A Handmade Christmas

Yes, it is up!  I got my man to retrieve the Christmas tree from storage (aka "under the house", he he) and the kids and I spent the morning setting up and decorating the tree.  That is to say, I set up the tree amidst repeated queries of "When will you be done?" and then the kids decorated the tree while I tried to rearrange ornaments they had hung up too close together.  And yes, my poor Christmas tree is sadly lacking a star at the top this year.  We seem to have misplaced our Christmas star, so I guess I'll be spending the weekend either hunting for it or buying a new one.

It probably won't surprise you to discover that, being a fan of the handmade Christmas movement, quite a few of our ornaments are handmade.  Some of them were made by the kids and me (the simplest being a cut out Christmas tree shape, coloured in and hung with a little ribbon) while others were kind gifts from various creative individuals.  My favourite ones to make have been the quilted ornament balls, although the kids have been asking me to "help them" make some stuffed felt ornaments like the stylised Christmas tree in the bottom corner of the above picture.

Under the Christmas tree are a handful of presents (yes, I am one of those people madly trying to finish off their Christmas shopping), some of which are handmade.  So, will you be having a handmade Christmas this year?  Feel free to share your handmade Christmas ideas and links to any great Christmas craft tutorials!