Christmas Busyness ...

I've been busy ... but not completely with all-things-Christmas. I've been crocheting a lot, making little gifts that I want to give people (and not really intended for Christmas, just because I wanted to do it.) And there have been some errands to run, lunch with friends, and yesterday I spent baking cookies for my sweet hubby to bring in to work.

There have been cards to write and trips to the post office. And phone calls. Lots of phone calls (some to friends and others to figure out why I'm running low on funds in my mom's checking account and trying to make address changes obviously not made when we moved.)

Yesterday was a phone day. I spent 3 hours (yes, 3 as in three) on the phone with an old friend who was feeling kind of down. Truth was, I was feeling a little down too. Sometimes all the merriment of preparing for Christmas can get to you. I'm hoping she felt better when we got off the phone -- I know I did!

One thing that she said that really brightened my day came up when I was relaying a story about how my father had picked up a man stranded in the Blizzard of '77 and drove him as far to his house as the roads would allow. The man didn't really have good protective weather gear on and was going to have to brave the blizzard to make it up the road the rest of the way home. I had recently given my father a scarf I had made -- my first ever crochet project and it seems my father cherished it. He gave the man his scarf but insisted on exchanging contact information and asked that the man return the scarf. When he didn't (in a timely enough manner apparently) my father went to his house and got it!

We laughed about how I was so into crocheting then (I must have been telling her that I had a few projects going now) and I told her that on Thanksgiving my brother had sent me a picture of himself in the woods where he was hunting. I think I had sent him a text wishing him a Happy Turkey Day and encouraging him to stay warm. He replied, "All is well, have hat sis made me." And on his head was a hat I had made him for Christmas some 30 years ago. I couldn't believe he still had it -- and wore it!

Well, my friend then shared that her husband (we've all been friends forever) still wore the hat I made for him some 30 years ago each and every day! She said he often puts it on and says "Thanks Barbie! Warm again today." I was flabbergasted. He still has that hat? Again -- I couldn't believe it.

I guess what struck me is how some gifts stay with us. I'll be honest, I don't remember giving the hats to my brother or our friend. I know that I've made a zillion hats and slippers over the years and liked to give them as gifts. It just really has touched my heart as I'm finding myself getting back into crochet that things I made years ago are still around and still being used!

Now the whole reason I wrote this post was not to talk about crochet or gift giving. It was because I felt guilty not having written anything in the past few days. The truth is that I rather like coming to my blog and seeing the pictures of my Christmas ornaments first thing. They make me happy (I made all the ornaments that are shown in the pictures -- well, except the balls.) I realized I love handmade things and especially like to see handmade things USED year after year.

So for the moment I'm giving up seeing pictures of my Christmas tree on the upper fold of the blog. Maybe later today I'll get a chance to take some pictures of ornaments we've picked up during our travels this year ... they make me happy too!

Moral of the post: Make gifts from the heart and with your hands ... as they bless others you just might find yourself blessed as well. Merry Christmas!