Celebrating Christmas is something relatively new to me. It's not like I had evil parents, it's just I'm Jewish, and my husband isn't. What this means is I've basically idealized Christmas for most of my life. Growing up, my family's tradition was to either go on vacation, or go to the movies. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not complaining about a lack of Christmas in my childhood. Believe me, I had a rather remarkable childhood. Yet, to an outsider, the whole Christmas thing is kind of magical: families bundling together around a fireplace, opening up gifts wrapped with care and love that were delivered by a jolly old man. In my dreams, Christmas was a simply wonderful day.
The Holiday Season is a busy time with my family: we have five birthdays, Christmas, and Hanukkah. With so much to celebrate, it can all get a bit overwhelming! In the month of December alone, Chuck celebrates Hanukkah, Christmas, and her second birthday.
As I grow older (and slightly more cynical), you begin to realize the commercialism associated with Christmas.
There has always been something a wee bit wondrous about a handmade, homemade holiday. I tend to go into craft overload this time of year. Based on my Pinterest feed, I don't think I'm the only one! I always find myself pinning all kinds of things that would be fun to make 'some day'. Last year, in order to combat a bit of the commercialism, I decided to make that "some day" happen. I invited a bunch of my ladies over to the house for a little Make n' Mingle. The premise is pretty simple: you bring your craft supplies, some adult libations, and some treats. We sit around my dining room table craft, talk, and help each other out.
Alone, I can't sew my way out of a paper bag. Yet, as a group, we managed to sew my daughter's Christmas Stocking last year. I was so proud of this stocking, that I may or may not have created a Facebook post entitled "This is how proud of I am of my stocking" and another update that states "bite me Pottery Barn Christmas, my daughter's stocking is made with love." I pulled it out of the box this year, and was amazed that it was still in one piece! I hope she uses it for a long long time. And, although its not as fancy as a Pottery Barn Stocking, I hope she appreciates all the thought and planning that went into it.
This month, I would like to focus on handmade, homemade holidays. Will my daughter receive a toy that came from a store? Of course! But, I would like to create something for her that came from me every year.
The point of Make n' Mingle is not so much what we make, its how we make it. We make it together, with friends, sitting around a table, sharing ideas, telling stories, enjoying a cocktail (or a beer if you're Karen). It's a lot like an adult playdate!
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