Happy Friday, my friends! Welcome to Give-Away #4 in our Here Comes Christmas series of give-aways for 2024!
First, I’ll announce the randomly drawn winners of Wednesday’s give-away (the RSN Essential Stitch Guide for Crewelwork), and then I’ll tell you about today’s books and give you some give-away guidelines to follow.
The winners from Monday’s give-away (the two crewel books) are Barbara Christine and Wanda (Wendie) Rader! Woohoo! I’ll be reaching out via email to both of you. Thanks to all for participating!
Stitch Dictionaries
Today’s give-away features two different books, courtesy again of Search Press North America. They’ll each go to a different randomly drawn winner.
The first book I’ll draw for is The Embroidery Stitch Bible. This is one of my absolute favorite stitch dictionaries. It’s really good! I love the layout of the book and the instructions. I like the clarity of the diagrams, I like the samples of the stitches, I like the various information about the stitches, including alternate names and so forth. I also like the way the stitches are categorized and the “visual” table of contents. It’s just a Great stitch dictionary to have on your shelf!
The second book I’ll draw for is a new book to the market. It’s the RSN Stitch Bank: 200 Essential Embroidery Stitches. This book is Massive – it’s a very heavy, large, hard back volume that’s a compilation of the diagrams and whatnot found in the Royal School of Needlework’s online stitch bank.
Give-Away Guidelines
This Give-Away has ended. The winners are announced in the December 24th blog post.
If you would like to enter this give-away, please follow these guidelines!
1. Leave a comment on this blog post (you can follow this link directly to the correct place to leave your comment).
2. In your comment, answer the following question:
What’s your favorite holiday tradition?
3. No anonymous comments – please leave a recognizable name or nickname – and please make certain that your email address on the comment form is correct. We will contact the winner by email.
4. Leave your comment by Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24, 2024, 7:00 AM CST. I will draw two random winners on Tuesday morning and announce them that day.
On that very same day, I’ll be posting a new Christmas Eye-Spy puzzle for you and wishing you a very happy Christmas. And then you won’t hear from me again on the blog for nine whole days! I’ll be taking a little break from the blog, but not a break from working a bit in the background as we prepare exciting things for 2025!
This give-away is open to anyone. We will ship overseas if the winner is outside the US. However, winners are responsible for any customs or duties.
Please note that your comment may not appear immediately. Comments are moderated, to keep the comment area free of spam. It will eventually show up!
I love baking cookies and snacks for friends and neighbors.
My favorite holiday tradition is gathering with family and opening gifts Christmas morning with holiday music in the background. I can’t get enough colorful holiday lights and have them outside, on the tree and spread around the house! Merry Christmas!!
Ever since my daughter was little we have always watched Meet Me in St Louis at Christmas. This is usually accompanied by large amounts of Chex mix, minus the wheat ones which neither of us like
My favorite holiday traditions are all about the food! I grew up in a British household in the US, and food was one of the ways my holidays differed from my friends’. For Christmas I love making homemade mincemeat with my mum, which she then uses as filling for mince pies. It’s a relatively new tradition (not one from when I was a kid), but I always look forward to it. While these days you can find small jars of mincemeat in US stores, it smells wonderful while cooking and you can make a ton!
My favorite holiday tradition is making about 25 handmade ornaments and giving them to friends and family. Some are hand delivered, some are mail. Every year is different but made fabric and thread. It could be wool or cotton depending on what I settle on that year. This year I made needle punch snowmen faces which I glued to a wooden snowflake which I purchased and then painted.
Happy holidays.
JoAnn Borges
Decorating the tree, arranging the crĂšche, fixing good food all bring me joy at Christmas.
Visiting with family and friends.
Being with family enjoying the reason for the season.
Favorite Christmas Tradition has to be crackers on the table for dinner. I have years of photos of family around the table wearing those silly hats. Grew up in England and been in USA for many years. Canât have Christmas without the crackers.
Visiting with my grandchildren is my favorite holiday tradition.
I love driving around looking at Christmas lights.
My favorite holiday tradition is watching my husband read The Night Before Christmas to our children and dogs. The kids are now 18 and 20 and he still does it every year. I hope this never changes.
My favorite holiday tradition is candlelight Christmas Eve worship at our church.
My favorite holiday tradition is baking Christmas cookies (two specific recipes passed down from my great grandmother). Pecan Logs and Wedding Snowballs. My mother only made them at Christmas, so they have an extra special Christmas cachet to them
My favorite Christmas tradition is making Christmas cookies. These are cookie recipes that only get made for this holiday. They have always been popular in our family, so they are part of my family Christmas tradition. There are spritz cookies, gingerbread men cookies and the Christmas delights, the best. They are made with 1 cup of chopped pecans, 1 lb of melted chocolate (preferably dark), 2 squares of unsweetened chocolate, 1 cup of chopped dates, 1/4 tsp salt, and 5 cups of Corn Flakes. All mixed together, till coated with the warmed chocolate, and spooned out on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Put either in the fridge or in a cool place (like the garage) to set, they are the most delicious treat! and can be stored at room temperature.
My favourite tradition at Christmas is going out on Christmas day for a long walk with loved ones. Especially after a big turkey dinner!
My favorite Christmas traditions are baking cookies with my friends and going to see Christmas lights on Christmas eve.
A steak, baked potato, and green salad, followed by watching âA Christmas Story,â and then midnight mass!
I love driving around on Christmas to see all the pretty decorations and lights on festive homes.
Every year I make a Christmas ornament for each of my 12 great-great-nieces and nephews. When they are grown they will have a starter set of homemade ornaments!
We do not exchange gifts, just enjoy Christmas stockings instead. So much fun to take turns pulling one gift out at a time, going around the room…takes a couple hours.
Eating lots of cheeseballs and football
My favorite tradition is our winter AZ tradition of all the gold carts decorations and parade.
I love hand stitching and anything that helps me do better I love. Thank you for your generosity, even if I donât win. Merry Christmas!
Oh this so easy. Christmas Eve candle light service at church.
My favorite holiday tradition is our traditional prime rib dinner with all the family and setting the table just like my mom with all her china and silverware
My favorite holiday tradition is setting up and decorating the Christmas Tree. I love all the selection & set up of the tree. And then decorating it with, mostly, ornaments that I or a family member have made, largely stitched. Some beaded, some other crafts. Love it!! Thanks, Nancy Ann Woods
Merry Christmas. I favorite Holiday Tradition? That’s Hard: Baking. I love to bake and I have special recipes I use only during the holiday season. Of course, I have to share with family and friends.
Making stitched tree ornaments for the 6 grandchildren
I love getting together with family around the Christmas tree and visit.
Finding the pickle in the tree is also a hoot.
We always start and end our holidays on mainland Europe in a lovely auberge which has a great restaurant and is super handy for taking the train back under the Channel to UK. Sheer indulgence, but life is too short to waste it.
My favorite holiday tradition is making a birthday cake for baby Jesus!
I love seeing all the Christmas lights around town. I love having a Christmas tree decorated and lit for the whole month (although I can’t have one this year because of the dogs and cats this year). I have a wreath on my front door and that will have to do until the little animals calm down!
Stockings!
I love the fun of stuffing the families Stockings with all the fun silly and sometimes serious little things. Everyone has such fun seeing how much I can put in.
My favorite holiday tradition is being with my family and friends.
My favorite holiday tradition is setting up the nativity scene on the mantelpiece.
Favorite Christmas Tradition: Making THE Coffee Cake, a tear and share made of a yeasted sweet dough, melted butter, cinnamon sugar and chopped pecans. My grandmother (b. 1894) made this with my mom; I still have her hand cranked nut grinder. My mom made it with us. I made it with my daughter and then with her boys. This year the youngest grandson (17) is going to make it himself with me standing by as “advisor” – he is a good baker.
My favorite Christmas tradition is baking cookies. One year when the kids were little and I was running behind in preparations, I stayed up to 4:00 a.m. to bake a couple batches – I was possessed! Have a very Merry Christmas, Mary and may your New Year be full of good health and joy. Judi
I don’t celebrate holidays any longer.
My favorite holiday tradition is putting up seasonal decorations. Whatever holiday is being observed, seasonal greenery, lights, and baubles make the shorter days and lower light seem more cheerful.
My favorite Christmas tradition is MUSIC! We sing in our church choir, and ring in the handbell choir. Last night we rang for 4 hours (with a few breaks) at the Phoenix Desert Botanical Gardens Luminarias. I never get tired of the music, except maybe Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.
Merry Musical Christmas,
Cindy
My very favorite Christmas tradition is the Christmas pageant the children participate in at church. Itâs often entertaining as well as being uplifting and meaningful.
Love your blogs, Mary!
my holiday tradition includes food. my family insures we have a creamy salad made with pinapple, pecans, and whip cream which is held together using tapioca, water and sugar cooked till sticky. it really is yummy
I guess it is really pretty sad but I don’t have any real holiday traditions. It is a hard time of year for some of us.
Oh, this oneâs easy! My favorite holiday tradition is making cookies with my little grandsons. It started years ago when my daughter was young and now I have the pleasure and privilege of carrying on the tradition with her toddlers. Their tiny thumbs are just the right size to make the dimples in the thumbprint cookies.
Our favorite tradition is that whoever puts together the crĂšche gets to hide the baby. Someone else has to find him on Christmas Eve and complete the scene. Used to be a kids job but now itâs just 2 of us. Still fun!
My favorite holiday tradition is to bake my German Grandmom’s coffee cake…it is an unusual recipe and I’ve only ever seen in on television when Joseph Rensedo’s Travelscope…he went to a small town in Germany on the Polish border and my grandma’s coffee cake was baked in outdoor ovens that looked like pizza ovens. Folks came from all over on a Saturday morning to get their “Streusel Kuchen.” And that is the recipe I bake for the family and it is beloved! I’m the only grandchild who is carrying on this tradition and now my daughter and her cousin are trying to continue this beloved Christmas morning treat!
My favorite holiday event is spending time with family and the time doesn’t necessarily have to happen at Christmas. It can happen in July!!
My favorite tradition for my family is that we exchange books for Christmas eve
I love the RSN books. The dictionary would be a great help in completing a class project with them at their school over a year ago.
My favorite tradition is making an ornament and giving it to our friends we have dinner with on Christmas. Its fun to see her tree with all the ornaments I have made for her. This year its the mitten. Love it.
Shopping for gifts for friends and family-great fun!
My favorite holiday tradition is lighting of the Advent wreath each evening starting the first Sunday after Thanksgiving with the lighting of the Christ candle on Christmas Day which we light each evening for the Twelve Days of Christmas. Lots of light to enjoy during Advent and Christmas.
Popping Christmas crackers after dinner! It’s fun seeing everyone wearing their paper crowns and reading the riddles.
When trimming the tree putting on the sequined ornaments from a Lee Ward’s kit made for our first married Christmas (53 years and counting!) is my favorite tradition.
Favorite tradition: The grandkids are always the Santa and pass out all gifts before they can open their own. We also have a Nativity carousel in the middle of the dinner table with lit candles providing the movement. We always ask, WHY does the carousel move?
First, I love your site. It’s been so helpful to me so many times. You are a most excellent teacher. đ My favorite holiday tradition is tied between two. I made Krumkake cookies with my mom, and now we make them with my kiddos. The other is a family walk in the snow after the Christmas dinner. Lights are on and the air is crisp!
My most favorite Holiday/Christmas tradition is quite simple: being with my family
Aura Pere
I Love looking for a Christmas tree at our local hilly tree farm and the wonderful smell of fresh evergreen. Itâs especially nice if it happens to snow while we are there.
My favorite holiday tradition is to make a chocolate cake for Christmas dinner, to remember my dad, who was also born on this day.
My favorite holiday tradition is attending a church service on Christmas eve. I love to worship God because He is the reason for Christmas.
My favorite tradition is lighting g a special candle to burn all Christmas Day. That came from my Swedish Grandmother.
My favorite holiday tradition is the family gathering to celebrate Christmas.
I think MY favorite tradition is having our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. That way I am not in the kitchen all day on Christmas. After opening presents I can relax too. When the kids were little I could play with the kids too.
We love to give handmade ornaments to family and friends at Christmas. Iâll stitch some up while my husband works away at his scroll saw. He does beautiful work.
My favourite holiday tradition is making the Christmas pudding in November !
My favorite tradition was travelling to my grandparent’s house on Christmas Eve as it signalled the beginning of the Christmas festivities.
Opening gifts with my sons
My favorite Christmas tradition is putting up all of my Christmas stitchery.
Merry Christmas to you!
My favourite tradition is to make something for family, now that I have a grandson I made him an advent calendar, which I quilted and embroidered around all the numbers.
my favorite Christmas tradition is sitting down all around one big table with all the family, including kids, for Christmas dinner. I use the good china and we have a special Italian soup to begin with. – Carla
My favorite holiday tradition is one my mother started when my brother and I were small. She used to get small or silly gifts for everyone and we would have them on the dinner tale. Hence the ‘table gift’ name. I have continued it, and now my children are carrying it on with their families.
Loved your open house!! So much inspiration!
Whoops, the send button got hit too soon. I wanted to say that I a beaded ornament I make, with variations, is a hit with friends. I love making them and they even have special trees to hold them.
Favourite Christmas tradition is Christmas morning brunch with my family
My favorite tradition is participating in candlelight Christmas Eve church services.
I love all reference books with stitch diagrams. I am not a video type of person but I want to pick up a book and find my stitch that I want to stitch.
Christmas Eve, eve dinner with friends.
Holiday Traditions – Few and far between now that I’m an older adult. When my dad was still with us, he would show up on my doorstep on Christmas Eve with the bagful of gifts he had purchased for all my cousins and their kids to wrap for him. I really miss those days.
My favorite holiday is Easter. I use to dress my three sons up and made a delicious meal. Wonderful family memories.
Bonjour,
Je suis française et ne parle pas l’anglais qui pourrait me permettre de comprendre les livres proposĂ©s. A ce titre pouvez vous me dire si ces derniers sont commercialisĂ©s et oĂč. Merci pour vos mails que je lis rĂ©guliĂšrement
Gladys Azzopardi
My favorite Christmas tradition is stitching Christmas gifts for family and friends.
Favorite Holiday Tradition:
It’s so hard to choose! Here’s what I can narrow down to:
– Lighting handheld candles and singing Silent Night at our church’s Christmas Eve service.
– Snuggling in bed with my husband and son on Christmas morning with our Christmas stockings.
