Today’s giveaway is one near and dear to my heart. You see, we have this thing about stockings in our family. Many, many moons ago, my grandmother knit Christmas stockings for me and my one older cousin. As more cousins were added to the clan, she either knit another matching stocking or enlisted someone to knit it for her. When Fish and I were dating and I realized he was THE ONE, I asked my aunt to commission a stocking for him as his Christmas gift.
When Granny passed away in 2001, it seemed that the next generation would have a hard time acquiring handknit stockings to match the rest of the family. That is when my mother, Nanna, around these here parts, resurrected her knitting skills and we scoured knitting stores and websites for patterns. The pattern of this 70s type stocking is practically impossible to find. Believe me. And eight years ago, all the moreso. Knitting hadn’t become the cool trend it is today.
In fact, so desperate was my mother for more patterns to go with this theme of stocking, we even hunted down (figuratively speaking, of course) a family featured in Bon Appetit magazine. In the background of their Christmas shot were stockings just like ours. Yeah, we called and left a message. And they still haven’t called us back.
Not to be deterred, my mother has acquired a fair number of vintage patterns as well as created some new ones of her own. She has made everyone in our family a unique stocking. She doesn’t have a stocking business or anything; she does it for the love of an heirloom keepsake. Last year she designed this Christmas tree stocking.
What I love about this pattern is that it serves as a memory keeper of your child’s growth. Sure, it’s a blank tree right now, but each year you can sew on different buttons or charms to match the things your child was interested in that year. Imagine this tree “decorated” with baseballs, rubber duckies, hearts, pokemon, whatever.
For today’s giveaway, two winners will each receive one stocking.
To enter: simply share your favorite thing about Christmas in the comments section of this post. Winners will be chosen at random and announced early next week. Entries will be accepted until 8 pm PST on Saturday, August 1st.
Make sure to leave an email address in your comment!
{ 45 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh my goodness, where to begin! I love Christmas & have revelled in the chance to create our own family traditions since having my own children. The children make a special tree decoration each year usually when we have "Christmas Craft Day" which is an open house event at our home for all the small people we know. Over 11 years & 3 children we've started to build quite a collection which have travelled with us from UK to Asia & back again. As we upwrap each one we chat about the time we made the Reindeers, or the toilet roll Christmas trees etc etc.
There are many more family traditions for us over the Christmas period but this is the one I'm most proud of. As the years pass I know the decorations my kids have made will always bring me happiness & joy.
I love your stocking story – the perfect family tradition! x
(Email victorialeather at gmail dot com)
Love taking our annual Christmas photo in front of the fireplace on Christmas Eve…. wrangling my husband and our two Bassett Hounds is memorable!!
Michele
michelebogs@yahoo.com
What an awesome story!
My favorite part of Christmas is the traditions and seeing family members that are scattered throughout the country.
I really enjoy celebrating Christ's birth, but as for activities, I LOVE all the baking we do. I set aside extra money in the budget for an extra special time.
I loved reading your Christmas story! I adore the holiday season and we love all the hussle and bustle about; but our favorite time is when we all gather at the Studebaker Mansion for Yule breakfast! It's lovely & costly (yet, another reminder to start tucking back a bit of $$ here and there!!) The kids know we go on the Solstice or that weekend. We dress up, visit Santa, wonder about the grounds and in the house. We don't give it up for nothing! It's our tradition!! And I am so very grateful for it!
Thanks for hosting this wonderful giveaway!
My email: mrskfmartin@yahoo.com
Pictures of my home for sale (as my URL!!)..moving is stressful, so glad I can "visit" other Mama's online!!
My favorites are Thanksgiving night getting our Christmas tree and decorating it, listening to our favorite Christmas CD and drinking russian tea. Nothing better!
Oh without a doubt my favorite thing is a well done Christmas Eve Worship Service with candlelight, lots of greenery, and a whole bunch of Christmas Carols. The more Christmas carols the better in my book!
