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It’s an intimate thing when you bring people in to your traditions. Whether its a first holiday with the family you’ve married into or a special gathering with friends, it’s really delicate to share those personal things that have been with you for years.
Which is part of why I really wanted to help my friend, Rene, when she asked if I could re-create the crocheted stockings her mom made. She wanted enough for her whole family, but since her mom has passed on she didn’t have anyone who could do it.
I make it clear that I’m not great at crochet, and I have about five too many things going on at any given time, so it took me more than a full year to honor this request, but I finally did just in time for Christmas this year.
Mine don’t really look like hers. That shade of green doesn’t seem to be manufactured any more in that kind of yarn. It took me a few tries to get the stitches all (or at least pretty much) the same as hers. Mine came out bigger, even when I chained fewer stitches.
And that’s OK. They’re a modern interpretation, by a person whose lack of skill is more than made up for by her love and wish to bring a smile to the face of a friend.
I guess that’s my Christmas wish for each of you: that you can think a little beyond your immediate family as you celebrate this year, and reach out to a friend with a gift or even just a note to make them smile. Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, it’s my hope that you’ll do this.
Winter can be a time when we dig in at home, put up our defenses and hunker down. Here’s to a little more light.
Merry, merry.
