hung by the chimney with care

I finished making Sara's Christmas stocking last week and I'm quite proud of it! It will be so much fun to fill it up with little goodies for Sara to reach in and pull out on her first Christmas morning. We went shopping and picked up a bath toy, some blocks, a new finger puppet, some socks (woo hoo!) and her very first little doll! Her main gift from us will be this Fisher Price learning walker/ride-on car. The big day will be at our house for the first time this year, which is yet another indication that we really are parents now... I'm really looking forward to it, and just keeping my fingers crossed that the turkey doesn't come out Griswold style.

I dragged out the box of decorations last night, started some cards, and I'm using leftover stocking fabric to make some tree ornaments. Here's what our dining / crafting table looked like last week with everything in progress, with some hot tea and a peppermint chocolate brownie for energy!
When I was born my grandmother sewed some fabric ornaments that would be safe for my curious little hands, and we now have them in our collection. They've been on our tree every year since I was born, and even though the 70s floral fabric isn't exactly something you'd see in a holiday decor magazine spread, it's a tradition that I'm not parting with anytime soon. Now I'm adding ornaments made for my own little girl. This has me thinking about holiday traditions that I want Sara to grow up with, like her daddy's famous pancake/french toast breakfasts, family get togethers and games, baking with mommy when she's older.... and of course, I hope she'll appreciate all of the things I make for her. One existing tradition we'll introduce her to this year is for Boxing Day. We don't go shopping and come home exhausted and in debt... we stay in our pajamas, watch movies, and eat leftovers!