie Schooler ornaments took the top spot with 7 of the 12 showing up this year. I didn't even realize I had stitched so many PS pieces until I hung them on my stair garland! I guess my heart will always be drawn to those classic designs with the wonderful DMC colors that you can always count on.
I'll run through each ornament month-by-month for you. If you'd like further details on them, just click the caption below the ornament and the link will take you to the original post for that particular ornament.
JANUARY
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| Prairie Schooler's "Santa & Friends" (Book No. 110) |
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| Prairie Schooler Mini Card |
MARCH
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| "Believe" by Erin Elizabeth |
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| "A Prairie Year II" (Book No. 23) by Prairie Schooler |
MAY
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| "Merry Mini Surprise" (Book No. 215) by Prairie Schooler |
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| I'll soon move my newest 12 ornaments to our Christmas tree (if there is room!) and replace them with the wonderful ornaments I've received from stitching friends throughout the years. |
So, which ornament caught your eye? Do you have a favorite (or two)? Mine is actually the very last one that I stitched for the year--the sweet pair of baking mice by With Thy Needle and Thread. But, the quartet of Christmas carolers from August really captures my heart as well. If any of you want to join in on the monthly ornament stitch along that I host on Instagram, I'd love to see you there! Just post your ornament finishes for next year using #12in26ornamentstitchalong so everyone can enjoy seeing them. It's a great group of stitchers and you might even meet a new friend or two. You'll surely gain lots of inspiration, though, even if you don't stitch one every month!
I posted this photo of all 12 on Instagram earlier this week... One last look at my 2025 collection. On to 2026!
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| Seeing another year of finished ornaments always makes me smile :) |
Did you enjoy this year's parade? I hope you've warmed up a bit and can now return to your comfortable stitching chair for a bit of late-afternoon stitchy time. I don't know about you, but I so look forward to settling into my stitching chair for a couple of hours before dinner each night. Pure comfort--it's almost like my body actually says, "Ah..." as I sit down!
So, only 8 1/2 days remain until Christmas morning. I'm not ready, but are you ever fully ready? I know I'm not, but that's okay. I just do what I can and no one will even notice what hasn't gotten done (unless there are no presents under the tree!). What I'm most looking forward to is simply being with my dear family. We received the sweetest card from 5 year old Mister B earlier this month. He is obviously as excited as I am to be together.
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| Christmas joy through the eyes of a child (and I must say--Mister B is a much better artist than I am)! |
I am always amazed at your lovely parade of ornaments. What is not to love about Prairie Schooler. I agree with your sentiments about them. I really need to look up the Believe one. That one is adorable and would be pretty on blue or green too.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your days with the family. That is what I look forward to as well. Now that I have actually seen snow I understand your desire for the white one, but I must say I still love a WARM one with a chance to get out on the water.
Beautiful stitching and finishing, as always, you've stitched some great ones this year. I never feel ready for Christmas, lol and it come around faster each year!
ReplyDeleteWishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas xx
Carol, I thoroughly enjoyed your parade of ornaments. I, too, love Prairie Schooler and With Thy Needle and Thread, but the March Believe ornament caught my eye. It’s so pretty and I’m all about the color red! The card from your grandson is just the best and so precious. I’m not ready either and, like you, probably won’t be, but no one else will know, or care. There are gifts, so we’re good! Have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday with your family. Cherie in WI
ReplyDeleteBelieve is my favorite. Brenda
ReplyDeleteEeeeh I love a parade! And this one was filled to the brim with Christmas cuteness! It is hard to choose a favorite; they are all magnificent and of course you gave me some finishing ideas. And best of all is the darling card sweet Mr. B made for you. I know you will display it proudly. There is nothing like a handmade gift from a grandchild is there? Merry Christmas , Carol.
ReplyDeleteHard to believe Mr B is 5!! I love the October ornament. The postal letter with a Santa stamp, soo cute! I followed the links and got to her Etsy shop. She's has cute stuff. I will buy the letter design. Stay warm! It's been warm here, today was nice short sleeve weather. It's crazy! Haha. Hope you're over whatever bug you had. I'm still fighting with mine😂🤦🏻♀️I just want to say Merry Christmas and a Happy Healthy New Year to you and yours! Thanks for always reading and commenting on my blog, Carol🤗😌
ReplyDeleteCarol, you are just amazing. All you ornaments are lovely and so beautifully finished!!!!! My favorites are the 1998 Santa and the Plum Pudding mice. You must have stitched those on smaller linens, because I’ve seen them as much larger pieces. Merry Christmas and keep blogging! I love to hear from you! Carol in Texas
ReplyDeleteA wonderful parade. Always a pleasure to look at. My favorites? Well, the TPS Santas of course. What alovely letter from Mr. B. He is a real darling!