– Choosing books for each of my nieces and nephews to enjoy in the restful time of Christmas afternoon.
Our favorite tradition is to celebrate on Christmas Eve with a big festive dinner and some gift opening for the little ones. Love the Christmas lights and coziness of this special time. Many blessings in the closeness and celebration. Think we should have Christmas lights all year round.
Mary thank you for all you do for stitchers like me and happy holidays!
My favourite holiday tradition is enjoying the Christmas tree. I love digging out decorations many of which were stitched by friends, some from many years ago. Then, once decorated, listening to music with a glass of scotch in hand is pretty darn nice!
I love all the Christmas traditions: decorating, baking, listening to Christmas music, spending time with family and friends, watching Christmas movies, etc. But my favorite tradition is focusing on the birth of Jesus and the gift of salvation to all who believe in Him. One way we do this with a daily Advent calendar that recounts the story of Christâs birth as recorded in the gospel of Luke.
HI MARY
MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY TRADITION IS GOING TO CHRISTMAS EVE MASS AND THEN OUT TO DINNER
HAPPY HOLIDAYS !!!
Needle ân Thread has excellent embroidery information and techniques. Itâs all on one site! Maryâs products are fabulous! I am so happy to have found this site and will be coming back for information and shopping!
spending time with family and making new memories
My favorite holiday tradition is watching Hallmark channel Christmas (and Hanukkah) movies with my mother.
Thanks for offering this great giveaway!
Danish creamed rice pudding with warm cherry sauce. A tiny bit of run in the sauce.
My Christmas Amaryllis! I’ve grown Amaryllis indoors in winter for almost 50 years and gifted Amaryllis bulbs to family and friends. My favorites are Apple Blossom and Dancing Queen.
My favorite tradition involves Winter Solstice; we always have a roasted rck of lamb and a nice Zinfandel to go with it.
I love the idea of a stitch Bible even tho’ I am left handed. I look the stitch up then I find it in my left handed book. It seems to work for me.
My favorite holiday tradition is writing Christmas cards on the day after Thanksgiving, while watching “Miracle on 34th Street” for the hundredth time. Hot cocoa with a candy cane stirrer completes the tradition for me!
I started a new tradition of making donuts after Shabbat (the Sabbath) ends on Saturday night during Chanukah. I’ve been doing it the last several years and it is so fun and so delicious. A great activity to share with people.
My favorite tradition is putting up a nativity in the livingroom.
I love the tradition of going to Christmas Eve church services then coming home and opening one present before Santa comes and leaves his presents. That is my simple tradition. However since mother died those traditions have died as well.
My favorite tradition is Christmas morning pancakes. We are a small family of three, plus the family pups, but Christmas morning we come together for pancakes and presents. Later my husband and I will have a traditional Christmas dinner, but itâs the breakfast I love.
My favorite tradition is watching old Christmas movies on TV like “It’s a Wonderful Life”, “It Happened on 5th Avenue”, “White Christmas” and “Miracle on 34th Street”.
Christmas morning opening gifts with family.
My favorite holiday traditions are making potato pancakes, sending a gift for each of 8 nights to my granddaughter, and lighting the menorah candles. We are carrying on a tradition of hundreds of years.
Midnight Mass. Simply stunning. But I have a second one and that is homemade mushroom soup made by a recipe brought from ancestors from the Czech Republic over 130 years ago! It is made from the broth of the Thanksgiving turkey bones.
Thank you for covering all aspects embroidery in beautiful, clear instructions and illustrations!
My holiday tradition is setting up the manger set. My grandfather built a manger and my grandmother bought figurines for it. They gave one to each of their daughters and I inherited mine from my mother. I remember setting up the manger as a child. We would unwrap each of the figurines and my mother would tell me we need to find the baby Jesus to put him in the manger. I remember as a child the feeling of joy I got if I found the baby Jesus. At 70 years old, I still get that feeling when I find the baby Jesus.
My favorite holiday tradition is to rewatch holiday movies from my past.
Hi. Favorite traditional – in keeping with Dutch heritage, a tree trimming family gathering early in December – Sinta Klaas. We buy and share a full wheel of Dutch Gouda cheese between the 4 households. Thankyou Mary
My favorite holiday tradition is a dinner on December 21st. The Solstice, the longest night of the year is a great time to get together with friends. We light a Yule log and drink spiced apple cider to ring in the coming of the light.
My favorite tradition is opening Christmas presents with my grandkids on Christmas eve.
My favorite tradition is sitting around the table with family with Christmas music playing in the back ground and having our holiday meal
Our family started a new tradition 10 years ago where we only need to bring one gift to our gathering. It is sort of like the white elephant exchange, but with a twist. Each gift must be hand-made by the giver. There have been some very clever items made and keepsakes given.
I have heartwarming memories of lighting the candles for Chanukah. The first night starts with two candles – the shamash candle, which is used to light all the other candles, and one candle for the first night. By the eighth and last night of Chanukah, nine candles stood in the menorah, each giving off a warming glow. I was mesmerized by the flames as the candles burned, the wax slowly dripping, and I would think of all the different people all over the world doing the same.
My favorite tradition is definitely spending Christmas with all my children and grandchildren. Three of them plan the games we play and as always the white elephant gift exchange. Love and laughter fills the air and I thank God we have this. Ginny
Favorite Holiday Tradition
While it has long been a tradition in my family to invite others without family to share our Christmas celebration, the one year we had a relaxing Christmas with just our immediate family was really special as well. Everyone stayed in their jammies, opening one present at a time and “processing” that present as a group before opening the next present, all the while “grazing” on finger food snacks.
Favourite tradition .. phoning all family in the morning on Christmas day, as I don’t live near anyone that I can visit.
This would be to help tech my Granddaughter as she live quite a long way from me now.
I wish everyone good luck and a peaceful Christmas.
~ Louise
Singing and playing holiday music together in groups is definitely my favorite holiday tradition.
Eating Christmas lazagna!
My favourite, and most recent, family tradition is the Zoom meeting, uniting all the family members online for an hour’s chat and catch=up. Just brilliant.
My favorite tradition is the service of lessons & carols at church. I love singing the Christmas carols & hearing the story of Jesusâ birth.
My favorite holiday tradition is making Christmas Tree Ornaments for my three grandsons. I embroider, or cross stitch ornaments and notate their name and the year on each ornament. My intention is that when they leave home they each will have a box of ornaments that Nana made for them, year by year. Something to remember me by.
Of course to be with my family, is my fave tradition but this will not happen this year.
Louise ~
My favorite tradition when parents and in-laws were still with us. both sides came (about 15 people) to my house for Christmas as I had the youngest kids. Family heritage included Italian, Scottish/English, Russian/Polish Jewish. I would incorporate a dish or two to represent all nationalities. Italian , was my grandmother’s antipasta and Mom would bring Italian pastries from the bakery, English Scottish, came beef of some kind and Yorkshire pudding, Polish Russian, Stuffed Cabbage from father in law’s mother’s recipe and Russian Honey Cakes.
âWhatâs your favorite holiday tradition?â
Every year well before the Christmas Season, I come up with homemade gifts to give special recipients. Through the years Iâve given baked goods, knitted accessories, sewn items, embroidered items; Iâve even made Nativities from sticks out of my own yard (this has been my most popular by far!)
Iâve already started on 2025 Christmas gifts: sets of 6 snowflake Biscornu ornaments (2â wide). So far, the cross-stitched snowflakes are turning out beautifully. Canât wait to get to my favorite part, assembling the Biscornu!
Merry Christmas, 2024! And a Happy, Prosperous and Healthy 2025!
We always give thanks for everything we have before we have our Christmas dinner.
My favorite holiday tradition is making the Christmas cookies!
My favorite holiday tradition is putting a chocolate orange in everyone’s stocking.
When my father was young, his family was poor and it was the end of the Great Depression, but even if it was all they got, they got an orange in their stocking. I carried on when I started my own family. Decades ago, before chocolate oranges became popular here, I saw Terry’s Chocolate Oranges in a catalog and decided to order those (from England, at $15 an orange plus shipping, I think) and they were such a hit I’ve been putting those in our stockings ever since. It’s nice that they are so widely available now, but I was way ahead of the curve on this one (astonishingly!).
My favorite holiday tradition is piling everyone in the car at night and driving around to admire the Christmas light displays.
My favorite holiday tradition is lighting the candles on Solstice. Welcome the Light.
My favorite stitch is straight stitch. With it you can baste, draw a line, Kantha, Sashiko, make marks, darn, and make a seam.
Merry Christmas to everyone at the Needle nâ Thread.
Love the holidays! Baking cookies is my favorite thing to do at Christmas! Always think of my dear mother, who always made Christmas so special for all of us.
Watching national lampoons Christmas Vacation movie with Chevy Chase and laughing. The best!!
My favorite Christmas tradition is the candlelight service at church on Christmas Eve.
My favorite holiday tradition is the homemade Advent calendars my sisters, sisters-in-law, daughter-in-law, and nieces make every year. It is something my mom saw in a magazine (though vastly different than what she ended up creating) about 60 years ago, and the tradition continues. We make about 30 every year for friends and family. They’re made out of old Christmas cards (and any kind of card that has any cute detail like “lace” or hearts or anything).
My favorite Christmas tradition is going to see the beautiful Christmas lights on homes. I really love the multicolored lights on most decorations.
I’m a middle school teacher and one of my favorite holiday traditions is to read Lemony Snicket’s “The Lump of Coal” to my kids. Its a sweet story about miracles and being yourself.
My favorite holiday tradition is making cutout cookies. I love all the shapes and seeing how each person chooses to decorate them. Plus they are delicious!
My favorite holiday tradition is all about the food. On Christmas Eve we have a lovely assortment of flavors from around the world. Cheeses, meats, salmon, crackers, fruits,
veges, nuts, desserts, ….. It’s fun, but we have to work to not eat too much since it is so good!
The first time the lights on the tree are turned on is magical. We look forward to dusk, just to enjoy those moments each evening that return us to a sparkling world.
Thanks for all the work you put into the posta, and for sharing your love for, and mastery of embroidery.
Favorite “holiday” tradition? What happened to Christmas?
My favorite Christmas holiday tradition is everyone getting together.
My favourite holiday tradition is decorating the house and Christmas tree with all the decorations which we have collected over the years and remembering when we bought them or made them, particularly the ones made by our daughter when she was in primary school.
Hi Mary,
Happy Holidays!!
My favorite holiday tradition is burning bayberry candles all the way down on Christmas Eve. This is for good luck and prosperity in the coming year. My mother did this every year and I’ve continued the tradition. My children have taken it up as well.
Thanks for your wonderful postings.
Sandra F. In NY
Goodness! How does a Christmas lover choose just one favorite holiday tradition? During the season there are so many special moments: lighting the advent candles, watching Christmas movies, snuggling in front of the fire with my family, parties!! But I suppose decorating the Christmas tree tops the list. This time-honored tradition in our house can really set the mood – each ornament (many of them handmade) a reminder of earlier Christmases with friends and family.
Thank you for the question, Mary – and the memories it conjures.
Erin R.
While this tradition is only 5 years in the making, I hope it continues for many years to come: Every year, since we first got Tally, our beloved Pembroke Welsh Corgi, I have made her a decorated “bone” for her very own wreath. It is fun to create a different one each year, with felt and embroidery, buttons and trim.
My favourite holiday tradition – on Christmas eve meeting with others at 11:30pm for a time of worship and then a midnight reflection seeing us into Christmas day. Make the Reason for the Season extra special
My most favorite Christmas Tradition is the gathering of famiy for Christmas Dinner on Christmas day. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE! Thank you for the wonderful giveaways.
My favorite holiday tradition is decorating sugar cookies with my grandchildren.
My favorite holiday tradition is going to a Christmas tree farm as a family and cutting down our tree. We began this when our daughter was a baby 40 years ago and now go with her own children. We visit the same family tree farm, which is now run by the next generation.
Oh boy, Mary, the give-away gifts just keep getting better and better! My favorite holiday tradition is my neighbor’s exchange of holiday treats. We have a friendly community, and each year we give and get small holiday treats to each other. The best of the holiday spirit.
My favourite christmas tradition is making the Victorian christmas cake in late November. Setting the fruit to soak in sherry first for a couple of days and I just love the smell as I lift the lid to stir it now and again. Then there is the appetising cooking smell throughout the house a couple of days later, when all ingredients have been incorporated, added to the cake tin and popped in the oven. Heaven!!
My favorite holiday tradition, after Christmas Mass, is eating the Christmas cakes I made in November. I marinate them in orange brandy and the way it mingles and brings out the favors of the dried fruit and citrus peel…..
My favorite holiday tradition is to get together with family. It doesn’t matter what we do or what we eat. This family doesn’t even need to be blood relatives – it could be made up of people that have become like family. Some years, the get-togethers have had to be ‘phoned’ in. True, not the same warm hug experience… but a warm feeling just the same.
My favorite holiday tradition: My family, children, and grandchildren go out to our favorite Asian restaurant on Christmas Eve. We did this before we had in-laws and grandchildren. We have seen several boyfriends come and go over the years, and two of them became family. Now we have grandchildren gracing our table. This meal is the best part of our holiday. Food, family, conversations, and love.
I love midnight mass then coming outside and its snowing stars are out and family eats shrimp and fish when we get home
My favorite Christmas traditions involve making snowball cookies, which taste best with hickory nuts from the tree down by the road at my childhood home in PA, and singing Silent Night by candle light, a’capella, at the Christmas Eve service. The best!
My favorite holiday tradition is singing carols. When I was at university in London, Canada, I organized a group of us to go caroling I’m my neighborhood – it was not something the locals were used to but it was a lot of fun!
My favorite Christmas tradition is sipping onwarm eggnog with whipped cream on top.
Christmas Eve Family dinner of the Italian tradition of the âseven fishesâ! Merry Christmas to all!
Eggnog and stollen
I enjoy reading your website. The projects are exquisite.
My favorite holiday tradition is church on Christmas Eve followed by dinner with the same menu each year. Also love getting together with family sometime during the week.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Baking traditional German Christmas cookies. I start in November so that the lebkuchen, springerle, and stollen have time to mature. I guess my ultimate favorite would be having to quick dry glaze on the haeberlein with a blow dryer so they are ready for Christmas Eve!
I enjoy multiple Christmas Traditions. One of my favorites is putting up the Christmas tree with ao many decorations and twinkling lights. The tree is also a wonderful inspiration for embroidery designs.
