Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - December 9 - Christmas Crafts

I have created my share of Christmas crafts. As the kids got older and I started working full-time, those hours that I used to spend creating were used in more mundane tasks. To be honest, one of the things I am looking forward to in retirement, is to be able to use my hands more creatively.

But I still enjoys the crafts of Christmas past. I loved making ornaments and many were made as gifts. However, I managed to keep a few over the years and these are some that were created 20, 30 and more years ago.

"Quilted Ornament"

The ornaments at left are two of 24 cross-stitched ornaments that I made for my in-laws. There are 24 different Christian symbols and meaning of each is written on the back. The ornaments have come back to me and hang proudly on my tree. I always think of my mother- and father-in-law when I hang these ornaments.

The ornament at right is a "quilted" ball made from a styrofoam ball. I must have made hundreds of these. It's made by pushing the edges of small scraps of cloth into the 2 ½" to 3" ball with a seam ripper. They are rather quick when you get the hang of it and can be made in any color scheme.

The candles at left are some of my favorites. Fabric circles are created by taking larger circles (about 2"), stitching along the outside border and pulling the stitching taut to form a smaller circle. These are then stacked on a large button to serve as the base (about 1 to 1 ¼" in diameter). The circles are sewed to the button and topped with a yellow felt flame (2 pieces glued together). Very easy, and I love the color that the flame adds to the tree.

For several years I met with a group of women on Monday nights for a gathering we called "Stitch and Bitch." We drank coffee, created crafts and talked. It was a wonderful outing for like-minded women. Every year we hand-created gifts for one another. A favorite of mine is the cross-stitched mini-log carrier. The design is very simple, small wooden dowels make the handles, and cinnamon sticks serve as logs. This is personalized on the back with our name and the year, "1989."

I love decorating the tree and finding these ornaments among all the rest. I'm looking forward to having the time to create some new ornaments for my tree. In fact, I've already been collecting fabric and other materials. Soon I will be retired and maybe I will even be able to share the fun with my grandchildren.

"The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACM) allows you to share your family’s holiday history twenty-four different ways during December! Learn more at http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com.”

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - December 1 - Christmas Trees

In the Tenney household, when the Christmas tree is fully decorated, the season begins in ernest. I like to put it up early as a reminder of all things Christmas. Not only does it get me "in the mood," but it's a reminder of things I want to get accomplished (like decorating, baking, shopping and wrapping). And it is also a reminder of the reason for the season itself.

The tree is tall, over 9 feet, and is an artificial tree due to allergies. Although I love real trees, it's nice to be able to put the tree up early and leave it up past Christmas without worrying about watering or messy needles.

I take my time trimming the tree now that the kids have grown. The first night consists of just setting up the tree. It takes a couple of hours as it's in many pieces and requires a ladder for reaching the top. There are usually old Christmas movies playing on TV as I am trimming the tree.

I put the lights on the tree the second night. This tree is almost 20 years old and so isn't one of the pre-lit trees. Instead, I use 1500 LED multi-color lights and weave them in and out of the branches. 

From our 1984 trip to China

The third (and sometimes fourth) night is for adding the ornaments and other decorations. This can take a long time as there are 400+ ornaments and many of the decorations spark conversations. My husband isn't excited about helping to trim the tree but he does like to talk about the wonderful memories that the decorations evoke.

Our trip to Switzerland

Several of the ornaments are from trips that my husband and I have been very fortunate to be able to take part in. The trips were awards for sales and with a young family, we weren't always able to spend a lot on souvenirs. But Christmas  ornaments and decorations were within our budget and decades later are wonderful reminders of some amazing travels.

1977

There are many, many pictures that decorate the tree. Some photos are part of an ornament but most are just photos in light-weight frames that I just prop up on the tree branches. Several are photos with Santa Claus from decades ago. The photo at left is one such example and is one of my favorites. From 1977, it is my daughter's first visit to Santa. She was a little squirmy at first, but then settled down and even smiled for the photo. Imagine my surprise, when I picked her up to set her in her stroller and found she had utterly exploded in her diaper and had made a terrible mess of her clothes. I can only imagine what she did to Santa's suit! No wonder Santa doesn't look as happy as Sarah does. She is probably forever on his naughty list. (Sorry, Sarah, I had to tell the story.)

Some of my favorite ornaments are no longer hang in on our tree. When the children were little, we would go to the mall and pick out ornaments each year and have them engraved with their name and the year. Each child was given their ornaments to hang on their own family tree.

Many of the ornaments are homemade. One year, in the late 1970's, I made 24 cross-stitched ornaments as a gift for my mother- and father-in-law. They were simple patterns of Christian symbols and the meaning of each was written on the back. My in-laws have both passed on and now those ornaments hang on our tree. It is a wonderful reminder of those family members who are no longer with us.

Cross-stiched log carrier
with cinnamon stick logs

When we moved to our new house in 1980, I wanted our tree to be fully decorated with new ornaments. But, again, our young family and finances prevented me from purchasing fancy ornaments. So I spent the summer and fall creating several dozen ornaments of many styles. Only a few survive, as many were given away over the years. But those that do survive are treasured.

When I think about it, I am sure that I could put up the tree, string all the lights, and hang all the decorations in one day. But stretching it out over a few days gives me extra time to reminisce and hold those memories close, if only for a few moments.

These are just a few samples of the ornaments from my tree. There are hundreds more and many have wonderful memories attached. Each year, a few ornaments are added. Some, sadly, are broken and have to be put away. But the memories of Christmases past and the family members who are no longer with us, shine brightly each year every time I look at the tree.

"The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACM) allows you to share your family’s holiday history twenty-four different ways during December! Learn more at http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com.”