I have the same Santa stocking made by my mom when I was born and I love it! She also made them for my kids and all the cousins – how great to see those stockings hanging by another fireplace.
-K
eeksrusch@yahoo.com
We have so many Christmas traditions that I don't which to choose. But, I'll go with our Christmas dinner of homemade pizza! It is red and green when peppers are added. And its simplicity allows for plenty of time to enjoy one another.
I loved your post… caught my eye because we are actually doing "Christmas in July" this week with our 6 kids. We have a day all planned with decorating our vehicle, wearing Santa beards while going "yard saling" as a fam, listening to Christmas music in the car, having cookies and hot chocolate when we get back.. then have our gift exchange game. The kids are pumped about it. It's been so hot…and it was something that we all love so much. The thing I love the most about Christmas is getting to express love by giving gifts to each other and watching the kids give each other gifts that they've either saved up for or made themselves. The looks on their faces are precious!
(my email is jenjenburns@gmail.com)
Too many traditions that I love. BUT my favorite items are the things my Grandma made for me. She made a quilted tree skirt for every female in our family in 1984. I still use that tree skirt every year. I will never change my 'colors' from red and green because of that skirt. She passed away in 2006. Loved that lady so much.
Christmas is my favorite holiday and it is hard to pick one thing about it. I guess it would have to be that the family is all together and we get to share in many wonderful traditions each year.
I, too, have a hand knit stocking from a relative and I wish my boys could have one but I haven't been able to find any. Thanks for a great giveaway as this is something I would love to have.
My favorite thing about Christmas is family. Spending time with family.
I would love to win this. I think a similar giveaway on your site was my first entry last summer when I started hanging out in the Blogosphere.
Christmas is my favorite time of year. I love putting up the tree and having time with just our family before all the extended family is there.
Hastymel@aol.com
My favorite thing about Christmas is giving gifts-I love to find the perfect gift for those I love and decorate them in beautiful wrapping, bows and attach a pretty handmade card! I get excited just thinking about it
I love christmas. I'm all about finding fun gifts for those I love so it's great to see what they think in the end. I have to admit, opening your own gifts IS rather fun too but I do love shopping/making things for others.
I love the cookies and the music and the weather and being with my family.
-Lauren
lauren51990 AT aol DOT com
My favorite thing about Chrismtas is that we get to see my husband's side of our family at our house. During the rest of the year, we have to go to them. But at Christmas, they usually make the journey here.
What a wonderful story! I would love to win one of these for my youngest son. My oldest son had a stocking made for him for his first Christmas. A lady near and dear to my heart had it made for him for Christmas. She has sinced passed away and I have not been able to find anyone who makes these. I don't know who she even had make the stocking for my oldest. It would be awesome for them each to have a handmade stocking.
My favourite thing about Christmas is the excitment that builds up the closer Christmas gets, the exicitment has started extra early this year with letters to Santa being written this week! I also have loved watching how the letters change each year, this year's is gold – "please Santa" after each request & also asking for gifts for her baby sister.
We also have Christmas stocking traditions & up until I had my 2nd child my mum still did a stocking for me every year & I'm 33!
We to get together with our large family in the evening of Christmas. We snack, talk about our lives and sing (terribly!). My e[mail is sidelinemoney {at} yahoo.com
Thanks for the giveaway. The stockings are beautiful.
My favorite part of Christmas is when we find and attend a Bethlehem Experience. They have many different names, but basically a church will take either their own building or a building or 2 or 3 at the fairgrounds and turn it into old Bethlehem with activities such as signing the census register, bartering for food (we've sampled figs, dates, fresh bread, etc.), making dreidels, candles, ornaments, interacting with townspeople asking if we have heard about "That Baby," and, of course, findings Baby Jesus out in the stable. Everything else, the gifts, the cookies, the decorations, is fun, but this one night really reminds us why we celebrate this special holiday. Thanks for a beautiful giveaway, and please thank your mother for all of us too!
