How we had a handmade Christmas

Sometime last fall, maybe in November, I told Fatty that I thought that he should make ME something for Christmas.  I think I was in the middle of knitting his sweater and feeling a bit overwhelmed about how much I wanted to make for others.  At the same time, I was sad that I never receive handmade gifts.  Well, not from my family.  If you know Fatty, you would understand the quizzical look he gave me.  I said something like, "I don't care if you burn a CDfor me.  Would you please just make me something?"  He thought about it and a day later, he was in.

How it happened, I am not sure, but somehow I managed to transform this into each of the four of us (Fatty, me, Jane and Kate) making something for each other.  I knew I could manage the girls' gifts for each other and for Fatty and kept my fingers crossed that he would manage to help them make something for me.  I want my children to understand that thought and the time that goes into making a gift for someone.  I really wanted to do something to counteract the clothes debacle of last summer.  It is important to me that they appreciate handmade.

Well, the girls and I tossed around lots of ideas.  Most were rejected because they were just impractical and in some cases impossible.  Fatty thought his hat was his gift - it wasn't.  I knitted the girls' gifts in front of them and they never asked me what I was doing.  Fatty took the girls away one Saturday afternoon on a secret mission.  That left me guessing.  Jane took some craft supplies she received for her birthday and made something beautiful for Kate.  Kate made something in Jane's favorite color.  I sewed for Fatty.  Fatty spent an afternoon on the computer creating something for each of the girls.  Between the four of us, we used fabric, thread, plastic, pencils, yarn, glue, wood, glitter, ink, metal, glass and paint.

There were secrets - some kept better than others - and lots of plotting, planning and actual crafting.  Christmas morning it all unfolded before my eyes.  It was amazing.  Everything was made with great care and love.  And everything was received with an open heart and immense gratitude.  And they were all given with much anticipation and excitement.  It couldn't have been better.

I told you I was saving my favorite for last.  Back next week with all of our creations.