i stumbled on this photo a few months ago and experienced a flood of wonderful memories. pictured are my grandma and grandpa farmer in the basement of their economy, indiana home preparing stockings for the annual christmas eve family get-together. parents of 4 children, 17 grandchildren and more great grandkids than i can count, they hung a stocking for every family member plus a few strays who wandered in with the grandkids. each stocking was filled with a bit of candy and fruit plus at least one very practical item like gloves or socks. this photo was extra special since grandma and grandpa were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary that year -- on christmas eve!! some of my favorite memories of christmas eve at their house are the boxes of toffee, the silver christmas tree with the revolving multi-colored light, getting to hold all the new babies that had been born that year and especially the ride home after the big night, singing christmas carols and basking in the warm glow of family love.
for all of my adult christmases, i've continued the christmas stocking tradition. but this year i decided to shake things up and do what i'm calling christmas take out boxes. they are fun and cute and easier to handle than the bulky stockings (i have nowhere to hang stockings!). the biggest downside so far is how little you can fit in each box!
last year i started a few new christmas eve traditions. we played a christmas trivia game that i researched on the internet and then typed up plus a homemade christmas bingo game i made. it was fun with lots of dorky prizes to be won!
what are your favorite christmas traditions?
18 comments:
Your take out boxes are just too cute! What a great idea. A fun update on your grandparents' stockings!
Julie, I love that picture of your grandparents. What a sweet memory! That was a great tradition. I would imagine they loved doing it and figuring out what to put in the stockings. Aren't pictures wonderful?
What a wonderful way to remember your grandparents. My parents started a tradition of taking all the grandchildren to see the Nutcracker each year. They had to be 3 years old and potty trained to be able to go. Eventually there were 10 grandchildren to take. The older ones had to help with the younger. My 27 yr old daughter is going this year along with 4 of my parents great grandchildren.
What a lovely tradition. What amazing grandparents. i never had any I knew so can only imagine. oh I will tell you my traditions as the time gets closer. might resurrect come old posts just for memory sake. Love your post. Take care.
What wonderful memories of your grandparents, Julie.
Love those little take-out boxes, that's a great idea!
Wow Julie! What great memories you have. The grandparents look like Santas elves! The take out boxes are a great idea too...maybe I'll steal it:)
Tracy
That is a wonderful picture of your grandparents. I want to be a grandma like that one day. :)
Great photo of your grandparents. It must have been quite a job filling so many stackings. One of our family traditions is to put mince pies on a plate next to the chimney for Father xmas and then to read A Night Before Christmas, before gong to bed.
My favorite part of Christmas is wrapping presents and watching people open the presents I got for them...
How precious your memories and your photo were. There is just nothing in the world like wonderful, precious grandparents.
Staci
Have just come across your blog and wanted to say how very much I enjoyed it. I love your artwork.
May I also add how good it is to see this photo of your grandparents preparing for Christmas.
Hey Julie, Thanks for dropping by! Hang in there with your walk.....a journey is, afterall, step by step. Blessings my friend. Strider
Such a wonderful picture and tradition! Lovely memories, too.
I'm so glad that Presley is better. What a handsome studio mascot you have. Edward sends his best regards!
Julie, I am in LOVE this is so wonderfully whimsical and fun. YOUR ART IS THE TOTAL BOMB DIGGITY!!! I love it! I'm so glad that you got the chance to visit my blog, but I got the best by coming to see what you've done and do!!! Wow, I'm past impressed. You store is wonderful and I want to buy some things soon. Great work. Thanks so much for coming by again and I will be coming back to visit again and again. Have a great weekend.
New to your blog (via pbjunkies) and I just have to say your collages are spectacular!
thank you for your trip down memory lane! it must be nice to have such a big family, ours is small. i love your take out boxes! such a great idea. the bingo sounds like so much fun.
Hi Julie,
Thanks for visiting my blog and I am enjoying yours. LOVE your art!! It's FAB!!
That photo is such a treasure ! Have a wonderful holiday :) Your blog has been such a bright spot to visit in 2008, looking forward to 2009 :)
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