Christmas Stockings Add Pizzazz to Any Room

Christmas Stockings Add Pizzazz To Any Room

In a family Christmas photo, the stockings are handmade by me, from felt, sequins and glitter.
I have a few extra Christmas stockings, in addition to the five that we hang on the fireplace mantle. By the way, why five stockings for four folks? One for each of our sons, one for my husband, Will, one for me, and the fifth one is for our cats to share. They don't mind sharing! Each Christmas morn they hope for a can of tuna (sold for human consumption, not cat food grade) and a bit of organic catnip, grown by my sister Sky in Wisconsin. Our cats are not disappointed, since they are VERY good kitties.

My easy decorating tip involves colorful Christmas stockings. One year at a dollar store I found a pretty red stocking that says “I Believe”. I bought several as gifts for friends, and an extra one for my family, and now each year I take a push pin and hang this Christmas stocking in the bathroom. Every year, at the end of the season, stores put Christmas stockings on sale, so that is a great time to buy more for your next year's decor, and keep a look out at craft fairs for stockings that appeal to you.

In the same bathroom I hang a handmade colorful stocking that I bought at a fund raiser. The person who stitched it created a very cute stocking, including a sleigh loaded with gifts and real ribbons. Hanging a few holiday stockings is such a quick way to add a Christmas glow to any room, even the sometimes overlooked bathroom.

By Terra Hangen  http://terragarden.blogspot.com/

Cats and Christmas

This week we are chatting about pets and the holidays here. Our family has always had cats, or maybe the cats have us and allow us to pamper them.
For Christmas all that our cats request is tuna. Tuna that people eat, like Bumble Bee or Chicken of the Sea, no canned catfood for them.
Of course I created a Christmas stocking for them, by buying a plain red felt stocking with wide white trim at the top, in the same size as the rest of our family stockings.
At the top in the white area, I wrote "CATS" in Elmer's white glue and then sprinkled on lots of glitter. This stocking hangs from our fireplace mantle with the "people" stockings.
The Cats stocking looks pretty and sparkly and our kitties are happy with it.

Celebrating with adult children

As family situations change, ways of celebrating holidays evolve. Since my husband and I and two sons don’t have any other relatives living in our state, the four of us celebrate Christmas at home. This means we have a quiet holiday which we like.

Now that our sons are adults and have moved out, my husband and I are not wakened at 4 a.m. by boys jumping on our bed, which we kind of miss. Instead, we all gather at a reasonable hour at our family hacienda on Christmas day, to spend time together, exchange gifts and enjoy a companionable meal. We each have a red felt stocking hung on the mantel, and our cats have their own stocking.

The cats’ stocking contains a can of tuna, the kind we eat, not pet food tuna, and I always manage to find a small size gift for each stocking, like a wool ski cap or gloves. One tradition is that Mrs. Santa (that’s me) buys 2 sacks of gold foil covered chocolate coins for the stockings, which is a Jewish tradition, symbolizing prosperity for the new year.

So with our sons, we continue all of the basic family Christmas traditions at our house.

Christmas Stockings Add Pizzazz To Any Room

Here is a photo of my sons and I with a few stockings in view. Yes, the Christmas stockings are handmade by me, from felt, sequins and glitter. My husband, Will, took the photo, so he is not in it and I promise to soon find a photo including Will, and share that on this blog.

I have a few extra Christmas stockings, in addition to the five that we hang on the fireplace mantle. By the way, why five stockings for four folks? One for each of our sons, one for my husband, Will, one for me, and the fifth one is for our cats to share. They don't mind sharing! Each Christmas morn they hope for a can of tuna (sold for human consumption, not cat food grade) and a bit of organic catnip, grown by my sister Sky in Wisconsin. Our cats are not disappointed, since they are VERY good kitties.

My easy decorating tip involves colorful Christmas stockings. One year at a dollar store I found a pretty red stocking that says “I Believe”. I bought several as gifts for friends, and an extra one for my family, and now each year I take a push pin and hang this Christmas stocking in the bathroom. Every year, at the end of the season, stores put Christmas stockings on sale, so that is a great time to buy more for your next year's decor, and keep a look out at craft fairs for stockings that appeal to you.

In the same bathroom I hang a handmade colorful stocking that I bought at a fund raiser. The person who stitched it created a very cute stocking, including a sleigh loaded with gifts and real ribbons. Hanging a few holiday stockings is such a quick way to add a Christmas glow to any room, even the sometimes overlooked bathroom.