Christmas Stockings

I have always loved the holidays. The music, the joy, the traditions. Now, with a 4-year-old, it has become even more magical - to see it all again as a child...it just gives me the warm fuzzies!

This year, I got to do something extra special. We have family stockings that date back generations - my dad’s was made by his grandmother (and for his sake, I won’t tell you the year 😏). As a kid, I loved looking at our stockings hung on the mantle, and taking in the subtle differences between them. The placement of the applique pieces, the variation in colors, the slight difference in the stitching. They were all made at different times and I loved how they all told their own little story. 

This year, my mom and I finally got around to making stockings for my own family, and I got to learn all about the different aspects of them and how to do some hand sewing that I have never done before. The work was very meditative, and I had the opportunity to laugh a lot - sometimes the needle just didn’t fit through the beads, or I would stitch backwards or poke myself. In addition to entertaining me, it made me appreciate these stockings that much more. I realized how much time and love went into mine and I felt reconnected with my own grandmother in a small way. 

The best part of all was when I found my son staring up at the finished stockings hanging on our mantle in wonder. I asked him what he thought about them, and his reply was “I just love them SO much.” And that’s when I knew the effort was worth it, and not just for me. Our family stockings aren’t big, they aren’t fancy or high tech, but they have been loved for generations and will continue to be loved now and in the future.