So, another Christmas Eve has come and I am sitting at the computer in my son's office in Georgia keeping Mozzarella company. Mozz (as he is fondly called) is a lovely cat. We are visiting for the holidays and it is pretty cold outside for this far south so I was thinking of things that keep me warm. 

I am very much into Christmas swapping on Instagram. I got started a few years ago with a lovely lady from England. It was a 12 days of Christmas swap. The task was to create 12 gifts for an assigned partner. I was given some clues into their likes and dislikes which would make it fun to create and buy some gifts. This was completely new to me but I thought it would be fun to do something different. Little did I know the amazing world network of friends it would open to me.

My first partner was someone in California but she was from my home state of NY. It was such fun to try to search her posts to find the clues to the gifts that I would make. I got to wrap them and write a little clue and send them off in time for opening day. While that opportunity opened a swap friend, it has become so much more. She encouraged me to pick up the cracker swap last year and that has been a blessing as well. We continue to keep in touch and while we have not met in person, we have shared some life events, both happy and sad. It would not have happened without the first swap.

The organizer of that first swap has become a good friend even though we are so far apart in miles. Several years ago my husband and I traveled to the UK and spent the day with her and her family. It was such a blessing to be able to meet face to face. We continue to communicate often and share a swap at Christmas. 

While in the UK, I was able to spend time with another IG friend. We met through postings and messaging as I was up late and so was she. Turns out our birthdays are one day apart. We took the train up to her home and spent a day with her and her family. I was so happy to be able to see her as well. She is an amzing cross stitcher and has tried to encourage to try it. I have tried but I do not have her patience and talent for that craft. I have a cross stitch of our greyhound, Bugsy that she did. (see photo below)  I have found true friends.

Another IG friend has encouraged me to try knitting (I am trying) and it is fun too. We share a love of dachshunds as well as sewing and crafting. Would not have met except for the swap as she lives a thousand miles away. Another blessing!

I could flood the page with pictures of the lovely and thoughtfully made gifts that I have received. This year has brought another batch and now friends from Scotland and Norway to go with Germany and Canada and the US. The gifts are amazing but the real gift for me is carried in my heart. Especially during COVID, I was blessed to be able to have these friends to share with, commiserate with and celebrate with. There are so many others that I have been blessed by through other swaps all year long. 

Do you like swapping? Have you ever tried to do it? Do you organize one? I know that not every swap is perfect. Peoples' lives are all different and we experience different events. But I have found that the adage  "tis better to give than receive" rings true. 

This past Monday, I worked with some lovely crafters at the Milton Art League in Milton, DE. We made the angels and the Danish stars that you see above. These are two of my most favorite ornaments to make at Christmas.

Ornament making has been a big part of Christmas for me since my kids were very small. Every year we would make ornaments together and hang them on the tree. Later as my sons grew, I made them and they each got a new ornament to add to their private collections. They are now living in their own homes and those ornaments live in upstate NY and Georgia now. Some of the ornaments that we made are below. The hexie was from a Quiltmaker magazine and the cork reindeer was just imagination and a lot of wine LOL! The Santa's list was something that I did later and I printed the list so that my sons' names were on it! The snowman came out of lots of frozen juice can lids. I had saved them and used them as the foundation. 

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I certainly miss those days but there are so many crafters that want to learn to make new ornaments and I have been able to share and learn from them. The angel and danish star directions are included at the end of this paragraph if you would like to give them a try. I promise that you will want to make more than one of each. They make great additions to Christmas gift packages also. By altering the fabrics, they can be made for any celebration. Birthday angels! Anniversary or Valentine angels! Stars for Easter, Valentine's Day, Fourth of July! The possibilities are endless. 
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Over the years I have been gifted many ornaments but I do have a favorite. I belonged to a quilt guild in upstate NY many years ago and there was a lovely lady named Enid. She was a German lady who was an avid quilter and crafter even as she aged into her 90s. One year she made 25 knapsacks for her daughter's kindergarten class so that all of the children had one. Just an amazing human being. But I digress.

One year the guild did an ornament exchange. If you brought a wrapped ornament, you got one. I chose this small squishy package and I was so happy when I saw the little teddy bear inside.

Enid had hand sewn each part of the bear. She carefully stuffed each limb and the body and the head. Even the little ears had some stuffing! She put a silver floss hanger and a silver bow tie. I could not have asked for a better ornament. That was circa 2002 and every year the boys would tussle over who would hang the bear on the tree. When I hang it now, I remember Enid fondly. She passed away just a few months after my own mom in 2012. The bear reminds me about her big heart and how she put a lot of her love into this little bear. What is the story of your favorite ornament? 

Well, that's all for this time. I do hope that you are enjoying your holiday preparations no matter what holiday you celebrate. I am getting ready to bake and wrap some gifts. Still have a bit of shopping to do and a few gifts to finish sewing. I know I had all year but I guess I like the bustle of finishing in December.

Happy holidays! Merry Christmas! Happy Hannukah! Happy Kwanzaa! 

Peacefully,
Trisha