Ms. Corbet, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Pumpkin Pie!
I love Christmas baking – all the sweet and spicy smells and flavours. Plus the joy it brings to give it away for others to enjoy as well.
My favorite Christmas tradition is church on Christmas Eve followed by a relaxed hors-dâoeuvre dinner that always includes fondue.
My favorite holiday tradition is setting up the Christmas tree. All of the ornaments are memories of people and places that are important in our lives. And, we add new ornaments each year.
My favorite holiday tradition is displaying Christmas handwork made by my family and friends .
My favorite Christmas tradition is the annual Gum Drop cake from my beloved sister. Our mother baked this cake for us every year even mailing it to my brother when he was overseas during the Iraq war! After our mom passed away my sister took up the tradition. Once I get that cake it IS Christmas!!
My favorite Holiday tradition is the big extended family Christmas dinner, where everyone brings dishes and we all share, catch up and have fun!
My family has decorated Christmas cookies together since I was a kid. It is such a nice way to spend an afternoon together.
Thank you Mary, and Search Press, for giving away two great books.
My favorite tradition is Baking cookies, and watching Christmas movies while stitching.
My daughter and I started a new holiday tradition back in 2016 after a particularly awful year. We just couldnât do the holidays as usual with all the losses, sadness, and drama that year. So ever since then, we go to the fanciest, most expensive restaurant in the city on Christmas Eve and have whatever we wantâno looking at the prices allowed! Have mixed drinks or wine and even have (gasp) dessert! Why? Because we are worth it!
My favorite holiday tradition is decorating the Christmas tree. We turn the lights on first and add each ornament, watching them twinkle and interact with the lights.
Favorite tradition: making handcrafted items and decorations.
Carol B
I love following along with your projects. I may not always DO the actual project but I store that inspiration away for something I might do later. I belong to an embroidery guild and use your site often as reference. Thanks!
(Second post as I think I didnât do it right the first time)
Whatâs your favorite holiday tradition?
Getting together with family and seeing all the Christmas Stockings hung to be filled.
We have a big family dinner on Christmas Eve and play cards all night.
My favorite tradition is listening on the radio to the Nine Lessons and Carols, which is broadcast around the world from King’s College at Cambridge University in England.
Thank you, Mary, for doing these lovely give-aways.
My favorite Christmas tradition is putting up my first letters to Santa on my mantle. They are hilarious and bring me joy. My brother was only a baby at the time so I had to write for both of us. I asked for everything: dolls, toy kitchen, books, a bike etc. For my brother, I asked for a Golden Book that I also wanted. I am still the Christmas girl in my family. My brother gets better gifts however.
I love this website. I have learned so many useful tips and tricks to stitching and I know that Mary teaches the proper way to do the stitches so that my work ends up looking professional. Thank you Mary for caring to make our work the best. Barbara Raines.
My favorite holiday tradition is far and away cookie making!! No question there.
When my granddaughter was 2, we took a picture of her with a giant, stuffed Frosty we had gotten. He was almost twice her size. We’ve taken that same picture every year. She’s now 24 and picks up Frosty to give him a hug.
My favorite holiday tradition is Christmas brunch at my oldest daughter’s house. We started doing brunch after she and her husband got married almost 13 years ago. They now have 3 boys and it gets kinda crazy! But we always have a great time…and mimosas!
Making candy and delivering it to friends on Christmas Eve.
When my boys were very young some friends and I made Advent Jessee Trees and devionals for each of our families. Each ornament, depicting a Bible story, was made of felt. A big felt tree was sticky-tacked to a wall and after reading the days devotional one of my boys would place an ornament on the tree. I loved that the Advent Jessee Tree gives an overview of the Bible’s theme of God’s love and redemption through Jesus for those who truly love and bow their hearts to Him. Wonderful family memories of sharing with our sons what Christmas is all about. Our sons are grown and on their own now, but they each have a set to use with their own family.
My favorite holiday tradition is delivering neighborhood Christmas gifts. It is a happy time chatting with friends and wishing joy and safe travels to one another. Merry Christmas to all of you!
Thank You Mary, for all the wonderful tips and instructions, and questions answered, you have provided to all of us stitchers for so many years. And of course the eye-spy puzzles that have given us hours of fun!!!
My favorite Christmas tradition is getting together and being with friends and family. That is the most important thing to me, and at 79 years old, that is what matters. Happy Holidays to everyone
I love going to the candlelight service at church on Christmas Eve! It just wouldn’t be Christmas without it!
Favorite holiday traditionâŠgoing to church Christmas Eve at 5 pm followed by prime rib dinner with family, opening gifts and then enjoying homemade Christmas treats together.
My favorite holiday tradition is probably our stockings. They are always filled – overflowing – sometimes turning into an extra grocery bag filled with gifts! Each year we moan that itâs too much and the next year we revel in doing them again. My dad and I always go shopping for my moms stocking on the 23rd or 24th – a sort of pre tradition tradition.
Mary,
My favorite Christmas tradition is singing Christmas carols. Anyone can sing them and if youâre in church you can belt them out.
Thanks
Melinda
Years ago, my older sister gave me a set of dishes for two with a matching book. All these items were adorned with holly and the words âA Cup of Christmas Teaâ. For many years we would get together before Christmas day and use her gift of china to have our cup of Christmas tea. My sister now has dementia and is in a nursing home too far from me. But to this day, before Christmas, I still sit quietly with all my pleasant memories of her, and enjoy a cup of Christmas tea.
My favorite holiday tradition is making cookies!
My favorite holiday tradition is wrapping up in something warm, jumping in the car, and driving around looking at holiday lights. When I was young the whole family, including my grandmother, would ride around looking at all the wonderous light displays. It was magical. We carry on that tradition with my own family now that I am an adult.
My favorite holiday tradition is baking and eating Date and Nut bread. It is so good, especially with Eggnog !!!
My favorite holiday tradition decorating the trellis we use instead of a tree. It’s a beautiful Asian style trellis. It fits up against a wall, so it uses less space. All the ornaments can e seen all the time. And my husband’s not allergic to it.
Favorite tradition – reading The Night Before Christmas aloud on Christmas Eve
My favorite holiday tradition is making Christmas cookies with my daughters. They are both grown now and I have added a daughter in law to the cookie baking, but it is truly my favorite part of Christmas.
My favourite Christmas tradition is opening the Advent calendars each morning. No, not those with chocolate, although we do have one of those that was knitted several years ago by a friend.
These are stitched calendars where we have to guess which ornament will come out of its back next. Believe me, it is not easy. We have only guessed one correct on two calendars and two on another. We have seven altogether, the first was a Bucilla felt stocking kit bought by my daughter. The second was also a Bucilla kit that was on offer at a price too good to miss.
Calendars three and four were also Bucilla kits, then I got more adventurous when I bought a Jane Greenoff cross stitch design. It took me until this year to get around to making the ornaments for it as it didn’t come with any.
I also turned our 18-inch Christmas tree into a calendar with the three sets of tiny Mill Hill kits. I had made those a few years ago and used them as decorations, but turning the tree into yet another calendar did seem like a good idea at the time.
My piĂšce de rĂ©sistance has to be the cross stitch calendar made using leftover threads, some with a bit of sparkle, and other stuff from my stash. All the charts came from an American booklet I bought way back in the 1980’s. I have used those charts loads of times for small cards, cracker tops, etc. But they look their best on this particular calendar. I made a felt bag for all the pieces to go in which also has a panel with more of the charts from the booklet. There are 100 charts, several of which I have still not used. Maybe Advent calendar number eight might be on my 2025 list of things to do! đ
Making Christmas Cookies and candy
Favorite Holiday Traditions. I love to listen to Handel’s Messiah each Christmas.
Absolute favorite Christmas tradition is the Advent wreath and our family Sunday evening Advent Readings. A time after dinner – just 20-30 minutes – for us to be still, not rush from the table, to enjoy Christmas cookies and tea, to read and reflect on what Christmas means, and to connect as a family. As our children have entered teen years (and no longer need coloring pages to keep still), the time seems even sweeter. They still argue over whose Sunday to light and snuff the candles. Haha!
I’d really like the RSN Stitch Bank: 200 Essential Embroidery Stitches if there’s a choice.
My favorite Christmas traditions — wow that’s hard; we actually start celebrating with the 1st Sunday of Advent so… advent wreath and devotions, Christmas Eve service, cantata, children’s pageant, Handel’s Messiah, nativities (have a collection), cookies… all with family and friends!
My favorite holiday tradition is having friends for a holiday party, having good food and conversation and maybe even some Christmas carols thrown in.
Love the RSN and their library of stitches. The Toronto Guild of Stitchery sponsored the Greek Filling Stitch!
My favorite holiday tradition would be going to a “real” midnight mass. I mean “real” because nowadays so many are at 10:00 at night not when I was growing up. It was midnight and yes people did fall asleep young and old but I heard the legend that when it becomes midnight and Christmas day the animals bow down for the Christ child’s birth. Wouldn’t that be a wonder?
My favorite is the Christmas day dinner. With all family and friends!!!
Evening church service with my family, ending with candles lit while singing Silent Night. Always gives me a heart bursting with love & tears in my eyes.
Bringing out a big puzzle – biggest we ever did was 6,666 pieces! We put a puzzle coat on it and nailed it to the wall in the family room. One piece was missing – we had a wee dog at the time – we covered it with a label with the names of all the people who worked on it.
Favourite holiday tradition is sitting by the wood stove planning next year!
My grandmother’s black cherry salad, which I am sure came from a womens’ magazine, but I love the stuff!
My favorite tradition is making christmas cookies to give away with my daughters.
I love setting up the nativity scene every year.
Decorating the house and Christmas tree. I always love thinking about where the piece Iâm putting up came from or who made it. Gives me great joy!
My favourite holiday tradition is going to a candlelight service at church.
We made almond roca and nuts and bolts every Christmas. I have also have made my two daughters a tree ornament every year and when they left home I gave them each a box of their ornaments.
Now they have two little ones each and I am making each of them an ornament.
Thanks
My favourite holiday tradition is having all the family Christmas afternoon laughing and enjoying each otherâs company; eating, opening presents and being together.
Favorite tradition: Christmas Eve we have a seafood feast – lots of family and great seafood. Christmas Day is our homemade pizza and play games all day. Even though the grands are adults their mother buys a new game that we can all play. And pjâs are the dress code for the day.
My favorite holiday tradition has been playing Christmas Bingo with my kids on Christmas eve. We started this when the kids were young. Now they are adults with kids of their own and we all play together. The winner prize used to be $1 bills. I think now we have to up it to $5! Merry Christmas to you and thanks for all your inspiration this year!
Homemade Christmas Crackers after dessert, and wearing the crowns.
Also, putting the glass pineapple on top of the tree.
I actually like to listen to Handel’s Messiah as one of my favorite traditions. Pam C.
My favorite tradition is making crepes for Christmas dinner, both sweet and savory.
While there are many, one that we have kept for the past 45 years is the decorated gingerbread house. The very first few were done exclusively by me (mom), but as soon as I was able to tolerate the mess, each kid made their own house. I would make the naked gingerbread houses, put out loads of different candies, and fill numerous piping bags with royal icing and let them go!!! After they had eaten a fair amount of candy, they would tackle decorating their houses. The rule was that they couldn’t be eaten until Christmas day and thereafter (they lasted for weeks). Eventually we altered the rule so that the landscaping could be eaten before Christmas, but not the house (until after). Well….. you can imagine what happened then!! The older they got, the more clever they got — soon pouring candy into the windows of their houses! They also did get quite creative through the years, as well. We had a guitar house, a gymnasium, and EMT squad house, and more. The kids have continued this tradition with THRIR kids, and it is just a whole lotta fun!
Seeing the rivers in Chicago dyed green for St. Patrick’s Day.
My favorite holiday tradition is putting up the decorations. I love listing to Christmas music while we decorate. It never fails to get me in the spirit. And there are all of those sparkly things…
Thanks so much for posting give-aways. I am having a little trouble reading on the computer so I am focusing more on referring to the printed word. Lovely idea.
My favorite tradition is trimming the tree. All the different ornaments bring back memories of family, trips, friends, and fun time stitching many of them.
I love decorating the cut out cookies with my kids (all adults now) and grandkids. They are a mess but we have a lot of fun
Christmas stocking on the morning of the 25th.
I love your work, and tutorials very much! Thank you for what you do.
Thanks for all your posts. I enjoy learning about more, different stitches and appreciate the lovely colors.
Thank you for all your inspiration! Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas. My favourite holiday tradition is our Christmas Eve dinner, 12 meatless dishes with just family, with Santa paying us a visit giving a small gift.
Iâm not one for âfavoritesâ so Iâll just choose something I loveâsitting in with just the Christmas tree lights on and taking some alone time for quiet reflection, especially on the birth of the Savior.
My favorite tradition is having a glass of champagne while opening gifts
My favorite holiday tradition is Christmas Eve – during the day it is spend with family – relaxed and just wonderful!
Gathering with family and having a potluck on Christmas Day.
One of our traditions is kind of strangeâŠwhen weâre wrapping gifts, we use famous fictional names for the giver and recipient. Bonus points if they are characters from Christmas stories! For our son, for instance, it will be to Tiny Tim from Bob and Emily. Itâs always fun to see what everyone chooses for their gift tags!
It would be so awesome to win!! Love your emails and how your instructions are! Thank you so much for being there for beginners!!
My favorite holiday tradition is playing Christmas carols with my English Handbell Choir at various nursing homes and local community events! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
My favorite holiday tradition is baking/making Christmas treats. The smells (especially my grandmother’s fudge recipe) are so nostalgic. My mom would make fudge every Christmas when I was little and now all I have to do is smell fudge being made and it automatically equals “Christmas” in my mind. Plus making cookies is a really fun activity for my kids (well, they decorate – they are still quite young) and it brings everyone to do something together.
My favorite holiday tradition is getting out all the decorations and decorating the tree. We have lots of handmade decorations made by us and by others. Lots of great memories with those. I love all the lights and colors on the tree.
Making Christmas cookies!
My favorite tradition is Midnight Mass.
My favorite holiday tradition is simple: spending time with my family. With today’s life being so busy for us all, I don’t get enough time to spend with my family. I greatly look forward to spending Christmas morning with my daughters and the grands, watching everyone open their presents and enjoying a good meal together. To me, that’s what Christmas is all about.
