Traditions

I started a tradition when Megan and Caedon were little. Every year I make an ornament for them. One year I knitted them each a little sweater ornamet, another year I cross stitched something...I don't remember what...maybe a gingerbread man. Every year...always handmade. I started out doing that because I wanted them to have Christmas ornaments to take with them when they grow up and move out on their own. Now I think it has more to do with teaching them that simple, handmade gifts are as good (or better) than something you go to the store and buy. When you make something for someone, you are giving them a part of you...your creativity and your time. Also, I want them to know that I love them so much that I made something especially for them...that the ornament, just like Megan, Caedon, Jason and Emily, are one of a kind.

The pictures are of what I made for each of them. Megan's is the cat...it's her favorite color and she likes cats. Caedon's is the gingerbread man with bites out of him...he has a great sense of humor, and I knew he'd get a kick out of it. The dinosaur is Jason's, and I knew he'd like whatever I gave him. Of course, the baby carriage is Emily's for her first Christmas. The polar bear and squirrel are for the children of the pastor Craig worked with in Costa Rica this fall. The robin is what I made for my friend, Cathi, in AZ.

I may or may not make ornaments for Pastor Alonso's kiddos again or for my friend, Cathi...but I'll make them every year for my grandkids...and maybe even my great grandkids. Traditions are a good thing.