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Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Blog Advent Tour 2008








This year I was lucky enough to sign up for the Blog Advent Tour and get to participate with a lot of my favorite people in sharing my holiday traditions. This is hosted by Kailana at The Written World and Marg at Reading Adventures. I have chosen to share with you two traditions in my family regarding stockings, or rather one old tradition, and one I hope to start this year.

My entire life I have had the same stocking. My grandmother made it for me as a baby and I have never had a Christmas without it. Or that's the way I remember it, anyway. I certainly can't remember a Christmas without it. It was always the biggest stocking on the mantel and it didn't have a sewn in hanging loop, so it was always the one on the floor on Christmas morning. (I have since attached a loop.) The first year I lived here, I ma

de the striped one for Mike. I used my stocking as a template, but I didn't allow for seams, so it's very narrow.









When the Pirate came along and I made his, I once again forgot to allow for seams. Last night, when I made the Bug's stocking, I remembered. You'll notice how much bigger his appears to be. (The Bug is N.) In my family, it's a tradition to have a handmade stocking. I tried to make each boy a stocking that they would not be embarrassed by at age 13 or 18 or 33.







My new tradition, is the Advent calendar. I wanted something reusable, not the typical cardboard one with cheap chocolate. I made 24 green felt stockings and attached them to a clothesline with numbered clothespins. It's only been two days, but so far the Pirate is thrilled to take one down each morning. I have an assortment of Hershey's kisses, candy canes, a matchbox car, a big sucker, new markers, a barrel of monkeys, and the grand prize- the yellow Power Ranger to put in there. I plan to turn the clothespins around to the plain side and hang Christmas cards on the line as we receive them, and as the stockings are removed.










I am really loving being a parent in the holiday season. The Pirate is still in awe of Christmas lights and he loves to "decorationing" the house. He goes to bed without arguement, because he knows in the morning he'll get a little treat from the stockings. I hope that the tradition of the stockings come to mean as much to them as they do to me.

I have the honor of sharing today with two other bloggers, so please stop by and visit

booklogged from A Reader's Journal
and
Alison from Homeschoolers Guide to the Galaxy


For a complete list of participants, click here.

36 comments:

  1. I love your mini stockings advent calendar! What a fantastic idea. Your whole post is wonderful - my family loves our stockings tradition and we spend about an hour opening them first thing Christmas morning. I also have my original Christmas stocking, which is holding up very well considering I'm 44.

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  2. I love that line of stockings. What a cute idea!

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  3. I enjoyed your post. Thank you. I too have an old stocking my mom embroidered with my initial a LONG time ago. All 5 of us had our stockings hanging from a rail around the wood stove every
    Christmas morning and Dad would let us look inside while we ate donuts or danishes and waited for Mom to wake so we could open our presents. Also, your stocking idea for Advent is neat-O. I came up with my own idea as well and it's coming along great. Tune in to my blog on the 12th to learn more! =) Merry Christmas!

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  4. I love your advent calender! What a great idea.

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  5. I love the stocking advent calendar and then the dual use for Christmas Cards what an awesome idea.

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  6. I like your stockings. My stocking growing up was made of Christmas wrapping paper and newspaper, sewn on a sewing machine, and it lasted right through my childhood to adulthood. Thanks for the link fellow advent blogger :-)

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  7. How special to have homemade stockings. Especially the one your grandmother made for you. And what a great idea for the mini-stocking advent. I have been trying to think of something fun, and just passed up the cheapo chocolate advent, too. Might have to steal your idea.

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  8. The stockings look great!! I love your Advent stocking idea! What fun.

    Thanks you for sharing!

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  9. I love the idea of making the stockings and keeping them 'forever'! It's such a nice way to have continuity in your traditions. And your advent calendar is absolutely fantastic, your kids are very lucky!

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  10. The stocking tradition is great! My mom made my stocking when I was a baby and I know I'll keep it forever. She still fills up my stocking on Christmas morning, even though I'm married and moved out of the house years ago! She made one for my husband and fills his too. lol

    The advent idea is great!! And using the line and clips for Christmas cards is another great idea. So crafty!

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  11. That's a great idea to make advent stockings! I used to love opening the Advent Calendar when I was little and it didn't even produce chocolate!

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  12. I was wondering why you were working on so many stockings. I love that advent idea. Soooo cute. Did u make double stockings for when the Bug wants to take his own down?

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  13. I love your stocking tradition (and your stockings). What a good idea!

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  14. I love your stockings! Both the Advent Calendar and the other ones. I don't have a stocking but after looking at yours I think I'm going to try my hand at sewing one. :-)

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  15. Thanks everyone!

    Julie, mine is 34 Christmases old, and still looks good!

