To be eligible, you will need to make a comment under this post and tell me what your favorite Christmas memory is. If that doesn't put you in the mood my friends, nothing will. You may comment under this post until midnight EST on July 15, 2008. On July 16, one lucky person will have a brand spanking new Christmas stocking to call their very own.
As a child, my parents would throw yearly Christmas parties with relatives and close neighbors invited. There would be Christmas music, tons of food, dancing, decorations, party games, Santa Claus, everything that you would expect at a really cool holiday wingding.
I remember potatoes scattered on the dance floor in honor of the dance called the Mashed Potato. Then we would do the Limbo under the limbo stick and then everyone at the party would form a long train and do the Bunny Hop all around the patio. This was the 60's, folks, and what can I say other than we knew how to party! ROFLMAO!!
My parents didn't throw a lot of parties but they sure knew how to throw a holiday bash. It was the topic of conversation in the neighborhood for months after. In fact, when I ran into an old neighbor several years ago, he began reminiscing about those parties. It was then that I realized that these weren't only my memories, but the shared memories of many.
Have a good day!
Aloha!
54 comments:
Fabulous stocking, Lettie -- and a great giveaway!
My favourite Christmas memory -- my parents and aunt and uncle used to throw a Christmas Eve party that was fantastic. There would be tons and tons of people who would come, amazing food and incredible baked goods -- baked by my mother and my aunt. My aunt was the cake baker and my mother the pie and pastry maker. Those Christmas Eve parties were a "must" for the adults' friends and the children were allowed to stay up late and, of course, munch on the goodies!
Our Christmases were similure to your's. We would have about 30 people. My mother and father did all the cooking. My father would make 20 pies from scatch. 3 would be banana cream pies, his brother would eat a whole one. Even though we have all grown and my parents are gone I still have Christmas and I do most of the cooking.
Janie
Lettie, I just LOVE your creations! I was at a fabric store today and saw a display of polka dot fabric and thought of you!
I think my favorite Christmas memory was just a few years ago. I volunteered to help deliver food baskets for the local food pantry a few days before Christmas. I spent a day meeting people who had nothing for Christmas but what I carried in to their house. Since then, I make an effort to donate whatever I can to either the food pantry or a family that I know needs a little Christmas cheer. That day really made me appreciate what I have even more.
Your stocking is so beautiful!
My favorite Christmas memory is a happy and sad one. My dad passed two days before Christmas in '98 but we held our traditional Christmas vigil on Christmas Eve. We ate fish and homemade pierogi and my brothers, sisters, and uncle, bet my then 15-yr-old fish hating daughter $20 a piece to eat a piece of herring and she did it, much to their surprise. Later that evening, when exchanging gifts, my mother handed my two sisters and I our gifts from our father - cameo earrings. It was the first time he had ever done anything like that. We never realized the importance of family more than on that night.
Hi Lettie,
I love your stocking, and yes we all need to be thinking of Christmas if you are going to create.
My family seems so much like yours, which I miss a lot. We would have the bigest Christmas Dinner on Christmas eve with all the Aunts and Uncles, Cousins, you name it. Mom and Dad would even ask a stranger if they were hungry and had no where to go. You never knew who would be there. The memories are so strong at Christmas you just know they are with you.
Love your blog.
Bonnie
My favorite christmas memory must be when we walked over to my grandmothers house to celebrate christmas eve. It was dark, very very cold, the stars was shining. And I could see the christmas tree through my GM window. And I knew it was going to be so nice. And of course I knew "nissen" (the norwegian santa) was living in the barn we passed, and I was looking for him. And one time I saw him too LOL
I don't know that this was my favourite Christmas, but it was certainly the most memorable. I was in Jamaica on Voluntary Service Overseas, and it was my first Christmas away from my family. I knew I was going to miss them a lot. Among my presents from home was a cassette tape (yes, it was nearly 40 years ago!) with Christmas messages from the whole family and an antique copy of A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. My father and I had read this book together every Christmas since I was a child, and I've continued to read that little book every year since, remembering my father every time. That year some friends and I had curried goat for dinner, sitting in the sunshine. Not the Christmas I was used to!
I don't know that I have one favorite Christmas memory. I love Christmas. I remember when I was little we didn't have much, but we would always get a present from Santa. I could hardly sleep on Christmas eve in anticipation of what might be waiting under the tree on Christmas morning. It still makes me smile when I think back.
