In 2005 I started making annual Christmas ornaments for Andrew, myself, our parents, and sisters. By 2019 it had become one of those projects that brought more stress than joy. I always felt behind during the frenzied holiday season, so I stopped doing it.

Last December when we pulled out our seasonal decor, my old ornaments joined the party. They added so much cozy cheer that I decided to jump back in to my old project. I stitched 6 years worth of ornaments to make up for the missing years. Usually I would do 2 ornaments each year, so “The 12 Days of Christmas” was a great solution.

Back in our 911 days, our workplace held an annual Christmas auction for charity. People would bring in a variety of goods, many homemade, and my friend Crystal brought in some postcard trees that her Dad had constructed. I fell in love with the trees and HAD to have them for my cross stitch designs. They are a perfect fit to display my creations! I brought them from the States and other than a few small clip replacements, they arrived in great shape. When the cross stitch trees are set up for Christmas, I barely miss a real tree, and I still have plenty of room for future ornaments.

On a side note, I put off purchasing a fake tree again this year. I feel like I have analysis paralysis and just can’t make the right choice. I spent a lot of time researching trees, and we even saw a fake tree in a store labelled “Minnesota”. This was a real giggle inducer for Andrew and myself, being Minnesota natives and all. I think next year I will be 100% ready to make the big purchase.

After Christmas 2024, I kept up my stitching habit. I started and finished a map of “The Oregon Trail” that had been on my To Do List since I made it as a Christmas present for my friend George years ago. I had even been saving a specific piece of fabric that looks like old timey parchment. I still have to find the right frame for it, but I am super happy with the results so far.

I found time to reframe some of my older cross stitch projects that needed a bit of refreshing after an international trip. They are now hanging in our bedroom, and I see them first thing every morning. I paired them with my very favorite wreath, which got a bit squished during the move. I think it has an interesting “not so round” shape now and I still love it, squished or not.

This December we decorated with some old seasonal cross stitch favorites. I am quite fond of Andrew’s homemade Christmas stocking. I just might start a stocking of my own this year. I don’t currently own a sewing machine for assembling it, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. We even managed to dig out the three sisters “Decorating the Christmas Tree” cross stitch to add some sparkle to our decor this year.

I got a head start on 2026 ornaments and am not quite finished as of today’s date, but they should be done soon. Our bunny loving friends brought me a lovely cross stitch magnet from Brazil, so I made a Santa Bunny for them in return. I have really been enjoying my crafting time and hope to have more projects to share in the near future.

If you have any questions about how to get started, which fabric and thread to use, or where to find patterns, post in the comments. If you have any arty projects you’d like to share, or special Christmas traditions of your own, I’d love to hear about them.