Traditions

When we married almost 49 years ago, I started what would become a tradition. When our first child was expected, I crocheted my husband and soon to be Dad a Christmas stocking and as my old felt childhood one was faded and torn, also crocheted one for me. They say Dad and Mom on them. Our three children each got a crewel work stocking that I did.

When our daughter had her son she asked me about 6 weeks before Christmas if I was going to make him a stocking. I did, but it was quilted. Then youngest son and his wife were expecting and daughter was expecting her second, and by then I was knitting, so I got to work. He had adopted his wife’s son and they had a daughter as did my daughter, so I knit 3 different stockings that year.

Between remarriages, adoptions, and more births, we are now grandparents to 12 grandkids and one on the way. Along the way, I knit two for someone basically for cost, something I won’t do again, but I am currently knitting my 15th stocking. The eldest step grandson, we have only met a couple of times, and he doesn’t have one I made, but his sister does.

I try to have one for the child’s first Christmas in our family. A couple have been their second Christmas, but each one is lined with quilting cotton and has a small cross-stitched tag that reads “Made with love, Mom or Grandmom and the year.” And each one has their name duplicate stitched at the top.

Each one is different. As I don’t know if the one due before Christmas is a boy or girl, I am making two and will put one away once I know and have a name to add.

I wish they could all be lined up together for a picture