The trees win this one for me. We used to decorate several, highlighting various ornament collections. It’s hard work thoughâthe taking down especially. So we don’t do as much as we used to, but I still miss them.
Thanks for the opportunity to win these books.
I often teach at our local embroiderers guild and ALWAYS add two references to my teaching notes âŠ.. MaryCorbet and RSN stitch book. What a wonderful generous person you must be ⊠you freely impart SO much needlework knowledge to us all.. Thank you the world needs more Mary Corbets right now.
Definitly the turkey and everything around it. The rituals for buying all the ingredients, the preparations and finaly the dinner with the closest family. IÂŽve preparing the same recipe that may grand mother used to cook, then my mother and now me and hope my son will continue the tradition
Probably my favorite tradition is making Christmas ornaments for my grandchildren, great nieces and nephews, and close friends.
That and entering your Christmas give-aways.
Merry Christmas
Hi,
Christmas diner at my parents house, with turkey of course and Xmas stockings with all our family!
Merry Christmas to you all!
My favorite holiday tradition is bringing out my quilted Santa and placing it on my mantle each year. The reason is the Santa was created from the last quilt my maternal grandmother made and it was pieced and quilted by hand. There was a lady who took old quilts and made Santaâs and when I learned about her I took that quilt to her and she was able to create 6 Santaâs from it allowing me to share them with my daughters and other family members. The Santaâs are embellished with my motherâs old fur jackets and each one has embellishments according to their personalities. Mine has a sewing basket filled with kittens on his arm. This tradition always allows me those special moments to reflect upon this grandmother who passed down her love of stitching.
Definitely Christmas in July art-and-crafting.
Moravianâs celebrate Lovefeasts at special times of the year. A Lovefeast is the showing of Gods love by sharing a simple meal.
The Christmas Eve Lovefeast is the most popular because it is such a beautiful service. It begins with a reading of the Christmas story from Luke. Congregants sing beloved Christmas carols as the dieters serve Lovefeasts buns and coffee. Moravian coffee is twice brewed, the second brewing contains sugar and milk. Everyone waits to partake until we say the Moravian blessing. As we eat the choir sings and the brass band plays.
Once the dieners collect the empty mugs the light are lowered and lighted beeswax candles trimmed with red ribbons are distributed. A young person will sing, antiphonally with the congregation, Morning Star. After a few words from the pastor explaining that Christ is the light of the world we sing a beautiful hymn and during the last verse we raise our candles indicating our faith in Christ.
I enjoy the rush of finishing up the last gift
My favorite holiday tradition is shopping for and decorating our Christmas tree. I love visiting the tree lots and the smelling the wonderful pine scent! No artificial trees in our house! My husband puts the tree in the stand, adds water, puts the lights on, and then I finish the decorating. Our tree decorations include many handmade ornaments made by our sons when they were young, and each year brings back some very special memories.
Trimming the tree on Christmas Eve.
Opening presents Christmas morning with family and a roaring fire in the fireplace.
What’s your favorite holiday tradition? My favorite tradition is using all of the various tablecloths, runners and other things I’ve made by hand to dress the dinner table. Many have been sewn, others embroidered. I’ve even created handmade napkin rings using petit point (something I learned growing up in Canada – it’s not very well known in the US). I created the pattern myself to match the placemats I sewed (butterflies). I feel I can pass these things onto my children so they can enjoy them for even more years to come! I also want to start a new tradition, and that is to embroider linens for my church for the communion table. I’m working on a second set right now – another beautiful way to express my faith and share with the whole congregation! You’ve been instrumental in finding resources for my new tradition, and I want to thank you very much. Merry Christmas!
Decorating the Christmas tree and putting ornaments up around the house. I have more!! Merry Christmas
My familyâs favorite
My favourite holiday tradition is hiding this macrame angel my Mom got back in the 70’s as a Secret Santa gift. For years ‘Harold’ had a hoop to hang on a door knob but then at some point people would find him in the bottom of their bed when they headed off for their Christmas night slumber or hanging in the shower in the morning. One year my niece tucked him in a spot in the back of my SUV … it took me awhile to find it there and then the next year I tucked it back into the same spot when I knew I was driving my niece somewhere. I remember her trying to be quiet telling her Mom it was still in the same spot. Merry Christmas!
Every Christmas getting a stitched ornament from my mom. She has passed on and I am trying to do the same for my children and grandchildren.
My familyâs favorite holiday tradition as a child was to wake up early and open up smaller gifts in our stockings!
I love putting up the tree and drinking eggnog
My favorite holiday tradition is our christmas eve listen to dylan thomas recording of A Childs Christmas in Wale. Just lovely!
So many holiday traditions to pick from, but my favorite as a child was getting to open one gift on Christmas Eve!
Hi Mary,
Thank you for organising this. My favourite holiday tradition is Christmas Lunch with my immediate family.
Happy Christmas. Jenny in Bris
Cookie baking. I hardly make them the rest of the year!
Favourite holiday tradition in the Southern Hemisphere is having boned out stuffed turkey for family lunch.
Our Christmas Eve is spent playing games and opening pajamas.
Making âfootprints â using flour in the house after Santa came to visit.
Favourite holiday tradition – Christmas Dinner of turkey and all the trimmings with family followed by games.
I love making cookies with frosting to give away! The Grandkids love doing this and adding sprinkles. I did it with my kids also for years! It is a wonderful way to spend time with people you love!
Pam Wesselink
My sister and I get together each year to make cranberry relish. We use an old hand crank meat grinder one of us cranks and one feeds the hopper. When the crank arm gets tired. We have a lot of fun goofing around.
I love putting out my nativity set collection. I have enough to cover most surfaces in the house.
My favorite holiday tradition is baking Stollen and cookies with my mother. We spend about two weeks getting all the goodies baked.
My favorite tradition is Christmas Eve Mass.
Family, dinner and drinks, games, children opening gifts
I would absolutely LOVE to have Santa give me either one of these books. Besides loving to stitch I am a bona fide bibliophile! đ
I love listening to the Christmas music.
Breakfast! When our daughter was small, I always made sure we all had breakfast before digging into our stockings (chocolate!) She would be so excited that she could barely sit still, but breakfast was first! Now that she’s grown, it is our first laugh of the day. I always say, “Oh, well, we’re all adults here, we could skip breakfast, just this once.” And she always replies, “Oh no! We HAVE to have breakfast first!”
Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year of stitching!!
Oops! Forgot to answer the question !!! My favorite holiday tradition is singing Christmas carols at parties with my friends. (Would love to have a copy of one of the books!)
Still more room on the bookshelf for more embroidery resources.
My favorite holiday tradition is listening to old classic holiday songs
continued……I forgot to post my favorite holiday tradition in my previous comment. Making gifts for needy children. This year we gave dolls with wardrobe’s, carrying bag and quilts our guild made, to children in need. Giving is a blessing!!
My favourite Christmas tradition is celebrating Christmas Eve with a yummy meal of meat pierogi, (painstakingly made by our family weeks before) drizzled with a decadent butter onion sauce. This tradition is a nod to my half heritageâŠPolish. A green salad with citrus fruit balances the meal outâŠ.itâs all very tasty and true comfort food
Hi Mary, Having far flung family together, opening gifts, and cinnamon rolls top the list. Lots of joking and laughter and this year a grandbaby in the mix! Thanks for the giveaway, Lynn
Christmas cookies
My favorite Christmas tradition? Candlelight services on Christmas Eve!
My favorite holiday tradition is making hand made ornaments to exchange with fellow stitchers.
My favorite holiday tradition is spending time with my grandkids – along with books and other Christmas gifts, I get them pajamas to wear on Christmas Eve and an ornament for the tree every year – I do the same for my daughters. They each get something different based on their interests – my 6′ 4″ 16 year-old grandson is a geek, my 9-year-old grandson is all boy who loves any kind of sports, and my 5 year-old granddaughter is a precocious, hilarious girly-girl. They’re so much fun!
I have a tradition with my grandsons. Each year I buy the latest Winter village Lego set. They put it together, then go out in the garage to a cabinet to get the previous sets, still assembled, and they set up the entire village in the house. They are married adults now, but still enjoy doing this. Itâs taking over the house, but itâs very cute. The last two years they also helped set it up in our clubhouse for the entire neighborhood to enjoy.
My favorite Christmas tradition is la Befane tree. This is an Italian tradition that my parents brought over from Italy when they moved to the US. La Befane is an old woman who visits the children on tge evening of Jan 5th. Just before the epiphany.
My favorite holiday tradition is the Christmas Eve Candlelight service at church. Its a reminder of why we are celebrating Christmas
My favorite Christmas tradition is having the grand sons (4 ages 8 to 17) come over to decorate the Christmas tree. Every year a new maturity arises.
My favourite holiday tradition is decorating for Christmas. I’ve been a Christmas ornament collector and maker for my entire life. I have a “very” large collection and love to bring it all out at this time of the year.
Favorite holiday tradition: baking tens of pounds of candied pecans to give away with abandon. To friends, to family, to people who indulge in the small kindnesses that brighten my week
My favorite holiday tradition is St. Nicholas Day. As a child, all of the cousins (19 of us) would gather at my grandparents house, and grandma would have stockings filled with candies, cookies, an orange or tangerine, and a small gift for each one of us. The Christmas tree was up but without ornaments, and we’d decorate the Christmas tree together. My uncles would put the tree topped angel in place, and there would be a big round of applause as the lights were plugged in. I liked it because it focused on coming together, rather than on who got what for Christmas.
My favourite Christmas tradition is making & eating my grandmaâs Christmas pudding.
Tradition! Now Iâm seeing images of âFiddler on the Roofâ! My favorite Christmas tradition will always be the gathering of all my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Although not all can always make it, living so far away, itâs always a joyous gathering with food aplenty and of course a few gifts here and there. Nothing can be better for the holidays!
My favorite holiday tradition is watching first my kids, then my grandchildren and now my great grandchildren open presents on Christmas morning.
My favorite holiday tradition is mimosas and bloody Maryâs with gift opening on Christmas morning!
My favorite holiday tradition is (sad but true!) sleeping as late as I want to. With a zombie mode feeding the cats included.
My favorite Christmas tradition is Christmas Morning Breakfast with the family!
My Sister and I bake cookies. My husband is our quality control guy. He makes sure anything less than perfect is never seen again.
Mimosas and bloody Maryâs with gift opening on Christmas morning!
Every Christmas my friends and family make sure to gather around the piano and sing our way through as many Christmas songs as we can.
I’ve been extremely fortunate this year — brain surgeries in May and September restored the use of my left hand. It’s been three years since I could use every finger so this singing session will be very special.
My favorite holiday tradition, baking all of
our favorite cookies with family. Some of the recipes have been passed down from relatives who were the best cookie bakers.
My favorite tradition is the night we gather with our 3 children, their spouses, and all 7 grands. We enjoy a meal of beef tenderloin and sides, play fun games, and exchange gifts!!! Always a fun affair!!!
Jane Cely
My favorite holiday tradition has changed a lot over the years from when I lived at home, then in a home with my boys when they were young and the now ex-husband. Our current tradition which is part of my old traditions that used to be grapefruit and a coffee cake I used to make (like monkey bread only homemade) which I taught myself how to make in junior high. Now we eat Hostess chocolate covered donettes and chocolate milk for breakfast and Delmonte sectioned grapefruit. I used to make so many cookies and candies and would have an open house. Now I suffer from severe rheumatoid arthritis, and can barely do anything in the kitchen anymore much less the baking that I used to do.
I do love reading books on sewing, embroider, quilting, etc. Even if I can’t always do the craft, I love to read about it and if needed I can tell others what they need to do.
Thank you for your instruction over the years. Have a Merry Christmas and and a Happy New Year!
I love traveling around town on Christmas Eve after church services enjoying the lighted decorations.
Christmas Eve with a special shrimp dish is a tradition begun after we were in a 20 car “bumper car” accident on black ice and abandoned Christmas plans to join the in-laws. Instead we celebrated with shrimp, salad and lots of desserts (which had been intended for our contribution to the extended family dinner – poor them).
When our children were small we always had donuts for breakfast on Christmas Day as they were quick and a treat and we got to presents quicker. My kids are in their 50âs now but in their families they still have donuts for breakfast!
Sue
Our favorite family tradition is to read the Night Before Christmas with everyone adding sound effects. These sounds have greatly changed as our grand children have grown!
Our favorite tradition is making gingerbread people and then decorating them to look like members of the family.
Favorite holiday tradition: making old fashioned molasses cookies from my grandmotherâs recipe. (uses lard)
My favorite Holiday Tradition is attending Midnight Mass. Itâs a beautiful Mass and the choir singing carols before Mass make my heart soar.
My favorite holiday tradition is the making of the candies. Families gather the week before Christmas and make everyone ‘s favorite candy. Then we have a huge meal .
My absolute favorite Christmas tradition here in Ascoli Piceno,Italy, where I live, is Christmas Eve dinner consisting of spaghetti with tuna sauce, baccalĂ , and cauliflower, anchovies, apples etc. Cut in small pieces, dipped in batter and fried
I love to learn new stitches, especially from a book
My favorite holiday tradition is to cuddle up with my 5 dogs, 2 rabbits & 1 cat on the couch across from the fireplace after making them all a home cooked meal from scratch! My husband and I own a small hobby farm, mostly with adopted & neglected animals large & small. We purchase organic veggies and naturally raised meats and non GMO grains and prepare them a feast to show them how committed we are to their happiness all year through.
Our favorite tradition is gathering the family Christmas Eve for dinner and Christmas Eve Service followed by a Holiday movie and cookies!
My favorite holiday tradition serving a Swedish rice pudding with one whole almond in it. Whoever gets the almond will have a great year ahead.
I love making decorations and decorating for Christmas with my daughter!
My favorite tradition is to make one new tree ornament every year.
My favorite tradition is Christmas morning we open packages, one person at a time instead of everyone opening at the same time. It prolongs the anticipation and we focus on each otherâŠâ„ïžâ„ïž
My favourite holiday tradition is eating oysters for breakfast with the family on Christmas morning.
For many years we gather three generations of family together and make small gingerbread houses using graham crackers. We pick out several individuals from church or our community that have had a hard year, are mostly alone, etc to share some love and joy with our little houses. It always amazes me the level of joy they bring. Several we keep and decorate our homes.
How amazing to have a chance to win one of these fabulous books, THANK YOU, and have a very Merry Christmas
My favorite holiday tradition is Christmas Eve church service. It’s a simple way to change your focus onto what’s important.