    The advent stockings were super easy to make- 3 pieces of felt, one long seam. If I did it again, I'd make them a tad wider.

    Ti, the Pirate likes to take them down and wear them as actual stockings. Buggy is still pretty oblivious to everything but the TREE and it's sparkly lights.

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  16. What a great idea for an advent calendar.

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  17. I love all your traditions....old and new. That's one of the things Christmas is all about...tradition.

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  18. I loved reading your post. I loved seeing your stockings. I can't wait until I can have you make all of ours. Maybe I will custom order J & mine this year...but probably in March before you start getting so busy with your Christmas sewing. The Boy's stocking looks a lot like M's. :) The stocking advent calendar looks great. I love your clothes pin idea. It turned out great. Bitty would love it. He loves stockings this year and calls them Christmas Boots.
    Merry Christmas. (I love saying that.)

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  19. I love advent calendars, especially the homemade ones.

    My mom used to make me an advent calendar with stickers in it because she didn't like the idea of me eating sweets each day.

    One year I got a dollhouse for Christmas. For my birthday a few months later, I got to pick and open a small package from a bag leading up to my birthday. Each package had a piece of dollhouse furniture: a chair, a sink, a lamp.

    The first year I didn't come home for Christmas, my mom sent me a package with 25 smaller packages inside, numbered, to open.

    This afternoon I just finished wrapping up little packages for my other half: some kind of dessert for every night leading up to the 25th. Nothing expensive, just little treats and some homemade.

    I love that you had your stocking since you were a baby. We used my dad's army socks when I was growing up (biggest socks in the house and they stretched). :-)

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  20. I love your stocking advent idea! We had a little wall advent calendar where we moved the little bear to different parts of the house and I loved it, but it would have been so much better with candy, etc. :P

    And I love your stockings as well--my mom made all of ours when we were little, but she still has them. I don't think I'll be making any until the kiddos come along (by the way, went to Baby's R Us tonight for my sister's shower gift and am REALLY freaked out now!!). :D LOL.

    Merry Christmas, Lisa. You have such a beautiful sense of humor, joy, and family and I'm so glad to "know" you.

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  21. Aw, that is so cute! I like that, I hope that the new tradition keeps on! I am sure it will, though. And the stockings are beautiful.

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  22. Your little stockings hanging in a row are adorable! My 16 year old and 13 year old still like the advent calendar we have! We take a long time opening up our stockings on Christmas morning also--but buying things for teen boys that are small and inexpensive is getting harder and harder. ;) Have fun looking at Christmas through your baby's eyes--nothing is more magical!
    *smiles*
    Kim

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  23. What a great new tradition! I love the stocking idea. Thanks for sharing your tradition(s)

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  24. I'm always envious of people who can sew and do crafty things. Your stockings are adorable.

    While I'm out and about for the Blog Advent Tour, I'm inviting folks to the Saturday Review of Books held at my blog Semicolon each Saturday. If you've never participated, it's a chance to leave links to your book reviews for the week and read those of others. Here's last Saturday's Review, for a sample. I hope to see you on Saturday

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  25. Thanks for a great post about Christmas-stockings. It is a tradition that we do not really have over here in Denmark. But on the other hand, Advent Calendars are huge (mainly for kids) and come in all sorts of shapes and kinds. I love your Advent Calendar with the little green stockings. Cute! Thanks for sharing.

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  26. You are such a good seamstress! 25 little stockings would make my head spin...I love that you have the original from all your life. What a treasure.

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  27. Thanks so much for sharing this, Lisa!

    What wonderful memories your kids will have!

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  28. I LOVE your mini stocking Advent calendar! And the idea to hang Christmas cards on the line is GREAT idea too.

    Thanks for sharing your tradition stocking...and I hope the tradition stay with you for many years to come. Happy Holidays!

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  29. Hi!
    I am late getting around to all the blogs. I love your Stocking Advent Calendar! It is very inventive and looks like lots of fun. Thanks for sharing.

    Sherrie

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  30. The stockings and the advent line of stockings are great

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  31. How did you end up putting the numbers on the clothespins? I remember you were struggling with that ...

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  32. I love your stockings! My mother made ones for each of the two youngest this year, and so far they are loving it also - they run downstairs, and if Mommy has forgotten the night before to fill it, they hide in the living room until I put something in - they love the surprise and the treat! It's fabulous, so I can well imagine your two boys' delight and wonder too. and I have a stocking from my childhood too, that is getting very worn, but I refuse to part with. You did a lovely post, thank you for sharing with us!

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  33. I reuse my Advent calendars (ones without chocolate, obviously), but I love your stocking idea. I'm a knitter and could whip up 24 little knit socks over the course of 2009. Thanks for sharing such a cool idea!

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  34. Your stockings are darling. I like the clothespin idea.

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