Growing up when I was little, we would have Christmas Eve at my Uncle's house with all my cousins and Aunts and Uncles. It was crazy fun, with lots of food and games. My dad and brother (he was twelve years older than me) would sneak back home and put out the presents. The story was always the same "Santa had so many stops we were early on his list." I remembering one of my cousins telling me about the cover-up but I didn't let on for a few years!! Fun!! I always remembered my mom and dads face when I would walk in and see the presents. What a great Santa and helper. Thanks for the great giveaway!
Arlette,
The stocking, like everything you make, is just precious! What a cool prize. Would love to win it. My favorite Christmas memory is about a gift from my mother when I was a very young girl. As a farm family, we had very little in the way of material things, but we had a good father and the worlds best mom. The gift was a small, pink tin trunk. When sat on end, it opened up and on each side was a bar for hanging clothes. There were little hangers and on each one was a beautiful dress for my doll, probably a dozen of them. She had made them on an old treadle singer machine. Little money involved, but to this day I have never recieved a gift that was better loved. Mom and Dad are both gone now. I wish I could have them back for one more day so I could tell them "Thank You" for the memory. Well, Arlette, I hope you are happy. Walking down memory lane has made me cry! But they are good tears...just a bit sad. I didn't mean to write a book. Sorry about that, but you asked for it.
TTFN......Lilly
My favorite Christmas memories are midnight mass. It was the only time as a child that we got to stay up really late. The service was so beautiful with all the lit candles, the manger scene in place on the altar and the greenery placed everywhere. We knew that once mass was over with, we would go home to our snuggly beds and await morning to see what Santa brought for us. The stockings we hung were nothing compared to your beautiful stocking! I love it!!
I don't know if I have one particular favorite Christmas memory--there are lots.
I do remember, as a teenager, with Daddy being a steelworker and subject to lay-offs, we were grateful for what we got--like one year when I received a brand new record player, a pink one, when others were getting far fancier systems than I.
It didn't matter, because it was nicer than anything I'd had, and I loved saving my allowance to walk down to the little neighborhood store and buy a 45 record of Ricky Nelson. Later I was able to borrow albums from friends occasionally and play them over and over and over til I learned the words or til Mother couldn't take it anymore. I do believe I wore that record player out.
Thanks for reminding me of a memory I had not thought about in years!
Hello. What a great idea.My favorite memory happen about 25 years ago. We where going to spend Christmas evening at my parents cabin far out in the woods where I live. We had to drive the car on a small road through the woods, and to ski the last few meters to the cabbin. It was cold, lots of snow and a dark sky with lots of stars.
In the cabbin the christmas tree was ligthed with stearin candles.
It looks just like I imagine it would had been in "the good old days".I don't remember any present or somthing else, but love to think about the warm great loving feeling when we arrived.;-)
Cute cute stocking... my birthday is on dec 26th so a lot ( well all )of my memories are tied up with that... my most vivid xmas day memory is when I was about 9 & I got the most beautiful Silver Cross Dolls pram which must of cost a fortune I was so upset as I had asked for a garage with a lift to get the cars up to the roof level !!! I didn't understand how santa got it soooooo wrong...I have a photo to prove it the dissapointment on my face is comical :)
My most memorable Christmas was just a few years ago. My inlaws came for Christmas Day as they always do. It began to snow early in the day and the snow got heavy very quickly. It was so bad that a few of our friends and neighbors could not get out to get to their relatives for the day - so we invited them to our house. They brought whatever food they were bringing to where they were supposed to go so we had a hodgepodge of food but we had the most wonderful time being snowed in!
What a beautiful cheerful stocking!! I love it. I would be tempted to hang it up year round...do you think Santa would like that and keep filling it?
And your little Annie ornament is so sweet. I never had a Raggedy Ann doll but my daughter, Kari, did, and she loved her. To pieces!
My favorite christmas memory was doing the 12 days of Christmas on an unexpecting neighbor. As kids we always picked the most difficult neighbor to be sneaky with and would leave gifts in honor of the 12 Days of Christmas song. My mother would compile wonderful poems to fit the items we left in secrecy. It was so much fun I have continued the tradition with my own children
I have to laugh at my favorite memory. I was always the one up early (3AM yikes!). I now have two grown sons, but when they were around 6-7 years old I bought a train set for around the tree. They had wanted one forever... So, here I sit Christmas morning waiting for them to get up, 5AM, 6AM... nothing... so I start the train, whistle going, chug-a-chug, nothing... 7:30-8AM I am sitting in the livingroom - with my fourth cup of coffee - saying (very loud) "ho ho ho" to try to get them up. Silly mom. I could have had all of my dinner prepped in the time I waited for them to get out of bed!!!