One of my favorite holiday traditions is doing a cookie exchange with my 3 sisters and several cousins. Yum!
Time with family and looking at the holiday yard decorations.
A long and favorite tradition in the family is opening all of the handmade gifts. We are a family of makers of both cards and gifts. This year I am presenting an embroidered pancreas to the newest doctor in the family.
My favourite Christmas tradition is stockings on Christmas morning. Itâs wonderful to see the thoughtful things family have added to each stocking! Often a surprise or two!
Favorite trading for Christmas is going to pick and cut our tree after thanksgiving
Picking out a tree after thanksgiving
My favorite tradition (in “my” house) is my Christmas village. It’s very large and takes me several days to put up. I love to sit and look at it, every morning with my coffee. I also love making the “goodies” for the season- waaay too many, LOL. But my favorite thing of the season (which isn’t really a “tradition”) is the anticipation. I love the days leading up to “the day”. I just love everything about the season…
My very favorite holiday tradition is sitting at night with only the holiday lights on and just feeling grateful.
My favorite holiday tradition is baking for my familyâŠalthough it wears me out!
My favorite tradition used to be family baking. I still have the family recipes but now the family is far too spread out to gather together and bake on the weekend before Christmas. I think our last baking weekend was in 2017. Now we gather on Skype, crossing three timezones. Everyone is in and out, showing off new family members, gifts, silly outfits… It is fun because we usually get to see people who would not be able to attend a normal, physical get together event due health their health issues or weather in the greater North East or the high mountain regions of the country. There is also the fact that none of us have a house big enough for much more than a nuclear family event. It makes me miss my grandparents’ home with three acres, four bedrooms, multiple baths, and a formal dining room for 12, with the kids eating in the den.
It may sound a bit twee, but my favorite Christmas tradition is simply being with family. I no longer live in the country of my birth, and earlier today my mother was admitted to a care home, so I am really feeling how important it is to be surrounded by family at this time of year.
Merry Christmas to all, and hug your loved ones close.
My son, daughter-in-law, and I go to Music Box Theatre in Chicago on Christmas Eve to watch âItâs a Wonderful Life,â join in the sing-along, and ring sleigh bells. The auditorium is packed, and everyone is in high, holiday spirits.
I love the family coming together at Christmas.
Christmas eve service at churchâand being with family.
My favorite holiday tradition is actually a fairly recent one. Over the years, my husband and I have collected a bunch of outdoor lighted 3-D tinsel dog ornaments. Theyâre mostly Corgis. Every year we add on to our Corgiville Christmas display. Currently, there are 19 dogs on our front lawn.
My favorite holiday tradition in the Christmas Eve service with the Christmas carols sung between the Bible readings.
Caroling
Candlelight service
Love making potato pancakes to celebrate Hanukkah
Making lefse. It is a pain in the butt, it makes a mess of any kitchen we cook it in, but there is always love and laughter making it. I had always found another Norwegian to help make it in all but the last city I have moved to. I had to enlist my husband the last few years. It’s not Christmas without lefse
A favorite personal holiday tradition with me is when all is said and done on Christmas Day, to take a deep breath and collapse with a cup of eggnog. Then there are only eleven days left… God bless us, every one!
Ever since we made the move to the countryside eight years back, we’ve been cutting down our own little Christmas tree from the forest on our property. Each year, we choose a spruce that’s either too close to another tree, one that’s on its last legs, or sometimes just the top of a bigger tree to use as our Christmas tree. This has turned into my favorite tradition. The aroma of fresh spruce is so comforting and has truly become the essence of Christmas for us.
We love to drive around on Christmas Eve and look at all the pretty decorations
My favorite holiday tradition is to travel around our town and look at Christmas lights.
My favorite Christmas tradition is the Christmas Eve service, and especially the lighting of everyoneâs candle as we sing âSilent Night.â This year Iâm especially remembering a Christmas Eve a few years ago when my husband (who died last Thursday) sang âStille Nachtâ and then led us in singing it in English.
Iâve been following Mary Corbet as long as I can remember.
I was so grateful for all that she sent us during Covid
This embroidery encyclopedia looks amazingâŠ..
Fingers crossed,
Happy Holidays
Sally D Kelly
Canada
This is a wonderful giveaway. My favourite Christmas tradition is having all the family gathered here.
Favourite tradition, is starting the Christmas lunch and then sitting around the table for the afternoon, chatting and enjoying family.
Things have changed since the kids are gone and all live too far away to travel home every year. Feeling sad since weâre alone, but have a new holiday tradition of volunteering at the community dinner!
Wishing a most Blessed Christmas & the Happiest of New years!!
My favorite holiday tradition is dinner with my family xoxo
My favorite holiday tradition is burning a bayberry candle. According to tradition, lighting the candle should be done either on Christmas Eve or New Yearâs Eve to ensure your household enjoys a year of prosperity and good luck. When you light the candle, allow it to burn until after midnight and to burn out on its own. Do not blow it out. If the candle burns all the way down to the bottom, everyone in the house will be blessed with good luck.
My favorite holiday tradition is making home-made caramels for our friends and family. I just love the personal nature of this gift. And they get rave reviews every year.
My very favorite holiday tradition is, and always has been, making ornaments, cards and decorations specific to the holiday. Christmas, Easter and Valentines are my favorite.
Making the cookies and sweet bread my paternal grandmother made for my family growing up for my father and grandchildren
My favorite holiday tradition is decorating the house, inside and out, the weekend of Thanksgiving. Itâs just hubby and me, but we both love it and go all out. We even use special Christmas dishes for all our meals up until New Years. We live in Alaska so all the twinkling lights really brighten up our darkest month of the year.
My favorite holiday tradition is gathering with family and friends to celebrate the season.
Favorite holiday tradition — baking cookies!
My favourite thing during the holidays is baking cookies, frying latkas and serve them with sour cream and applesauce and making jelly donuts. Very unhealthy but super delicious
My favorite holiday tradition is hosting the family for Christmas Eve dinner.
My favorite holiday tradition is installing my Christmas village. The houses with interior lights, the farm buildings, complete with the farm animals, AND, the gas filling station with the local stationâs name (Rockyâs) all give me joy to install.
Stitching on fabric is a great way to sit down, and have a hobby that produces beautiful stitches and color.
Making and giving gifts to the girls next door, since we donât have kids of our own.
I spent my childhood on the French Riviera, and food has always been at the heart of my favorite traditions. For Christmas dinner in my region, the go-to dish was… oysters! I know it might sound strange to folks in North America, but when youâre surrounded by palm trees instead of pine trees, Christmas definitely takes on a unique vibe!
My favorite tradition is to have a quiet Christmas eve by enjoying a few drinks, sitting in the living room with family and/or friends.
Eating handfuls of my family’s oddball Christmas cookies. Anise & molasses flavored and rolled out 1/8″ thick. They’re cut out using the small hole insert from a donut cutter so it makes about 700 of them; thus the handfuls. Ate them as a tot when my Gram made them and have now reached the stage where my great-grandson is helping cut them out!
We done have family traditions other than to be sure to have coconut cream pie. As a child I remember my uncle and dad having a fight over one, running through the house.
As us babies have now become the family elders, traditions are changing. I did love getting together with cousins for desert on Christmas Eve as it was the one time of year we could spend time to visit. Now my tradition is watching “It’s A Wonderful Life” on Christmas Eve while all the young people visit with friends.
My favorite time is boxing day. Christmas day is fine, but busy. Family get togethers and all, rush and bustle and potential for family explosions. On boxing day every one goes off in their own directions and I am left on my own with my stitching in peace, heaven!
Eating pecan pie with family
When our daughter was about four I found a little pouch to put in the toe of her stocking. Each year her Dad and I placed a piece of jewelry in the pouch for her. She just turned 49 so the tradition has been a lasting one.
My favourite Christmas âtraditionâ is watching the littlest members of the familyâs reaction to the decorations and especially the Christmas tree. Our smallest, at 18 months, could only say âwowâ when he saw the tree. He couldnât take his eyes off it!
My favorite holiday tradition is making Christmas ornaments for everyone who attends my mother’s family’s Christmas Eve celebration.
Each year I make around 20â30 ornaments (although in 2020 I made 42 of them, thanks to being stuck at home!), usually cross stitch but occasionally in crewel, felt appliquĂ©, or other techniques. I put all the ornaments on some small metal trees and let everyone pick one out after dinner. I try to make more ornaments than there are attendees, so nobody gets stuck with one they don’t like, and include a few from past years so people can get a second chance at the old ones.
Occasionally the collection of old ones grows large enough that I can take a year off of making ornaments and focus more on my other projects. (Although I always end up making a few anyway, as it’s nice to have some small mindless cross stitch kits to work on when I’m not feeling up to working on larger projects that take more care and planning.)
I think 2025 might have to be the year of mittens, making your latest project in a dozen different colors to use up some of my stash.
My favourite holiday tradition is putting up the Christmas tree and decorations.
Christmas caroling on Christmas Eve with our church ladies group
Putting up the Christmas tree with all the handmade ornaments or ornaments that have a story.
My favorite holiday tradition is having English Poppers with the holiday dinner. We do it at Thanksgiving and Christmas only . Now that I have grandkids, I am making sure that the tradition continues with them. This year the poppers had wind up Reindeer and a mat to race them on! It was so much fun, along with the paper hats and silly jokes inside.
My favorite Christmas tradition is decorating the Christmas tree. We purchase a live one from a friendâs nursery after Thanksgiving, but leave it in the garage until mid-December so itâs sure to last through New Yearâs. The ornaments come from our family and friends, places we have travelled, and significant events in our lives. The majority of them are hand-made by me, friends, or other crafters. Itâs a lovely way to keep memories alive.
The music. Advent Sundays with O Come, O Come Emmanuel and Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, working our way to the candlelit Christmas Eve service, best if O Holy Night is included, and then the joyful Christmastide songs.
Singing christmas carols throughout the holiday season. If no audience? – the cats will do!
My favorite holiday tradition: When my son was little, Santa started leaving a book at the foot of his bed so that he’d see it first thing when he woke up Christmas morning. This gave his tired parents a little extra sleep. My baby, now 27, moved to Chicago this fall and this is the first Christmas he won’t wake up here. He was very clear that he hoped Santa would continue this tradition in the new apartment. This elf made sure that would happen <3
Hiding a pickle in the Christmas tree.
My favorite holiday tradition is our annual Antique Trek. We have a HUGE antique mall that we go to between Christmas and New Years with the whole family. Usually about 9 or 10 of us go. One member of the family writes up the theme, and the “scavenger hunt” list. We don’t buy the items on the scavenger hunt; we take a picture of the items. At the end of the day we compare photos to see who won the game. We’ve done movie themes like Star Wars, or author themes, like Agatha Christie. (I really love this trip because I hunt for antique embroidery pieces while sort of playing the game…I never win the game, but last year I came home with a 19th century goldwork piece!)
I am always happy to learn new stitches and to refine old favorites.
My favorite holiday tradition is decorating the Christmas tree with holiday movies. We have collected ornaments from every trip we’ve taken and each year we get to remember the trips as we unwrap the ornaments. We have so many ornaments now we have phased out the generic colored balls.
Making Christmas cookies with my family, young and old is a favorite tradition.
My favorite holiday tradition is our morning holiday hike. It gets us outside with nature and calms us down.
My tradition is baking cookies and making family favorite candy and desserts from (sometimes secret) recipes handed down for generations.
Mary, my best wishes for happy holidays to you and your readers!
My favourite holiday tradition is putting up the Christmas tree & decorating with all the old baubles & embroidered ones too!
Baking cookies with my daughter and now with her 2 sons also
When my children were growing up every December we would paint ceramic ornaments. My grandkids also love doing this. We also love Christmas baking. Thanks for the chance to win.
Christmas cookies!
We open family Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve. We make cioppino, avocado ranch salad and have sourdough bread. The youngest one is in charge of handing out the gifts.
I love holiday baking and making my moms famous eggnog recipe!
Thank you for your wonderful website and your exciting giveaways. My daughter and I have so enjoyed all you have done and are doing to share your gift of this beautiful art! I especially love the video tutorials!
It is hard to name just one favorite Christmas tradition with so many that we treasure, but my favorite Christmas tradition is going to Midnight Mass followed by Christmas caroling with as many of our children as can make it at a place where the residents do not get out too much. The bonus to this second tradition is hosting all the practices and hearing a sneak peak during Advent in anticipation of the start of the Christmas season. To name two more because they are instrumental in our home, we also have a magnetic Nativity advent board with 24 boxes and we try to be the first one to remember to put the dayâs magnet on our board! The other tradition is having an empty manger and placing straw in the manger during Advent to soften Jesusâs bed for special acts of quiet sacrifice or charity and then bringing Baby Jesus out on Christmas morning.
Thank you again for your wonderful website!
My favorite Christmas tradition is getting together with family.
My recent holiday tradition is baking cookies for the dogs at the dog park I been walking with a very nice group of people for the8 years and most of us make cookies for the holidays either for the dogs or humans or both.
My favorite holiday tradition is singing carols. I love when some of the radio stations switch over to 24 hour Christmas music.
Our family tradition for the Cbristmas season: As a grandmother, I would spend a Saturday watching the grandkids so the parents could have a day to shop and have dinner alone. The grandkids and I would bake cookies, make artwork, and then decorate said cookies with frosting. By the time the parents came home, the kids were in bed, and the house cleaned. My present to them. As they are now young adults, they still want to make cookies with grandma!
Making Christmas cookies with my mom.
My favorite family tradition is to make Christmas cookies. My maternal grandmother made cookies for her family starting in the late 1940âs through the 1980âs. I remember as a child getting a large box of at least a dozen different kinds of cookies. And they were the time consuming ones too that required molds, a spritz setup, cookie cutters and patience. I make only 4 different kinds but love carrying on her tradition.
I love embroidery and I would be very interested in many of the giveaways and slow at learning because I have MS multiple sclerosis and it affects my hands but I really do love doing it it helps my hands a lot and helps my concentration thank you again and Merry Christmas Roberta Hartman
My favorite holiday tradition is driving around to look at Christmas lights ,seeing how people decorate is so much fun
I love finding a local production of the opera Amahl and the Night Visitors to watch and making stöllen for gifts!
My favorite holiday tradition is the new tradition I’ve set: sleeping in late!
My husband and I have a tradition of just driving through our local neighborhoods and looking at all the decorations.
