Free Christmas Decor, Volume I

At The Point
14 Comments

Even though the children were in mourning over it, I didn’t hang the stockings this year.

I need uniformity and organization in my life.  Our stockings are a mish mash and I couldn’t take it anymore.

They are just taking a break and I am sure, after all of the complaining, the old stockings will make their reappearance next year.  Unless, of course, I can fulfill my lifelong dream of making matching stockings for all of us. You’d think with a monogram shop, I’d be the one with the gorgeous stockings, but no.  I spend all of my time making them for other people.

So I decided to make little paper “stockings”.

I am aware that we can’t actually use them.  The children and James have made that clear, thankyouverymuch.  I’m OK with it.  Our real stockings were useless for holding gifts.  They were all different sizes and some of them didn’t hold much more than a candy bar anyway.  I have always just used gift bags as the stockings, so what’s the difference?

And they fit my “everything has to be free” plan for new Christmas decor.  I used my favorite and faithful friend, my Cricut, to make them of course.

I couldn’t fit the names on them.  Some of the children’s names are too long.  Darn, I wish I had thought of that when I was in labor.  “No!  If it’s a girl we CAN’T name her Patience!  It won’t match with the other names when we do Christmas stockings!”

Everyone in my smart-aleck family said the same thing….”Mom!  We’ve been reduced to numbers?!”

Yes, yes you have children.  It’s time to admit that I don’t really remember your names anyway and I just think of you as numbers in my head.

I like them.  They’re fun.  They’re free.  They’re all perfectly uniform and orderly and neat.

Ahhhhh….it feels so good!

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14 Comments

  1. That is a fun idea…looks like a stocking garland!
    My kids all have mismatched stockings too and I don’t hang them on a mantel either…they actually safety pin them to a chair on Christmas Eve (that is what my mom had use do when I was a girl).

    They have also hung them on their bed posts and some years they have done little secret Elf things for each other and left a nice note or little treat in each others stockings during the month. Just a way to get them to think about doing nice things for each other.

  2. We are the same page this year!!!!!! I could not go another year with unmatched stockings, I did finally get mine made and I love them. Hubby went out of town for the night one night last week and I don’t sleep when he is not here so I made stockings and got lots and lots of things done–it is amazing how much you can do when there are no distractions!! Your mantel is just perfect – bright and cheerful – puts me right in the mood for Christmas music and peppermint hot choc.

    Hope you have a great week
    Cha Cha

  3. What a lovely idea! We don’t have a mantel so our stockings are just placed willy nilly all over the room/house. And trust me they don’t even remotely match! But they all have wonderful memories attached so I can’t bear to get rid of them. Well there is one that can go because it is just a hum drum yard sale find. It needs a little spice! Kinda like all the others… hey maybe I will do that!

    Hope you have a great week!

  4. We don’t have a great place to hang stockings in our home. I bought the three younger kids cute stockings last year from “Pottery Barn Kids” outlet store on sale! They are cute and match – these I have hung from hooks in out entry way. Very cute. The others I have come up with a place to hang them but not until Christmas Eve Day….We do stockings in the evening on the 24th!

  6. I get confused with four names so I imagine that nine would be hard to keep straight. I think the number system works really well…. 🙂

  7. They look great! We are a little short of a mantel here sigh! Our kids have sacks the size of a pillow case that we lay on the floor in front of the tree, and they almost match the first 4 do anyway and the next two match each other- I couldn’t get the same fabric with stars on it to make the younger two theirs.

  9. How fun to hear what you all do for a mantel. I never thought about it.

    Heather M, you know I do! LOL! Lisa~

  10. You’re so great and funny! And in my head your voice sounds like Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, which makes your blog all soothing and calm all the time. Don’t tell me otherwise, it’ll ruin my little daydream!
    I am so honored that you read my blog and commented! You are so sweet. Your blog is light years ahead of mine and with all you have going that really meant a lot to me!

  11. Ha! I am always calling the kids the wrong names. I could number them, but we’ve adopted out of order, so kid #4 in age, is really kid #5 to join the family–so I would just be calling out the wrong numbers too.
    I have always wanted to make stockings too, but now sorta glad I didn’t, because we keep adding kids, and they would still not match…after all the work.
    I accidentally threw our stockings out with an old tree a few years back. Since then, we all decorate a white paper lunch sack on Christmas Eve…..the littles think it is the best….all because I am too cheap to buy stockings=).

  13. Oh I am totally cracking up becasue I was imagining the grief you were getting and sure enough you are. This is the time of year where I am decorating everyone else’s house but my own. 🙂 What’s the phrase? The cobbler’s children wear no shoes.

    I like your stockings. Very darling.

    Thank you from the bottom of my corsage making heart for your kind comments.

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