The stocking is just darling... I love the pins too!!! Great idea!
My best Christmas memory is when Santa brought my daughter a bicycle. We didn't have a fireplace so my father in law took the bike and putit on the front porch and rang the doorbell. My daughter ignored it opening her other packages. He kept ringing and ringing and finally she decided to see what was going on. the original plan was for him to ring it and run but he got so into ringing the bell that he was still there when she opened the door! I am not sure who was more surprised!
My favorite memory of Christmas is when we woke up and found a string with a note telling me & my sisters to follow the string and at the end was a little motorcycle! I would love to be in your giveaway!
Last year my daughters dog broke both of her front legs. My DD told us to take back all her gifts to pay for the surgery. She told everyone that she wasn't getting anything for Christmas except a lesson about sacrificing for others, just like Jesus did. Christmas morning she was brave and expected nothing. Of course Santa brought her special gifts because of her good heart and sacrifice! Merry Christmas in July!!
Hi Lettie!
My favorite Chirstmas memory was last year when my baby (who was one years old at the time) pointed at Santa and said "Ho-Ho-Ho"!
I love the stocking!
Hi,
I really love your site and great ideas. I managed to make a flower last week, which my daughter took straight into the playroom!
While I love the Christmas traditions, I'm afraid my very best one was in Disney, Florida!! It was really out of character, but I was having a terrible time with miscarriages, family issues and the sad death of a student I taught. So My husband and I hoped on a plane to Florida and, both aged 30, had our first Disney experience on Christmas day. It was magic all day long, real escapism and just what we needed at the time.
Generally though, I'm log fires, the cathedral, and lovely food.
Fran x
When I think of Christmases from my childhood, I remember dad plugging in the tree lights while we all held our breath, hoping that they would light up and start to flash. Apparently they couldn't get more of the specialty bulbs for the strings, so if they didn't work, we weren't having lights! Every year they turned on, and we were happy :)
As an adult, I had 3 special Christmases in a row - in '88 I was pregnant with #1, in '89 I had an 11 month old and was pregnant with #2, and in '90 I had both of my sons - that's a memory that still gives me goosebumps :)
I remember loving Christmas as a child - all of our extended family traveled to my grandparents' farm. Mom-Mom was a wonderful cook and I loved her fruitcake and beaten biscuits. I never appreciated all the preparation that preceded this holiday but I still think of the happy times we had, just being together.
Ok.. I forgot to leave my favorite Christmas memory... I have two memories from my childhood.
The first one was we had an above ground pool and it got so cold (we lived just north of Houston, TX at the time) it had about 3" of ice on the top of it. My sisters and I were joking that we should go "ice skating" in the pool. Dad must have thought we were serious, because he took a sledgehammer to the ice in the pool so we wouldn't do it.
The second Christmas memory was basically just the opposite in weather; it was very hot - we were in shorts and t-shirts for Christmas day. Santa, however, brought us big winter coats. We got such a laugh out of it.
One last quick memory. This past year, our first in Hawaii, I enjoyed being able to watch my kids swim in a pool on Christmas day!!
You have always sutch great creations .
I do like christmas and that is actually the only day that i want everybody at home ( other days to but this is a special one :) ) . 2 years ago the kids where invited to friends to go on holdiay with them and the kis asked if they coud go . They really wanted .But i have mis them . So my best christmas memory was last year when they are all home her with me .
Wihtout a doubt, my favorite holiday memory is the first one with our daughter. We adopted Heather when she was 8. That year, I got to see Christmas through the eyes of a child again. We started our own traditions that we still hold dear 12 years later. And I know she will carry one when she has children. I teared up just in the typing of it. :o) Thank you for bringing this to my mind and for sharing your talents with us.
My favourite Christmas that I will remember forever is Christmas 2004 when after 10 years of being certain my son and daughter in law couldn't have children they announced on Christmas morning they had just found out that THEY were pregnant. It was like a miracle, I spent nearly all day crying, with joy. Now my grandson Thomas runs around not knowing just how special he is to all of us, especially me.
My favorite Christmas memory is the first Christmas after my husband left me. I was struggling financially, no child support, and I was really worried my two kids would be disappointed with what I could afford to get them. We decorated every inch of the living room with decorations we made ourselves and I trolled the dollar stores for gifts. I was able to find a few other toys they wanted on sale. Christmas morning, when they ran to the living room, and their eyes got big and they grinned I knew everything was going to be okay. They were just as happy as if I had spent a million on them, and I felt like a million.