ReplyDeleteWish you a Merry Christmas and all the best for 2036. Keep on stitching and blogging.
Hugs, Gabi
Beautiful Christmas stitching .
ReplyDeleteLove Mr Bs letter.
Have a wonderful Christmas .
I have already been to 2 Christmas dinner parties , another one this week and then I can relax a little.
Have fun hugs June.
Tous ces ornements sont tellement jolis qu'il est difficile de choisir celui qu'on aime le plus, mais c'est vrai que ces deux petites soutis sont adorables. Mais en fait, j'aime l'ensemble ! Et cela représente beaucoup de travail de finition !
ReplyDeleteI also think we've had snow & cold too early this year.
ReplyDeleteWe woke up to -8 degrees 1 morning!
Yesterday it got yo 37 degrees! Crazy weather.
The card by Mister B is too cute.
It's SO hard to pick a favorite, but I LOVE the November ornament, the Cardinal on black, so stunning.
Take care!
Marilyn
Well I enjoyed sharing your 12 this year with Brian and Madeleine. :) Santa and Friends is Madeleine's favorite. The Carolors are Brian's. The PS canoe is mine. I need to stitch that for a friend who collects PS. She will love it! What a sweet card from your grandson!!
ReplyDeleteSuch fun to see these ornaments..always love Prairie Schooler! Have a wonderful holiday and keep blogging!
ReplyDeleteAs usual, beautifully done. My favorite is also yours-plum pudding stole my heart. I had a stroke, but slowly have begun cross stitching again. So happy to be able to do my favorite hobby. Happy holidays to you and your lovely family
ReplyDeleteI always love your December Christmas ornament parade, Carol. There is just something about seeing all 12 in one spot. Lots of eye candy for sure and I am not surprised about how many are from The Prairie Schooler. They are truly classic designs. Each one of your 12 are beautiful, but my favorite is the PS Santa riding the deer. What a precious note (and a definite keeper) from Mr. B.
ReplyDeleteI love all of them and they are all so beautifully finished! I always love the Prairie School Santa, but my favorite is I Believe by Erin Elizabeth!
ReplyDeleteI love seeing your Christmas decoration displays, Carol!
ReplyDeleteYou've done it again this year.
My favorites are March and December...
I think those mice have stolen all our hearts! 😍
I adored Mr. B.'s card. Christmas lives in the magic of children's hearts... which we should never lose.
If I don't have a chance to stop by before Wednesday, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and some wonderful days with your family.
Hugs from Seville
Les ornements que je préfère sont Janvier, Mars, Avril, Mai, Juillet, Octobre, Novembre et Décembre. Autant dire presque tous...
ReplyDeleteMerci Carol pour ce charmant défilé.
Noël approchant nous avons tous des choses à faire même lorsque l'on se dit ça y est tout est complet... Comme vous j'attends d'être avec toute ma famille et surtout voir la joie sur le visage de mes petites-filles.
Monsieur B a fait une adorable carte.
Amitiés de France.
I really like Believe and could see it being made with so many different fabric colours. My second choice would be the January ornament. Thank you for sharing your ornaments, it’s always my favourite post of the year. Happy Christmas. X
ReplyDeleteWhaat?! You expect me to narrow it down to my favorite? I love them all!!!
ReplyDeleteBut just to play along….
All the Santas with their long coats and pointy hats are cute.
Santa has a canoe? (June)
As mentioned in another of your recent blog posts, I like the black fabric. The designs really “pop” agains that dark background. The red fabric is really nice, too!
But then, dark tan fabric looks antique and I like that.
The skinny legs of The Carol Singers in August are so cute!
Mister B has made a wonderful card for you!
Merry Christmas! Thank you for the cross stitch parade!!
Carol, as you can guess, my favorite is a Prairie Schooler! I pulled out my old 2013 issue of Just Cross Stitch and I will be stitching the Christmas Tree! I also planned to stitch the a few others from your 2025 stitches! You always inspire me with your annual picks! Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteCarol, Your parade is inspiring as ever!!! It's difficult to pick a favorite as they are all wonderful, so I'm not even going to try. LOL Your little note from Mr B is a keeper!!!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is Erin Elizabeth's March ornament! For me, Christmas is about family, and then a little rest before starting the new year.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful ornament parade. I cannot choose a favorite. I did see your post on IG but just had the opportunity to visit today. I may just join your ornament SAL next year. I have a ton of PS charts that I'd love to stitch. Happy Holidays, Carol.
