Holiday Memories Bloghop

Welcome to my post 

as part of Bernie's blog hop.

Let's start with Humphrey.

He's been part of our family for years.

(the crewel embroidered pillow is one

that I made when our oldest was a little boy)

These paper mâché angels come from DH's childhood.

And so does this Santa figure.

DH bought it for his mother in 1957.

This ornament represents one of 

my few good grade school memories.

We made ornaments that year using real ice cream cones,

styrofoam balls, pins, glue, sequins, and glitter.

Friends of my parents gave me this ornament in the 50s.

They bought it at Marshall Fields in Chicago

which was a very big deal in those days

especially since we lived several hours away.

My mother bought two personalized ornaments 

for my sister and me when we were in our teens.

When DH and I married, I bought one for him.

When each of the boys were born, I added their ornament.

When our oldest son married, I added one for our DIL.

And when Little Man was born, I added his to our collection.

I can still remember the first time our DIL saw her ornament

when they came for a family dinner -  her smile was priceless.

(ordered from Bronner's in Frankemuth, MI,

a truly magical place to visit)

These two counted cross stitch pieces 

are ones I made and framed years and years ago.

If you supersize the photo, I think you can read

the stitched year each of the boys drew their Santa.

These vintage sleigh bells were part of a huge collection

of bells amassed by DH's grandmother.

We keep them out year round in one of DH's turned bowls

because they're just too cool to pack away.

When we converted to mini white lights for our backyard fence,

I just couldn't throw away all of the vintage white C9 bulbs.

Each holiday season they appear 

in different bowls/vessels somewhere in the house.

This little book is one of MY holiday favorites.

The vintage runner was my mother's - 

I had Chris quilt it for me long before I learned FMQ.

This vintage newspaper comic strip 

clearly illustrates why it takes me several days

to unpack and put our holiday things out each year. 

And finally, white lights are a constant 

that runs throughout our holiday decorating.

We used to use lots of multi-color lights

but the year that our younger son was on a ventilator 

in ICU from Thanksgiving weekend

until Christmas Eve afternoon

our sensitivities and preferences changed profoundly.

(bilateral pneumonia - he was in his early 20s)

Calming white lights now represent hope for our family.

And hope is something we all need, especially this year.

And so our traditions continue to evolve.

* * *

To read about the tales and traditions others are sharing,

check out the most up-to-date list of links over at Bernie's blog

or click through to visit the participants using the links below:

Sew Preeti Quilts

Quilting Jetgirl

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Academic Quilter

From My Carolina Home

MMM! Quilts

Pieceful Thoughts

Devoted Quilter

The Colorful Fabriholic

Me & My Quilts

Kathleen McMusing

Sarah Goer Quilts

Needle and Foot  

* * *

Thanks - and for those who checked out

last week's Guess Who photos,

Bernie posted a follow up over the weekend

with then and now side-by-side photos -- 

just in case you're curious to see who really is/was who.

Quiltdivajulie

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“People don’t always need advice.  Sometimes all they really need is a hand to hold, an ear to listen, and a heart to understand them.”

Zig Ziglar