My best Christmas memory is Mom dressing up as Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. For a few years as a child I actually believed it was Santa but as I got older I got suspicious. I even sat on her lap telling her what I wanted for Christmas morning the next day.(Of course I thought it was a HE) The year her beard fell off I knew it was Mom. Love the stocking
Judy
Beautiful stocking! My Christmases as a kid were usually full of the tension that comes from a disfunctional family forced to spend time together :)
Since leaving home I've been making new Christmas memories, living in the southern hemisphere I'm yet to do a 'real' Christmas with snow and stuff.
My best Christmas memory is the Christmas I spent in China.I was living and working with some other ex-pats and we gave ourselves a Y10 limit and had to come up with something meaningful and reflective of each person's time in China. I still have the Christmas stocking that our bosses wife made all of us and some of the gifts.
Last Christmas was pretty special too as we celebrated it with our long awaited daughter who was 11 weeks old.
My favorite childhood Christmas memory is spending it with my extended family that included 21 cousins, 6 each aunts and uncles and my grandparents.
We would celebrate with lots of food, games and gifts, all in a 2 bedroom farm house with just 1 bathroom.
We had a great time!
okay, I got here from the post with the tree skirt - I love that tree skirt, its so cute and country Christmassy!
(I'm also liking that stocking, my dd is a polka dot fan!)
Mmm, favourite Christmas memory.....well it wasn't the best thing to happen at the time but now I look back and smile, it was Christmas morning and I got up earlier than my parents expected (I guess I would have been about 5yrs) and there's my Mum helping my Dad get her red raincoat on and her black gumboots with a cotton wool beard........LOL, and they thought they could fool me!
Oh my o' my .......you're still adding surprises. That's also another good memory about christmas. The joy of giving something away. The secrets. The joy of making homemde gifts to everyone And then see the happy faces when they open their gifts.
Oh your yo-yo doll reminds me of the Christmas I got my little Thumbelina doll. I took her everywhere. I even tried to take her to school after our time off ended. The Sisters told me school was for learnin' not playin'! Now that I'm a grown up I play whenever I want with all my grown-up toys like: my sewing machine, my computer, my fabrics, my drawers and drawers full of fibers and patterns, needles and pins and on and on! We can't ever have enough stash. How did you make that Christmas flower? Was the red and white fabric one piece or two? I love it! I love all your stuff! Shirlee
What beautiful things for a give away!
My favorite Christmas memory was when I was about 7 years old, in 1968, and we had a family Christmas party in our newly finished basement on Christmas Eve. We heard the doorbell ring upstairs and my great aunt went up to answer. When she came down Santa Claus was with her! He went around speaking with all the kids and took some refreshments, handed out our gifts said ho, ho, ho and left. The next morning, Christmas morning, my great aunt turned to my mom and said "What a great idea having Santa come to the party". My mom looked bewildered and said "I didn't have him come, I thought you did!". Mom called all our family and no one claimed to have sent Santa to our party! To this day that is a mystery! I believe it was the real Santa!
Blessings
Linda
I've been a lurker to your site for a while now! I love seeing the beautiful items you create.
My favorite Christmas memory is from my childhood. I was so excited about Christmas being the next day that I went to bed extremely early on Christmas even, probably 7:30 or 8:00. I was up and ready to go very early the next day . . . maybe 4:00? It was pitch black outside. I woke up my brother and sister and parents. My mom wanted us all to go back to sleep until daylight but my dad said it was time for us to all get up and open presents! We opened presents, had breakfast and all took turns taking naps that afternoon. By far this is my favorite memory!
Kathy
What a great giveaway, you are a very generous person.
I think I have a rather strange Christmas memory.
As a child growing up in England we always had movies that stared Elvis on the tv. I loved his music and I loved his movies. Bit of a strange memory, but there you go, Elvis movies always remind me of Christmas when I was a child.
Actually can I post two memories? As the second has to do with our own two children.
In England we never had the Christmas stocking thing happening. So fast forward to when we move to Canada, and it seems such a traditon to have a CHristmas stocking and let the kids put it on the end of their beds............I have no idea who told me this.
SO fine the kids go to bed, with an empty stocking at the end of their beds. "Santa" manages to fill those stockings without waking the kids. Then around 2am one of the darlings wake up to find their Christmas stocking is full of goodies, and get the other one up and that was it they are wide awake and don't want to go back to sleep.
Meanwhile the adults are bleary eyed all day, by mid afternoon the kids are cranky and everyone is just plain tired.
So after that no stocking's were left on the end of the bed, lesson learned!!