ReplyDeleteYour finishing techniques give as much pleasure as your beautiful stitching and choice of designs! You’re a continual inspiration, Girlfriend! 🤩🎄🥳👍🏻 Best, NancyO.
ReplyDeleteOh Carol, Your ornaments for this year are as beautiful as ever.
ReplyDeleteThere are a few that stick out for me. I love the way the finished the little Prairie Schooler mini card abd ‘Believe’ is just simple and striking but the one that really grabbed me was the carol singers. That one is so cute…..you can almost hear them singing!
Happy Stitching!
Sue
x
Carol…. What a plethora of stitchy goodness!! Everything looks so festive. I cannot pick just one as a favorite, so I will go with two of them As a retired Elementary music teacher, the August ornament of little carolers brought back so many memories. My 2nd favorite is Sept ornament with the 2 little deer. Such a peaceful scene Love the unique triangle finish. Just perfect! ... Merry Christmas to you and your family!
ReplyDeleteForgot to sign it
DeleteJanice Boucher
Merry Christmas! Such pretty ornaments, as always. But to pick ONE I'm going to choose the Joy to the World October ornament. I like it because it is different. I've stitched so many Prairie Schoolers and while wonderful they are similar. I love the way you finish each one. I need to learn those finishing techniques. I always stitch the 3 sides, then stuff, and hand-stitch the bottom. I'd like to learn some of those fancy kinds like you've done them. Have a great Christmas! ---Barb from Wolverine Lake Mich
ReplyDeleteDear Carol,
ReplyDeletewhat a wonderful Christmas Ornament Parade. I love them all, but my favourtie are the Christmas Singers.
A very cute letter from your grandchild.
Have a Merry Christmas and a big Hugs, Manuela
Such an inspirational set of ornaments this year as always. I’m a faithful follower of your blog and brag about you so often to my stitchy group. 3 of us are trying to keep up with the PS Santa’s and I’m going back and stitching the past years that are milestone years for me. Who knows! Maybe I’ll be able to stitch them all before I move on to another life ;-). Thank you for all you share and for creating such an exciting community of stitchers to follow with the 12 in 25 posts. As for my favorite … so hard to choose but I think Santa feeding the geese is my fav! We have a lot of geese in my neighborhood and I love the image that comes into my head when I think about Santa feeding them as he delivers to his goodies in our neck of the woods. Merry Christmas and best wishes always ~ Julie in Montana
ReplyDeleteHi Carol - just like everyone else, I just love seeing all the ornaments you’ve stitched this year! Truly wonderful!! It is impossible to choose a “favorite” - each one is so special! I think you’ve posted 16 years of stitched ornaments over the years which is an incredible number of handmade ornaments!! Do you hang them all on one tree? or on a couple of trees? I’m in awe!!!
ReplyDeleteI love the Christmas note Mr. B sent you looking forward to their Christmas visit.
My very best wishes to you and your family for a very happy, joyous and loving holiday.
🎄🎄Barb R.
Your parade is fabulous. How to choose a favourite? I think mine is January's. So grateful that you keep your blog going. I'm not on social media so blogs are such a blessing. I've stitched 12 ornaments this year and hope to continue next year perhaps keeping some for myself this time.
ReplyDeleteHappy holidays to you and your family and all the very best in 2026. Sis in Denmark
Piękne te haftowane cudeńka, podziwiam Twoją pracę.
ReplyDeleteOh I love Mr. B’s card!! I love February and December ornaments! But they are lovelyq!!
ReplyDeleteI always love seeing your beautiful parade of ornaments. You always choose such lovely designs and your stitching and finishing is beautiful. I'm not sure I can choose a favorite, although I do love "Believe" and "Plum Pudding". What a sweet card from your grandson! Christmas will be so fun with both of your precious grandsons and the rest of your family.
ReplyDeleteMary
I do love your handmade ornaments, and you are such an inspiration! My favourite though is the ErinElizabeth “Believe”. In New Zealand we have had a beautiful lead up to Christmas with some beautiful warm weather, and people are swimming in the bay where I live, however this year we have swapped a summer Christmas for Christmas in Minnesota with my son and his family! Quite a big difference in temperature….
ReplyDeleteThank you Carol for a wonderful parade of ornaments. I have scrolled through numerous times and I am unable to choose a favorite. I love them all! Your stitching is beautiful and you finishing is so creative. Holidays can be difficult when are plans are altered by illness. I wish you and your family a healthy and happy holiday and new year. Alicia
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