My favourite holiday tradition is one I’ve made up for myself – stitching more than usual in a day!!
Having Fondue on Christmas Eve with my family!
Thank you Mary for all you do for stitchers around the world.
Our favourite Christmas tradition now our children are grown up is a glass of bubbly on Christmas morning.
Merry Christmas Mary to you and family.
Eating fondue with champagne around the fireplace in Christmas eve!
My favorite tradition is lighting a count down to Christmas candle at dinner each night
Christmas caroling at the local VA hospital, nursing homes, and neighborhoods we have lived in.
My favorite tradition is decorate my tree and enjoy the lights each day.
Having my family come home always makes the time decorating the tree a great investment.
My favorite holiday tradition is decorating the house, inside and out. Putting treasured ornaments in our tree is a very special time for us. Merry Christmas!
My favorite holiday tradition is truly about giving to others. I really like finding fun gifts for all the people that serve me throughout the year. I enjoy being able to say thank you in a meaningful way for all of the folks that keep me going in so many ways. Happy holidays!
Edâs Czech family always shared oyster soup on Christmas Eve and opened one gift per person, saving the remaining for Christmas Day.
My family made cookies before Christmas and opened our one gift each on Christmas morning.
Together, we enjoy a good light show, going to church and watching the kids/grandchildren open their gifts and decorate cookies or a gingerbread house.
Making cookies!! I love press cookies that I remember from my childhood. I still use the cookie press my Mother used and the recipe page is so stained and old but that just makes it more of a treasure!
Iâd love one of those books!! My favorite Christmas Tradition is an annual âCookie Weekendâ with all the family at my nieceâs house. The kids, some of who are now in their 20âs would not miss it and they are very good at decorating sugar cookies with icing. Almost professional looking because they have been doing it so long!
My favourite Christmas tradition is getting together with loved ones, and singing Christmas carols around the piano. Always magical.
My favorite Christmas tradition is to go with family to see an outdoor Pageant of the birth of Jesus. It always reminds us of what Christmas is about.
Christmas tradition is playing cards with the family on Christmas Eve.
One of my favorite holiday traditions is getting together with my kids and granddaughter to make my great grandmother’s cut out cookies recipe.
My favorite holiday tradition is a gift, a card hidden in the tree, leading to a treasure hunt with clues leading all around the house! The kids follow the hunt and the final gift they find is a family gift, that everyone can enjoy together. It is also a nice way to âhideâ a larger gift that we donât want to wrap!
We love to watch National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
Thank you for your teaching of embroidery.
I hope future generations continue this beautiful craft.
Merry Christmas
Dear Mary,
The best holiday is to relax at home and to spend time in the garden with my little ducks, and just maybe some stitching too.
Congratulations to the winners so far. Your Christmas give-aways are a lot of fun.
Thank you.
I love all of Christmas Eve with the Christmas Carols before midnight mass with my family
My favorite holiday tradition is watching Charlie Browns Christmas s;pcial. The speech Linus gives about the arrrival of Jesus at the manger is so sweet and simple y et it brings tears to my eyes every time
My favorite tradition is attending Midnight Mass with my family on Christmas eve. Or more accurately usually scheduled for 10pm or 10:30 pm these days.
Merry Christmas!
Ann
My favorite Christmas tradition is making cookies with my mom and sisters.
My favourite holiday tradition is Midnight Church service on Christmas Eve.
In New Zealand churches are taking pity on their ministers and worshippers, and tending to hold the Christmas Eve service earlier – like 10:00 pm, or even earlier. I understand the reasoning, but I do regret it – it’s not the same. There is something very magic about a midnight service.
Thanks for the chance to win an instruction book!
Christmas crackers are my favorite fun tradition! I’m American but grew up with an English friend who shared her Christmas crackers tradition with us. I learned how to make them myself so I can customize them creatively. And I love the beautiful solemn traditions of my faith (Christmas Masses).
My favorite holiday traditions are food: eggnogg, cookies, etc.
My favorite Christmas tradition is the youngest reader in the family (assisted by Grandpa) reading the Christmas story (Luke chapter 2) from the Bible. We do this before we open gifts….whether the extended family gets together on Christmas Eve (candlelight!) or on Christmas morning.
Baking cookies
What a wonderful resource.
My favourite Christmas tradition is Christmas Mass where the church is gorgeous in it’s decorations etc. Christmas carols are always a joy and spending time with family. I pull out and decorate my home with Christmas embroideries too.
My favorite Christmas tradition is decorating the house. Itâs fun to decorate the same way I did when I was a small child. Brings back great memories.
Baking dozens of fancy cookies and packing them in tins.
My favorite tradition is attending the Christmas Eve candlelight service with family.
From a European background we do a large family gathering on Christmas eve. 19 altogether now!
We feast of course. but the main thing is family and watching Grandchildren around the tree. The magic of Christmas is always alive with them!
My favorite holiday tradition is making chex mix, from a binder full of family recipes thatâs totally stained from use, where several generations of notes, changes, subtractions, and additions have been made to the original back-of-the-box instructions. It makes the best chex mix ever.
My favorite holiday tradition is making cookies with our son. Heâs an adult now and we still gather to make cookies together.
My favorite tradition is making my family and friends counted cross stitch Christmas cards. Then seeing the joy and excitement when they return them to me to make them into ornaments for them. The Christmas spirit lasts for up to 6 months. First in the time to make them then in the ornament remake.
Merry Christmas! Our holiday tradition is a common one – decorating the Christmas tree. It’s always fun to get out the ornaments that remind us of where we’ve been or who we were with. Many ornaments are handmade – many by me. Some belonged to my parents. I still have a bunch of hand-stitched ornaments that have not made it to the ornament stage yet. At this rate we will need a bigger tree!
My favorite Christmas tradition is putting up the tree with all of the ornaments I received from friends and family as well as the ones I’ve made. This brings up wonderful memories of past Christmases.
Installing decorations on Christmas Eve and then celebrating the imminent arrival of Christ child with rum-soaked fruit mince pies and a glass of champagne
My favourite holiday tradition is starting a new piece of embroidery after Christmas lunch.
I enjoy making new ornaments for my Christmas Tree every year.
My favorite Christmas tradition is hosting my (orphan) friends on Christmas Eve for a cocktail party.
My favorite holiday tradition is attending Christmas Eve services and singing Christmas carols – as many as possible.
My favorite tradition is making a red velvet Happy Birthday Jesus cake. We been doing this for about 50 years now.
We attend our Christmas Eve service at church.
My favorite holiday traditions is that we donât have a matchy matchy teee. Every Christmas we buy each other a unique ornament – something personal to the person or maybe from a vacation that year. We really enjoy the decorating process because we reminisce about the memories from Christmasâ past and happy times and the people we love
Happy Holidays to you and yours!!
My favorite tradition has always been a Christmas Eve church service. Very simple, consisting of nothing more than the congregation singing a selection of Christmas carols accompanied by a string trio or quartet, the pastor’s reading of the Christmas story from the book of Luke, and a closing of acappella singing of “Silent Night” by candlelight. Sadly, it has been years since I have been able to find such a service. I miss it.
waffles for breakfast before opening gifts.
Root beer float and Christmas cookies by the fire on Christmas Eve.
Favorite holiday tradition is giving bake goods I made to my neighbors & friends.
My favorite holiday tradition is not shopping on Advent Sundays and lighting our advent candles on Advent Sunday nights.
My favorite Christmas tradition is Light. Many midwinter celebrations center around light returning as we experience the darkest days of the year…at least in the northern hemisphere.
But Christmas is about more than physical light; it is about God, as the Light of the World, fulfilling His promises of hope and joy.
Lights on the tree, candles in the windows, parades of lighted floats. . .
Shine bright and have a Merry Christmas.
Decorating the tree is my favorite tradition because I love reminiscing as the ornaments are put on the tree.
A family diner with crackers and everyone has to read the joke and wear the silly crown hats.
Our favorite tradition started when our grandchildren were living with us. On Christmas Eve they would open one gift each. Always it was an angel ornament, each year different. Though they no longer live here, we send a special Christmas ornament to each. (The past few years it has been an embroidered ornament! Thank you Needle ‘n’ Thread!) Blessings!
needlenthread patterns are a joy. Living in Australia, I find this website to be useful and a great way of sourcing materials that are different and exciting.
My favorite holiday tradition is gathering the family together for a meal. This includes getting everyone into the kitchen to make something or just to talk to each other. The food is always excellent.
Helping make the cookies, poppyseed and nut rolls, sweet bread and other goodies to give as gifts for Christmas and Christmas morning eating the goodies for breakfast. We always had a ‘porcupine ham’ and all the fixings, warmed up sweet bread with butter oozing off the edges and homemade eggnog. And playing with our new toys. All the good smells of Christmas.
Bringing out all the stitched items that I have made or have been given. It brings back so many wonderful memories of the people connected with them.
My favorite holiday tradition is the stitched ornament exchange our EGA guild does at our December meeting. Through the years I have received many beautiful ornaments stitched by other members of our guild and have enjoyed stitching many to give.
I love preparing my home. Hanging my quilts, putting out the many home made pieces of embroidery, wreathes, sculptures I and friends have made over the years. Early December my home is turned into a Christmas creation.
My favorite holiday tradition is either baking treats (I freak out about it, but I still do it since I love it) and driving around the neighborhood, looking at all of the pretty lights.
My favorite holiday tradition is setting up the manager on the mantle.
Baking cookies
My favourite Christmas tradition is the coming together of family and friends no matter how far and wide, whether in person (best!), FaceTime or even just by mail. For even the least connected of us, it’s a wonderful time.
I happen to think that getting the outside lights up before December 2 is always amazing traction. This year light surprise is my DH and son did the job. Over the years we have simplified this activity due to weather issues here in Texas. I always think that house with lights look like night time gingerbread house for it gives joy to all who see them on their way home.
I wish to say thanks for another year of inspiration in the both the selection of design and materials used.
My favorite tradition is putting up the tree as a family. My kids love putting up the ornaments. Every year it’s a surprise.
Wow so many great holiday traditions. I love playing the childrenâs Christmas album each year. It evokes so many wonderful memories of Christmas past.
My favorite tradition is sitting by the fire with the presents open and the house quiet.
It is peaceful and relaxing. Happy holidays!
My favorite Holiday tradition is having supper with my family. We cook a Prime Rib roast and Yorkshire puddings with gravy and have white chocolate cranberry cheesecake.
My favorite stitches are Stem, backstitch, french knots!
My favorite holiday tradition is waking up to a beautiful tree surrounded by family and surprises!
My favorite holiday tradition is being in church together on Christmas Eve.
I love getting together with my family to eat oyster stew on Christmas Eve
Gathering with family on Christmas, and the pandemic break has made it all that much sweeter and dear of a tradition
My most favorite holiday tradition is going to church dressed up in clothes that have been sewn .This takes a lot of preparation way in advance. Hunting for the right fabric once the patterns have been selected or designed and then getting down to having them tailored. It is fun to receive compliments while it also makes us feel we are in clothes that are unique.
My favourite holiday tradition is Christmas morning with the kids, matching Christmas pajamas and opening stockings.
My favorite holiday tradition is being with loved ones. It might not be one the exact day society tells you is the holiday. The holiday to me is when loved ones are gathered and celebrating our love for one another…
Hmmm, favorite traditionâŠwe follow having a pickle on the tree, which became several as they were gifted and we have 3 children. They had a lot of fun finding and moving them around on the tree! They each got to open one gift on Christmas Eve⊠always a new ornament for their collection. Sometimes handmade, sometimes Hallmark (Star Wars anyone?). Thank you Mary for our Christmas fun!
Making a new Christmas ornament every year. My husband paints a new Santa every year.
My favorite holiday tradition is setting up a miniature, illuminated Christmas village. It always makes me smile. I leave it up until Springtime! Thank you for a wonderful website Mary. And Merry Christmas to you all!
Holiday tradition: Christmas morning hot cocoa and homemade cinnamon rolls
Getting together on Christmas Eve for a special meal and then going to church afterwards.
My favorite holiday tradition is to get out all my tree decorations and go back in memory of where, when, with whom the ornaments were gathered.
This tradition takes me to childhood through adult life with fond memories.
Hi Mary, Christmas only really came alive for me once I had had my daughter. As child it was all about the magic and Santa but as she grew older it became the food and the family. Now in her 20’s we spend the two days before Christmas cooking together. All the food I used to make from her childhood we now make together. With life’s upheavals we hadn’t been doing it for years, but now we have decided to carry it forward together as something that we continue to bond over. Best tradition ever.
My favorite holiday tradition as a child we would go to church on Christmas Eve. St Paulâs had the largest most beautiful tree. After the Christmas program, my parents handed out bags ,with each childâs name written on them of candy filled with numerous large candy bars and treats. Even unexpected children got one with their name on it because Mom made sure no child was left out. On our way homeâ, me and my sisters swore we saw the brightest star in the sky, the Christmas star! Then we drove around town to see all of the houses decorated and lit up for the holidays. It was magical, just magical. I tried my best to recreate this for my children and I hope they remember their childhood Christmas fondly.
I love the Christmas music!
Going to Christmas Eve Candle Light service.
My favorite holiday tradition is the food: my father always boiled a fresh ham on the camp stove in the garage and made fresh ambrosia Christmas morning from our own Florida oranges and coconut meat scraped from the shell.
My favourite tradition is that we watch Nightmare Before Christmas on Christmas Eve and then go for a walk to see the house Christmas lights around the streets once it gets dark. Now my kids are grown up but we all still do this wherever we happen to be living, or together if we can manage it.
My favourite tradition is finding a bare branch, putting it inside as a Christmas Tree, then placing one decoration a day on it for December. An Advent Branch!
My favorite holiday tradition is to go shopping with my mother and daughter for a few hours on Christmas Eve. Sometimes we bought somewhere; most times we did not. It was spending time together that made the tradition my favorite.
My favorite holiday tradition is baking cookies.
My favourite tradition is pavalova with fresh berries and kiwi fruit. Perfect for an Australian Xmas day and leftovers with a glass of bubbles for a late night snack. Reminds me of my childhood with my parents
Whatâs your favorite holiday tradition?
I make lefse which goes very quickly.
I love making gifts for family and friends. A few years ago I had the bright idea to knit 5 different scarves for my family. It was the beginning of November and I had no clue how to knit. After purchasing several skeins of yarn and notions I made a few dish cloths to practice the knitting technique that worked best for me and dove right in. Thankfully I did accomplish my goal! Giving warms my heart and will forever remain my favourite holiday tradition.