My memory is more of a tradition and it's not a from my childhood, but rather as a parent. We are a military family and live in a new house almost every Christmas. In 23 years, we've only gone "home" for Christmas twice, so early in our kids lives we started little traditions that could be the same no matter where we lived or what country we were in. We ALWAYS have homemade cinnamon rolls for Christmas breakfast. :) That is definitely something that is greatly anticpated. Also, Christmas Eve, we would always have one present for the kids to open, but they had to go on a scavenger hunt for it...we would leave clues and each clue would lead them to the next clue. They loved that game.
Thanks for a fun giveaway and bringing back old memories! :)
That's a great giveaway!
I have many Christmas memories... But year after year, the best part is getting together and prepare all kinds of food and sweets for Christmas day!
My favorite memory is of making crafts with my Mother. We decorated the whole house with homemade items, some beautiful and some just plain silly. She managed to come up with different gems each year.
Hi Lettie,
You know I love all the things you make! I thought I had already left a comment here, but maybe not. You know you get forgetful with age! I love chocolate covered macadamian nuts! Yum Yum! Good luck with all the things you are making for the fair! Let us see what all you have created when you are done!
Have a Blessed Day,
Diane
Oops! Forgot to leave my favorite Christmas memory. I think it would be when my brother, Keith, who was 19 at the time and working at the movie theater in town bought me a bicycle for Christmas! Not many big brother's would do that. Then he and his girl friend had eloped and so he wasn't even there on Christmas morning! But he had left the bike for me anyway. They returned the next day, unmarried, as the girl was under age!
Diane
My most favorite memory of Christmas was a few years back when my younger sister snuck back into our parent's home and stole their two old photo albums. This was our last minute craft collaborations before Christmas, and we put together a safe archive scrapbook for our parents in less than a month. The expressions on their faces were priceless. You see, we were refugee to the US and had left our country with just the clothes on our backs, a few items, and a camera with a roll of film in it.
Also, it's one of the rare few crafts that my sister and I did together. Sweet memories. :-)
I've not posted yet because I couldn't decide on my favorite memory. This is one of my favorites.
We celebrated Christmas with my maternal side of the family on Christmas Eve following our church service and children's program. One year, my mom asked me if I could crochet an afghan for Grandma if she bought the yarn. I was fairly new to crochet, but agreed to try. I will never forget the look on Grandma's face when she opened her gift and saw the afghan. She kept touching it and had tears in her eyes. It really impressed on me how something you make with your hands can touch the heart of the recipient. Your Christmas items are all gorgeous!
I found your site through another blog which mentioned your pincushion tutorial - I think Christmas is always special when there are young children around to see their excitement-it's also about family and gathering together especially extended family members -sharing the stories, preparing food together -I remember listening as Aunt told us stories about when she was growing up-she was a great story teller and she has now written those memories in a book so that I will always have them to read and remember
My fondest Christmas memory was going to church on Christmas Eve and then coming home that night. We always had to stay in the car with mom because "Santa" was still in our house. Dad always had to go check though and he even snuck up on the roof above the garage and made stomping noises so we thought it was the reindeer :)
Thank you for the giveaway!
Thank you to all of you who have entered my giveaway. The giveaway is now closed.
Aloha!
My better recollection of Christmas is the meeting of the whole family, singing Christmas carols and eating Christmas sweets. Already it is not possible to make it, there are absent very dear people who already is not with us, the Christmas already is not the same.
Just found you through Cheryl's blog (Polka dots and ricrac). My favorite memory of Christmas would have to be when I was a little girl. Family (grandparents) good home cooked meal and finish it off with time spent at the beach. Growing up in New Zealand and then moving to Australia, Christmas was always hot. Now that I'm in the US it's quite a different story. I'm waiting to experience my first white Christmas.
My bad, I'm getting older...that's what I get for wanting to subscribe to at least a hundred feeds! Oh well, even if I'm late I'll put in my 2 cents anyway...those two above me don't seem to mind that they're late either.
My favorite xmas memory was when my son was still a baby and I would stick xmas bows all over his head. At that age you could do anything to make them look funny and they never get embarrassed, angry or resentful. Try doing that to a teenager or young adult. They'll either give you stink eye or suggest that you move into an old folks' home. LOL!
This is a bit of a heavy one...
But severl years ago, (w/o going into too many details) my hubby and I sat cuddles in front of the fire on CHristmas Eve contemplating divorce. It was truly a scary moment in out marriage.
Yes, we worked through it and our marriage grew stronger because of it.
Why do I treasure that memory... It's good to know how far we've come.
THANK GOD!
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