Beautiful stocking. I like the idea of attaching items that have meaning that year. We do the same thing with a tree ornament. Every year we add one that has special meaning for my daughter that year. My favorite tradition is mommy/daughter baking day.
My favorite part of Christmas is getting together and sharing a meal. There are certain things that we didn't eat any other time of the year, except Christmas. Also, I love sitting around the table with family and hearing all the different conversations, laughter and memories of Christmases past.
I love the quiet moments amid all the hustle and bustle of the season – when we sit by the light of the Christmas tree with music playing and share a special treat, like sparkling cider.
orangetriangle2 AT yahoo DOT com
I love making plates of cookies for friends and my husband's co-workers. My grandma used to make hundreds of cookies every Christmas for EVERYONE she knew.
I love how my boys remind me of the true meaning of Christmas, usually without even trying!
My favorite thing about Christmas is having all my family (7 bros. and sisters) together and the laughs we share as we "do life" in preparation for Christmas Day. Just sitting around cooking or playing "RISK" and having a good time together. There weren't a lot of those moments growing up (5 boys, 2 girls), but now that we're all "adults"
we get along so well and it's just a blast! thanks for the giveaway- the stockings are BEAUTIFUL!
Carole
duckbooks at peoplepc dot com
Celebrating the birth of Jesus is the best thing ever. Then it would be the candy making. mmmm
Marj
22eagles@rtconnect.net
I love everything about Christmas! Especially all of the family traditions my parents did each year, like reading the story of Christ's birth before we were allowed to open any presents, and having Mexican food for our big meal each year because my brother didn't like turkey or ham. I also look forward to creating my own family traditions now that my husband and I have a daughter!
Dawn
davenports@gmail.com
My favorite thing about Christmas is putting up my tree. I always try my best to have a gawdy tree. The more elaborate, the better.
I'm partial to the traditions that came about spontaneously but have become an annual part of the Hewson Family Christmas. The boys and I snuggle up and look over the tree carefully and play I Spy. We have a Where's Waldo ornament that I move every night and the boys look for him every morning. It's little things like this that we look forward to.
I love watching my husband and son get into the Christmas carols…but I would be remiss if I answered anything other than "celebrating the birth of Christ!" as the very best part of Christmas. Thanks for the opportunity! kitchenstew at gmail dot com
Being With Those You Love At Christmas
ashleyconaway2008@gmail.com
I just love sneaking out and putting all of the kids' presents under the tree while they sleep.
nicole_melnick at yahoo dot com
I just started knitting and LOVE this stocking!
Love going to get the tree, love putting up the nativity set, love baking with the kiddos, but the most special is being together for another Christmas…it is about our loved ones….
christina.symonds@inter-aero.com
I would have to say my favorite thing about christmas when i was little would be waking up really early and opening presents only to go back to sleep and then wake up to the great smells of the kitchen!!!
and now i cant wait to have favorite things about chrsitmas with my little one this will be her 1st christmas, she will be 6 months old!!!
ashleyrreed29@aol.com
being with family
Food and family.
Being with family, and going to see the Lights Displays.
My favorite thing about Christmas is the joy. Given, received and spread.
My favorite thing is goingto church on Christmas Eve, then seeing the Christmas light displays around our town.
retrodeb@hotmail.com
These are darling! My favourite thing at Christmas is celebrating Christmas Eve with my children. We go to church, drive to look at the lights on the way home, drink hot chocolate and open just one gift each. It's so peaceful, and everyone is happy and together.
)
Email: stuart434 AT shaw DOT ca
I love seeing my son's face when all the decorations come out and listening to him sing christmas songs.
lifeofkaos at gmail dot com
My favorite part of Christmas used to be a little gold filagee ball that you plugged up and it sang like a bird. To me that was when the Christmas season began but someone destroyed all my Christmas stuff about 12 years ago and I haven't ever found another one.
{ 1 trackback }