Christmas lights. When you live where it is dark by 4:30 in the afternoon, all the wonderful colorful Christmas lights everywhere are just the thing. Such beauty.
My favorite holiday tradition is making caramel rolls (sticky buns) the morning of Christmas. I’ve been doing it for over 40 years now. I also do it for breakfast on Thanksgiving Day.
My favorite holiday tradition is our Family Christmas Eve raclette meal Although it takes more preparation than our family knows, I love that we ALL sit around the table my grandfather made, cook, laugh, and reminisce of family adventures and life. I wish I could get everyone to stitch together but that doesnât seem to be in the cards
Thanks so much for your newsletter and website and Congratulations on the new shop!!!
My personal favorite holiday tradition is decorating the tree. Most of the ornaments come from the 10 years we lived in various places in Germany before my husband retired from the Army. A lot of lovely memories in those ornaments!
Favorite Holiday Tradition is to go to the airport and pick up my family from interstate, wearing a Christmas Jumper and sweating all the time because it is summer here in Australia. Marg
My favorite tradition is opening 1 gift on Christmas Eve. It took a while before I figured out that it would always be really nice nightgowns or robes. We kept this tradition going with my daughter and, hopefully, will continue on with her future children. We always got to open those gifts so that we would look nice in Christmas morning pictures.
Favourite-Santaâs stockings
Favorite is annual Christmas stitch in, lunch and gift exchange.
J luther
My favorite holiday tradition is going to church on Christmas Eve night. Our church has a half hour of music prior to the service, then Christmas Eve service with communion, followed by the singing of “Silent Night” acapella in candlelight. I look forward to it every year!
Our favorite holiday tradition is hanging everyone’s stockings on the mantelpiece. All of them are stitched by me, the most recent addition being our little grandson, Owen. This will be his first Christmas!
My favorite holiday tradition has got to be, hands down, our Christmas church services. Such an excellent way to finish Christmas eve & the Christmas day service is also so beautiful. Excellent both to share with the people you love & who support each other all year long.
Our favorite holiday tradition besides all of the holiday decorating and baking is to watch Elf after Thanksgiving dinner. It starts off our Christmas holiday. On Christmas Eve we enjoy attending church service and then eating Italian.
Thanks for the chance to win one of these books. Merry Christmas!!
My favorite holiday tradition is sitting down for a formal Christmas dinner.
I love to go to go to our towns Christmas light up, with carollers, roasting chestnuts and Santa Claus arriving… but best of all is the firework display. I also love to go out for a drive on boxing day and see all the christmas decorations and bright lights,
My favorite holiday tradition is to have my kids and their families home for Christmas. Also another favorite is setting up my Christmas tree with all my needlework ornaments on it.
My favorite tradition is the candlelight Christmas Eve service
For as far back as I can remember I have made all of my gifts. I love the process and it gives me great pleasure to give them something I put a piece of me into. It helps me keep the Christmas spirit by staying out of stores and traffic. quite often my holiday decorations are various craft supplies, fabric scraps , and threads.
My favorite holiday tradition is serving family recipes and remembering them fondly when I was growing up.
My favorite tradition is sharing time, cards, phone calls and events with friends, just Spreading love.
We have some favourite family recipes that we make for the holidays. One is Tortiere, a French meat pie made with veal and pork and served with a mushroom gravy.
I love to go to the annual Festival of Lights parade in my town. It’s always great!
My favorite holiday tradition is to work! On Christmas Eve, I go to bed early. And on Christmas Day, I go up before 6 AM, dress and drive to one of the medieval churches in the parish. During the drive, I have to sing and talk to wake up the vocal cords. If weÂŽre lucky, snow is brightening the dark fields. The church is lightened with candels and filled with happy people. Seven oÂŽclock, after the bells ringing, after the organ and the trumpet, it is my priestly task to sing the Christmas introitus: behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy …
My favorite Christmas tradition is singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JESUS with a Birthday cake that has a lighted angel candle ïž on top of the cake.
My favorite holiday tradition is baking with my grandchildren. While their attention span can be the length of one tv commercial, when we are frosting the cookies or assembling the gingerbread house, their sheer excitement and enthusiasm makes me believe in Santa again.
My favorite tradition was setting up the nativity, doing it just a little bit differently every year. Merry Christmas and enjoy your break!
Sharing the holiday festivities with family and friends. I especially enjoy meeting with my sewing friends to exchange small homemade gifts, and enjoy each others company.
I love Easter, we celebrate spring, the new life and the whole family comes Together.
My favorite Christmas tradition is very trite but true. Just be with family & enjoy the time together.
Thanks for the opportunity of winning such wonderful books. Someone is gonna be so lucky!
Brenda Smith
For many years I have taken my oldest sister to an area called Peddler’s Village. It is a shopping area o ver many acres with a lot of quaint shops and magnificent gardens. At Christmas time it looks like a fairy land of colored lights on everything. The buildings are outlined with white lights and everywhere you look there is another spectacularl tree. We shop our four or five favorite shops and enjoy a meal. It is worth the trip!
The food and family.
My favorite holiday tradition at anytime of the year would have to be, bringing the family a d close friends together over a meal to celebrate.
In our family we love to exchange advent calendars. My favourite is the old fashioned kind with a picture behind each door. This year I have one in the shape of a cuckoo clock. Canât wait to see whatâs behind the double doors of number 24 – but hopefully itâs a nativity scene.
My favourite holiday tradition is to cook the foods particular to that holiday. It is an opportunity to cook foods I might not otherwise make.
Wishing you a lovely holiday season.
Every year we make lots of cookies and candy to give away to friends and family. It takes hours and lbs of flour and sugar but so much fun.
My favourite tradition is to hide wee little wrapped gifts hidden inside the branches of the Christmas Tree. A few years ago I stitched a 3D pickle and started to hide that as well. My son still loves to look for them on Christmas day. Thanks for the giveaways – very lovely books!!
Attending midnight mass to start celebrating the savours birth.
May you all have a Merry Christmas.
Cooking a big meal and bringing family together.
Gathering around the dining table for a delicious celebratory meal beginning with the children’s excited pulling apart of their Christmas crackers!!
My favorite family holiday tradition is our Secret Santa drawing and gift exchange. We pick special gifts for that one special family member.
Without a doubt it is decorating a live tree.
My favorite tradition is driving around our town to look at the holiday lights and decorations. It’s magical if there is snow. Thank you for these fun gjve-aways! Merry Christmas
Going to my grand daughters for Xmas eve with all of the family.
My favorite tradition is baking for my family. My children are scattered and when they can come home I’ll bake and remember the memories and laughs we made when they were younger.
One of my favorite holiday traditions is having family over on Christmas Eve to play games or watch a Christmas movie. Instead of a regular meal, we have lots of fancy finger foods with punch or mulled cider and we munch all evening.
My favourite Christmas tradition is preparing and sharing the Christmas meal. Traditionally for me is was always Christmas Eve.
My favorite holiday tradition is ordering Povitica, a yummy Croatian nut roll, from Strawberry Hill Baking Company and having one shipped to each family member. Enjoying Povitica at Christmas keeps alive my family’s Croation heritage and reminds me of those who used to bake these yummy treats. Sretan BoĆŸiÄ!
The adults have an âAs Seen on TVâ gift exchange, keeping the price at $20 or less. We purchase the craziest item and wrap or bag it in ways to disguise what is inside. We draw a name from the jar and that person selects from the pile of gifts the most intriguing packageâŠor takes a package from another participant, which allows that person to select from the pile or other participants. This goes on until everyone has a gift. Let the reveal begin!
Cookies with family.
Thank you for having this giveaway. It is so much fun. We do not have a âspecial â holiday tradition. As a child we exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve after dinner (and kitchen cleaning- which seemed to take forever!). Christmas Day it was off to Grandmaâs house.
Happy Holidays,
L
Believe it or not, one of my favourite Christmas traditions is opening up all the boxes of Christmas decorations. I love pulling out all the handmade items I have created over the decades. Each item brings me back to a time and a place that warm my heart!â€ïž
My favorite tradition is putting up the tree with my family. Handmade decorations (many textile based) or handed down are wonderful to start a conversation and share stories.
Happy Holidays
Watching The Christmas Carol with Alastair Sims. It puts me in the mood for the holidays
Wrapping gifts is my favorite tradition – itâs cozy and makes me think of the upcoming holidays and how much folks will (hopefully) enjoy their presents.
My favorite part of Christmas is celebrating Christ’s birthday.
Christmas breakfast get together at my son home.before we open gifts…..the best!
We have a homemade ornament contest. Everyone makes an ornament then we vote on our favorite for that year
Opening presents one at a time, taking the time to play the game, or model the clothes, or tell any story connected to the gift. It takes forever, but is so memorable!
My husband and I cook our Christmas dinner together on Christmas Eve. We eat early in the evening. This way Christmas Day is a peaceful time to spend together. It’s just the 2 of us as family is far away.
Lesta
Serving homebavked fresh scones, bacon and scrambled eggs with my family on Christmas morning.
I love singing Christmas music at church i. four part harmony.
I love the process of decorating the Christmas tree. Many of our ornaments are from trips so I get to revisit all the places weâve been to collect them and the stories that go along with that experience.
My favorite tradition is a cookie exchange with family, friends and/or neighbors. It’s a time to share and possibly receive a new cookie recipe.
My favorite Christmas tradition in Christmas Eve service at my local church. It keeps everyone focus on the Reason for the Season! If I had a second favorite it would making ornaments each year to include with Christmas cards to family and friends. Some embroidered, quilted, knit or crochet. This year I crochet a star using glow in the dark yarn!
Special thank you for sharing all your wonderful designs and techniques.
Our family tradition on Christmas Morning was to let the kids come downstairs and see what was under the tree. Mind you, they had to be dressed and ready for the day. Then we adjourned to the Kitchen for Eggs Benedict and a chance for me to be able to drink at least one cup of tea before the merriment began. This tradition was a totally selfish way for me to get the cup of tea before chaos erupted. We still continue the Eggs Benedict with whomever is home for the holidays.
My favorite holiday tradition is having our family over for Christmas Eve fondue.
My favorite holiday tradition is waking up early Christmas morning and making homemade sticky buns for everyone. And having a wonderful breakfast of bismarcks with Irish bacon and the sticky buns. While we open gifts in our stockings. And then after breakfast we drive to others and drop off sticky buns for them to enjoy. Thank you again for offering the chance to win these books.
Baking holiday treats and decorating the tree are my favorite holiday traditions.
Being somewhat like a crow and loving all things glittery, shiny, colourful and twinkling, my favourite tradition is looking at exterior Christmas lights! Either as a walk in the neighbourhood or driving around seeing what creative things people have done with a string of lights. From a simple drape of the lights over a bush to the over the top extravaganza!
Favorite tradition is we divide gift exchange over 2 days. Kids spend more time enjoying, it is more family time.
My favorite holiday tradition is baking cookies.
There is a wonderful service of lessons and carols by Trinity Church Princeton held in the Princeton University Chapel that occurs each year on the Sunday after Christmas. The soaring descants of young choristers in the Anglican tradition and the classic English carols are a delight to the ear and the acoustics of the chapel really highlight the soaring descants. It is wonderful to have this to look forward to after Christmas as it really helps to extend the season.
Thank you for another generous giveaway.
My favorite holiday tradition is cookies and cocoa. Keeps me from feeling like such an old lady.
Hereâs to a happy, healthy and safe holiday season.
kathy
My favorite holidays tradition : bringing a stitching project every where I go, whatever I do. Never without stitching!
Mine is simply a good meal with friends and family.
My favourite holiday tradition is all the lovely and memorable decorations placed throughout the house and enjoying them with family members.
Always perfect lessons
These books look very useful-from beginner level to advanced. A must have for anyone who likes embroidery.
My favorite Christmas tradition is decorating the tree with treasured ornaments and having kids, their spouses and grandkids over for a meal, gift exchange and an evening of visiting and playing games
My favorite holiday traditions are hanging stockings and playing a Christmas duet on the piano with family members.
My favourite tradition is to have a fondue on Christmas Eve. On Christmas day we deliver turkey meals to family members that have to work. It is very hard to all get together on the 25th.
To attend Midnight Mass with my family.
Now that my family has grown and my ‘grandchildren’ consist of the 4 legged variety, our holiday traditions have changed to a quiet meal. Always too much to eat, of which we are all very thankful for. I love all the Christmas lights and colorful decorations people have in their yards.
Happy Holidays to you all.
My favorite holiday tradition is the Christmas Eve candlelight church service. The choir procession comes in singing an aâcapella carol and the Holy Spirit is tangible. If big soft snowflakes are gently falling when we go home it is the complete picture!
Oyster stew on Christmas morning.
Many, MANY years ago when my kids were little, one of the yams I bought to cook for Christmas started to sprout. Instead of cooking it, we decided to plant it in a pot (to be transplanted outdoors in the spring) to see what we would get. The next fall we dug up the plant and there were yams! Yes, they were tiny but definitely yams so we cooked all but one for our dinner. Yes, it got planted for the next year’s crop. We did that for years, well into the kids’ teen years. (I think I need to get a yam to plant for my grandkids and introduce them into the family tradition.)
My favorite Christmas tradition is riding through (and walking around) the Christmas lights at Dorothy Oven Park in Tallahassee, Florida, with my family.
My favorite holiday tradition is the family celebration of the Christmas Eve Supper or Wigilia as it’s called in Polish. We begin when the first star is seen in the darkened sky by breaking the Christmas wafer and wishing each other good health, joy and all the best in the upcoming year.
Next dinner is served consisting of a homemade lima bean soup, herring in cream sauce, sauerkraut made with imported Polish mushrooms, pierogi filled with cheese, rye bread and fried potatoes. The meal is finished with a dessert of stewed fruit. No meat is eaten and foods are reminiscent of the Polish homeland. A few tears are shed for those passed on. I continue this tradition with my sisters and family. It keeps the memory and good times of family alive.
I love a stitch dictionary!
My favorite holiday tradition is visiting one of the citiesâ parks where an old mansion lives and every Christmas (and Halloween), the parks hold a raffle to âwinâ one of the rooms and those winners come in and decorate the room for the holidays. Itâs always a surprise to see how each room has been set up that year and a great way to get people to the parks in the middle of winter!
I borrow these books at my local library all the time. It would be great to own them!
