Stockings are hung with care

These are the first official handmade gifts of my year.  A set of stockings for our dear friends who, like us, have four children and a mostly chaotic life of activities, jobs, church, and fellowship.  Michelle's family traditionally celebrates Christmas Eve with the Feast of the Seven Fishes and, last year, they graciously invited our family to join in the fun.  As we chatted prior to dinner and watched the youngest ones battle on the wii, I noticed that only four stockings were hung on the mantle.  When I asked their middle schooler where the parents' stockings were, she replied with a nonchalant, "oh, they don't have stockings to fill."

What!  That's just crazy talk.  Stockings are my most favorite part of Christmas surprising.  Mr. Neoclassic and I traditionally set a randomly low price cap - such as $9 - on stocking stuffers for each other.  Then we spend part of Christmas morning unloading hilarious paraphernalia including Chap Stick, nail clippers, gum, spools of thread, strange Home Depot $1 bin items for the tool bench, and home-made coupons for everything from a car vacuum to a dinner out.  Good times here in the House of Lame.

When I heard that Michelle and Harry didn't have stockings, I knew right away what their gift would be this year.  That was December of last year.  I finished them about 3 minutes prior to running out of the house for Thanksgiving dinner at their home last month (story here).

The details....I googled stocking tutorials and mis-mashed several to create the image I had in my mind.  The fabric was bought locally during my mother's last visit and I treasure the experience of mixing and matching patterns and prints with her.  We don't get to play with fabric often and it's such fun when we can because she really makes me step outside of my comfort zone.  The initials were simple applique with a quick whip stitch to tack them down.

There are many more handmades in this year's que.  Let's hope I continue to find pockets of time to play elf and create :)

Today's post title from Michael Buble's Cold December Night.