Handmade Christmas

When the kids were small, we had a tradition of taking Christmas pictures.  Living near Springfield, Missouri, we would get all dressed up and go down to Bass Pro to take beautiful Christmas pictures in front of the awesome decorations.  We made a deal as soon as we walked in the door, "You give me ONE great picture to show people and you can take as many goofy ones as you would like".  It worked every time!  It was such a fun time and a happy memory, but time passes and kids grow out of matching clothes and Christmas pictures.  I'm sad that the time has gone but thankful for the time together and the memories of how those happy days felt.

 Christmas time, is an emotional time of year.  It seems to effect everyone that way, most people are excited and find the season thrilling, although some may be anxious or saddened by the season.  It is a roller coaster that seems to start sometime in October and tosses you about until after celebrating New Year's.  I am thankful, that for me, it is a sweet connection to family and friends that soothes me during this holiday season.

Just look at that creeper in the background!

I know the reason for the season.  I think about it and am thankful for it everyday.  It holds a place in my mind and has allowed me experiences that are personal and memorable to me. So when December 25th rolls around, I do go shopping; I do wish people a Merry Christmas; I do hang stockings and put up the tree, and I get excited about the happy faces of friends and family I am about to spend time visiting with.  

Every year, we exchange gifts at work during our Christmas party.  We draw names and write our wish lists, but everything else is kept top secret until we open gifts the day of the party. We even have to guess who had our name and gave us the gift, AFTER we have opened our present.  We usually have a big meal together and play a few games.  

When I first started working with these folks, I was hired on part-time and as a mother of 4 under the age of 8, I didn't have a lot of time or money to buy fancy gifts. So, I decided to make gifts for my secret pal, so that I could put some heart into it (priceless) and maybe be able to give a little more of a gift than if I bought everything from the store.  As, time went on it became tradition "if Traci has your name, your gonna get something hand made and crafty".  Now, that I have started selling my handmade items, they no longer look at me with pity because I couldn't afford a gift.  Instead, they are excited to get something from Truthfully Tracelaine.  I don't have a boutique set up and I just recently started my flea market booth.  In the past if you wanted a piece made by me, you had to contact me with a custom order or I had to want to make you a gift.  I've come a long way and while that feels good, it can't compete with the happiness and the look on their face when they see the item I have created with them in mind.  I love to make them happy and give them something handmade that shows that I took some time to think about them and what they would like.  

This year I got so excited about my idea for the Christmas gift for my friend at work.  We had some Poplar scraps in the shop, so I pieced them together and stained them a color called Provincial.  Poplar is awesome at taking in color and if you can get it the right shade that fades out the natural greenish hue, you will get a rich textured piece with some great variation.  After, my wooden "canvas" had dried, I hand painted the letter "G" (her last name starts with G) and painted a laurel wreath around the letter.  It was so beautiful.  I hoped she would like it because I loved it so much.  She was so excited when she opened the gift and later told me it was exactly the thing that would go with her home.  It made us both feel good and that is what Christmas is for me.  That feeling of caring about someone and seeing them feel happy about it.

So get out there kids, think about someone and make something that will make them feel good.  It is not always about you, but there is a lot of benefit in doing the things that make you happy, healthy and whole.

~Tracelaine