My fav tradition is baking for the holidays. It’s what I give for gifts. I started this when the place my husband worked shut down so we didn’t have much money for gifts so everyone got baked goods and a handmade ornament. It’s a tradition in my family now, no bought gifts just handmade things.
I have been looking for a stitch guide/dictionary. Thank you for the recommendations and another year of beautiful inspirations.
The perry Family Get together. Every year just after Christmas my whole family [about 50 people] get together for a pot luck. My mother started this tradition back around 1960. Back then the family was small and we did a progressive dinner. We all leaved in walking distance of each other. The main course was at my mother’s home, dessert was at my aunt’s and then we all met at my Grandmother’s home for a party. A lot of my family have now passed on but even more have come into our family. Back then there was about 20 at the moat now we have grown in leaps and bounds.
My favorite holiday tradition is one that my family does on Christmas Eve. We get comfortable (that means jammies for us) and prepare a charcuterie board with a nice variety of cheeses, sausage, fruit, and goodies. Then we watch the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol. We have done this for so long that even all the grandchildren have it memorized! After the movie, we enjoy opening our Christmas stockings!
My favorite Christmas tradition is attending Midnight Mass.
My favorite holiday tradition is making each of my 6 grandchildren a Christmas needlework ornament using designs that they choose from earlier in the year. This year the theme was an embroidered woodland animal or bird mounted in a tart tin. They love them!
My favourite holiday tradition is our familyâs big get together on Christmas Eve. This is when all of us gather to celebrate Christmas, enjoy a wonderful dinner and a give a gift to the person we drew a name for at Thanksgiving. Christmas is more about family time and the food than the gifts and that is what makes it really special.
The books you pick are always a good source of information.
My favorite holiday tradition is to make cookies, and always homemade FUDGE. To attend church on Christmas Eve and come home to have a meal with some of the family.
All the family getting together on the one day.
One of my favorite Christmas traditions is making cookies with my daughter and grand daughters and with my son. I actually made a few batches today. IT is always fun to make the cookies. My hubby even helped me a little today with some of the cookies! HAve a Merry Christmas. Ginny K.
I have too many favorite Christmas traditions, but I guess my favorite might be the Midnight candlelight service at church where the church was lit up by each person’s lit candle.
My favorite holiday tradition is a Christmas Eve all evening/all night open house, with ongoing buffet, people coming & going all evening & at midnight many of us off to Church, then return home to assemble toys while young one’s sleep and dream of Santa
Driving around looking at the lights and listening to Christmas carols. Alternating years, the Nutcracker, Lights at the zoo and Cave of the Winds lazer light show. We always pick something special to do together. This year we’re going to see the lights and drive the bridge at Canon City.
Getting together with family and waiting u til midnight to open presents.
My favorite Christmas tradition is trading white elephant gifts with my cousins and baking cookies together
Holiday tradition — Mass late at night as a family; strawberry pancakes for breakfast.
My favorite holiday tradition is watching the Elf movie at least once every Christmas with my family.
For many years one of my favorite traditions was to bake orange flavored cut out Christmas cookies and mail them to family members. My husband started it and we did it together as well. Couldn’t do it this year but maybe late!
Hallo!
My favorite holiday tradition is trimming the tree. Every year, I open my carefully stored/wrapped ornaments, and Iâm flooded with memories of Christmases past. (good ones!) When my daughter was a wee little lass and until she started her own life, we always trimmed the tree together while listening to holiday songs.
My favorite holiday tradition is tamales – eating tamales. They are especially delicious during December and this holiday season.
My favorite holiday tradition is advent calendars. Growing up every year I would get one that had a small chocolate each day. But as Iâve gotten older Iâve been introduced to so many different types. This year someone gave me an advent calendar for embroidery. I get to stitch a small design everyday!
My favorite tradition is listening to & finding new Christmas music starting after Thanksgiving. I just watched Andrea Bocelli’s special “A Bocelli Family Christmas” and loved it. The scenery was gorgeous. Thanks for the give aways. Merry Christmas, Mary!
My favorite tradition is gathering together with family. As much as I love the decorations and food and presents for the little ones, family is what matters most!
Christmas morning breakfast is a tradition that started in my paternal family before I was born, and we still continue. The entire menu is the same every year, but the highlight is what the family calls “roll-up pancakes,” which are crepes to which each person adds their favorite filling and the rolls up into a tube shape for cutting and eating.
My favorite Christmas tradition is cookies. I was born in a snowstorm on Christmas Day so we always had birthday cake at 3 pm on Christmas Day, (Grandma demanded). However, Grandma always made almond crescents, rocks, and anise cakes (Springerle). The anise cakes were rolled with hand-carved rolling pins that my great-grandfather made. They are beautiful folk art designs. When I was younger, I used to make at least 15 or 16 different cooky recipes to give away, particularly to grandparents. Mm mm good!
Decorating Gingerbread Houses w the grandkids!
My favorite holiday tradition is the angel we put on our tree: she was the angel who was on our wedding cake!
Christmas is caramel corn, Chex mix, and my momâs stuffing. Everyone waiting until after Christmas breakfast to open any presents and then lying around in pjs all day watching football on the tv.
Nowadays my favorite tradition is seeing family members in the week leading up to Christmas, and enjoy spending time with them creating new memories and cherishing old memories.
My favorite Christmas tradition is giving treats to those who work at our church. I have a special cake recipe that they seem to like really well. The times that I make the cakes is also when I allow myself to watch Christmas movies.
It’s been a rough year, so unlike years past, I’m having a hard time getting in a jolly holiday frame of mind. The tradition I’m most looking forward to this year is eating favorite holiday foods, including Polish sausage made by a local company. We always have it for Christmas Eve with my husband’s side of the family.
My favorite tradition is having my favorite people around and praising Jesus. There have been others through the years but the keepers of those have passed. Lately, we are simply excited to not be in the hospital!
My favorite tradition is when we pull out the family recipes and continue to honor our prior generations by continuing to make and enjoy the family favorites.
Baking Christmas Cookies
Visiting all the Christmas lights around the neighbourhood with my children and dog.
Seeing everyone so happy is just beautiful
Favorite tradition: having all my adult children over for dinner and presents. Bonus if theie significant others/spouses are able to attend.
My favorite Christmas tradition is getting out my hand-carved olive wood nativity scene I bought in Bethlehem and displaying it on a table where it draws my focus to the Christmas story and thoughts of the people back then and what a wonder it was to them.
I think my favorite Christmas tradition is eating homemade pizza and then the whole family going to Christmas Eve service at church. After church, we would come home and open gifts. Now that our sons are married we donât always all go to church or open gifts then, but itâs still my favorite tradition and we do it as often as possible.
Our favorite family tradition is sharing a feast with family!
Merry Christmas and thank you for this!
Dear Mary and team,
I’d like to try win a book for my friend Wylie as a surprise.
She helped me out by sending a book about ply-split braiding I wanted from the US to the NL’s.
So I’m keeping my fingers crossed to win a book for her.
As for your question;
My family don’t have a particular tradition during these days, we usually come together at my mum’s and spend the day so nothing fancy or anything which is just fine.
She is a cook/likes to cook so despite her saying she won’t be doing any extra’s, we know there will be too much food on the table anyway as usual đ
As for myself, these days are great for trying to finish workshop projects I particpated with and I’m working on a koala bear crochet rattle for a friend who just became a mother.
Greetings from Rotterdam.
RĂ©nia
My favourite holiday tradition is watching some of the old Christmas movies – Miracle of 34th Street, Christmas in Connecticut, and my fav White Christmas. They’re feel good movies and get me in the mood for the season. Another favourite tradition was picking up lots of little goodies for my mom’s stocking and then watching her unwrap each item. She’s gone now but I still have the warm, fun memories of her excitement and mine as she opened everything.
Thank you for offering us the chance of some lovely stitchy things.
Wishing you a wonderful Christmas, filled with lots of good spirit and good cheer.
I love Christmas. But have so many favorite traditions. These are the top ones. Walking in soft falling snow, Candle Light Christmas Eve Service, and the family’s Christmas Eve opening presents especiaÄșly watching the grandchildren.
My favorite holiday tradition is getting the extended family together to cut trees. Some years it winds up being a bunch of folks, and others only a few, but itâs always lots of fun.
My favorite holiday tradition is decorating the tree with all the ornaments that my family has collected over the years and remembering where/when we got them and past Christmas fun.
Happy Holidays to all!
Decorating the tree and then sitting back and enjoying its sparkle and lights.
My favorite holiday tradition is puttng up my Santa tree. It is a 7 1/2 feet tall tree all decorated with mostly glass Santas that I have collected over the years.
My favourite holiday tradition is setting up the Christmas tree and adorning it with the 800+ ornaments we have collected over the last 45 years of marriage. I try to pick up a new ornament at each place we travel so that we have travel memories on the tree as well as all the ornaments made by the kids and grands. I also add at least one or two new stitched ornaments each year which logs my embroidery journey over the years.
My favorite Christmas tradition is Christmas morning breakfast with special breads, eggs, and cheese. Delicious food with family.
My favorite holiday tradition is the cookie exchange! Baking is fun but getting the variety plate of fresh baked cookies is such a treat!!
the best Christmas eve tradition is reading and eating chocolate
My favorite holiday tradition is decorating my house for Christmas. A lot of my decorations are from my mother, so it’s lovely to visit them each year! I miss my parents so much this time of year, but I have wonderful memories of my childhood Christmases!
Thank you for doing these give-aways, and have a very Merry Christmas!
Diane
My favorite holiday tradition is playing for the Christmas Eve service.
My favourite tradition is having family gathered around, and the games (board, cards, darts… anything goes).
I love making cookie boxes for my family, friends, and neighbors. As a kid we’d make specific cookies each holiday season. Now that I make my own cookie boxes, I love to experiment with different recipes each year.
When we got a little older our favourite family tradition was midnight mass with carols and lots of tradition beautiful church filled with candles. This was followed at 1am by tired children eating ham and tomato sandwiches and opening one present before falling into bed.
My favorite holiday tradition is to gather at my sisterâs house for homemade soups, homemade bread and deserts. Our extended family eats, relaxes, and the women often gather around the table after eating to make a Christmas craft. My sister is an artist, so her home is decorated so wonderfully, and she is such a great hostess. I feel very lucky to have a family where everyone gets along and enjoys each otherâs companyâ€ïž
My favorite Christmas tradition is going to see the Nutcracker Ballet
Iâm interested on the RSN book
My favorite holiday tradition is the candlelight service at our church on Christmas Eve. It is the reminder to slow down and focus in the midst of what is often rushed and hectic.
Making springele (traditional German anise cookies) while listening to German Christmas music.
I love having family come to visit
My favorite holiday tradition is baking (and eating!) a variety of sweet treats!
As children we always got to open a single present on Christmas Eve. We were free to pick any gift we wanted but somehow always ended up getting AA batteries!
Lighting the Yule log
Our family enjoys baking during the holidays, each year we make Buckeys to share with family and friends- this year about 450 of them.
Happy Holidays!
One word, cookies! Yesterday I made cookies with my grandchildren that their great great great grandmother used to make. My mom, their great grandmother, was here and told stories about having those cookies growing up,
My favorite holiday tradition is baking Christmas cookies. Our family favorite is thumbprint cookies with colored icing.
Merry Christmas!
My favorite tradition is anything that gives you an excuse to be with your friends and family all through the season – secret Santa gift exchanges, cookie swaps, parties, etc!
The holiday tradition I always enjoy is baking coolies for the gang. This year I am mixing things up and only baking two of the usual kinds. The rest are random NYT offerings. One of these is vibrantly colored royal icing on spiced shortbread. I hope they enjoy the adventure. We began a new “tradition” a few years ago on a whim. each participant brings an ornament in a brown bag for a mystery exchange. The ornament is handmade, thrifted, purchased , or regifted. My adult children are loveing this creative adventure and we have had a lot of fun.
My Favorite tradition is a reading of The Night Before Christmas. Every year, my father gathers the kids/grandkids that are visiting to read a bedtime story. He has used the same book for over 30 years! It’s nice to see the tradition I group up with being passed down to the next generation.
It’s hard to choose just one favorite tradition, but I guess it would be hanging on our tree a special set of ornaments that were given us for our first Christmas after we got married, in 1978. They are filigree gold-colored metal bells and stars. They’ve survived 3 kids, 13 moves, and 46 years. These ornaments distill all the delight of all those years into a sparkly memory.
My favorite holiday tradition is celebrating and eating a delicious tamale dinner on Christmas Eve with my family!
My favorite holiday tradition is singing with my whole family in our church’s Christmas Eve choir.
One of my favorite Christmas traditions is going to church on Christmas Eve with as much family as I can gather.
Marry Christmas, Mary! And Merry Christmas, Fellow Readers!
My favorite holiday tradition is decorating for Christmas and roasting a turkey on the 25. December.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays,
Brigitte
Family! Christmas tree, lights, cookies, gifts and several days of fellowship, but none of this is worth anything if Iâm not with my family.
My favorite holiday tradition is easily my family’s cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. And, speaking of, Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you!
I think my favorite holiday tradition ( or at least part of it) is the beautiful Christmas songs! I also enjoy sharing gifts and time with beloved family members! And who wouldnât enjoy the
delicious cookies!!!
My favorite Christmas tradition is setting up the tree and decorating it After the children are asleep on Christmas eve and seeing their surprised and delighted faces Christmas morning as they believe Santa Claus brought the entire thing. The best!
For more than 15 years now, my mother has given my nieces and nephew a pair of socks on Christmas. She found colourful metal gift boxes shaped like little paint buckets (about 20 cm high) and she pasted on the cover of each paint bucket a picture of the child where they were toddlers. Every year, she puts socks, a card and a little surprise in the paint buckets for each of her grandchildren. And she tells them that if they want socks next year, they have to give her back the paint buckets. The grandchildren are now 22 to 27 years old, and this year their paint buckets are filled with a card, a nice pair of woollen socks, a pair of silly socks and a small Squishmallow Christmas decoration. And they all know what to do if they want socks next year!
I still enjoy filling stockings for my âkidsâ who are now in their 30âs, and am looking forward to doing the same for my one year old granddaughter.
Putting up the Christmas village my mom made me years ago.
Making mince pies on Christmas Eve afternoon listening to Carols from Kings on the radio – and then sitting down with a cup of tea and a mince pie to watch The Snowman followed by The Snowman and the Snowdog (very British I know!).