There is just something about the Christmas season that brings out the urge to hunker down and create something by hand.  The holidays make me want to heat up the oven, pull out the sewing machine and fire up the knitting needles. Maybe it is from reading too many Laura Ingalls Wilder books when I was a kid. Or maybe it takes me back to my roots when my mom instilled in me an appreciation for gifts made with loving hands. Or perhaps it stems from the earlier years when we had very little extra income and we handcrafted gifts to save money.  But whatever the reason, my heart or my muse, I want to spend the Christmas season creating profuse. (A very poor and loosely translated quote from Dr. Suess’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”) Despite my very pathetic rhyme, the gift of a homemade item definitely feels cozier and more thoughtful than store bought.  It speaks of thought, time, effort and love.

The problem is that I typically get this urge just a mere five or six weeks before Christmas. After all, it is difficult to get inspired to make Christmas gifts in July. This delayed inspiration does not leave a lot of time to complete projects prior to Christmas. Matter of fact, it usually puts me in a frantic tailspin to get it completed and wrapped in time and then I fail to enjoy the process or the season. For several years, I deliberately chose not to make any gifts because I wanted to avoid the last-minute rush and stress.

But about a month ago, I broke my resolve when my friend and I went to an evening Outdoor European Christmas Market. It is based on the traditional, festive open-air markets that spring up in Germany and Austria during the Advent season. There are pop up tents with sparkling white lights, gas fire pits, food trucks and vendors selling homemade candy, pastries and craft items. As we were strolling through the market, sipping hot spiced wine, she casually mentioned that she needed a Christmas tree skirt. This is the same friend that takes the time and effort to knit me a beautiful pair of wool socks every year. How could I NOT make her a tree skirt? Besides, I am retired and have the time now, right?

Of course, no good deed goes unpunished, as the tree skirt ended up being a much more time-consuming project than I expected. It started out great, as I enthusiastically perused the bolts of Christmas fabric at the quilt store to find a little more material to compliment what I already had in my fabric stash. I spent some luxurious days in my office/craft room with a fir scented candle burning and Christmas music playing while I stitched the afternoon away. The snow was gently falling while I was tucked away inside sewing.

But then life got in the way, and my project was set aside. Honestly, I thought I would create more handmade items once I retired, but time seems to get taken up with other things.  I don’t know if any other retirees feel this way, but many of the things I thought I would do in retirement, I don’t seem to make time for after all.   But that is another post for another time. Meanwhile, the dust collected, the wash piled up and fast food became the norm, while I pushed to finish the project in time.

My friend and I share early December birthdays and we always spend a day together celebrating “us” and being healthy and alive for another year. I planned to give her gift to her when we got together on December 8th. The tree skirt would be part of her birthday/Christmas gift basket I was putting together. The time crunch was on. While creating by hand is enjoyable when you are not rushed, it becomes agony when you are on a short timeline and need to use every available minute to get it completed in time.

The morning of December 7th, I found myself stitching the binding on by hand and cussing every time I pricked my finger with the needle. Which is more often than not, when you are in a hurry. Not very holiday spiritish. But I got it finished that evening and safely tucked it into her gift basket to give her the next day. Nothing like rising to the occasion at the very last minute. It was well worth every stitch and finger prick when she opened it up and gently fingered it with eyes shining in appreciation. Some people just “get” what all goes into a homemade gift. BTW, I loved my hand knitted pair of comfy wool socks too.

Last year Mr. U and I made Christmas wreaths to hang on our front door and give as gifts to a few people. We prepared and started early so it was fun and relaxing to create them. In the next few weeks, I will be baking some cookies and making my traditional spiced pecans. The nuts are delicious, easy to do, and they make the house smell wonderful while they are baking. When you put them in decorative cellophane bags and tie with a colorful ribbon, they make great hostess gifts or stocking stuffers. But other than that, I will be doing a lot of sitting by the fire, soaking in the warmth of the season. I hope that you are taking the time to enjoy the Christmas season and not putting yourself under pressure to accomplish too much. Instead, let’s relax, enjoy our loved ones and celebrate the reason for the season!