Although Christmas is my favourite holiday, the last couple of years I haven’t been feeling very festive. As most of you know I’ve been stuck in America since the pandemic, and whilst I try to make the most of it, it can make me feel a bit homesick at this time of year. Being away from family and friends, missing out on my annual traditions, it’s easy to get lost in it. So this year I’ve made it my mission to have a very jolly December, filled with Christmassy activities and lots of craft projects to lift my spirits. I thought it would be fun to write a blog about the fun things I’ve been getting up to so you can get in the festive mood too. Of course there has been a ‘handmade’ theme to everything!
I’m going to start by telling you about one of my favourite experiences this December: going to a Christmas tree farm! I’d never been to one before and my mother-in-law suggested going as she thought I would love it, which I absolutely did. The farm was just a short drive away from home on the other side of town, but arriving at the fields felt like a completely different place. Everything looked so wintery. This isn’t something I thought I would miss about the UK but as I live in Georgia, the endless hot months have made me desperate for cloudy skies and cosy jumpers. The temperature started to drop just in time for this trip.
When we arrived we were given a handsaw and started walking up and down the rows of Christmas trees until we found one that we liked. It’s been quite a long time since I’ve had a real Christmas tree and I’d forgotten how great they smell. It was also lovely seeing the emptier fields in the distance that had just a few trees left. As we were walking by emptier lots, the family that owns the farm were already starting to plant cuttings for next years trees, and it felt very wholesome and full circle to connect Christmas with nature like this.
As for our tree, the original plan was to find one between 5 and 7 foot, but when you’re walking between all the trees it’s hard to tell how tall they are. When we found the one we wanted, it was shorter than all the surrounding trees so we thought it must be in our range. As it turns out, it’s nearly ten foot! Luckily our living room ceiling is really high, and having a huge tree does look amazing. AJ cut down the tree and he and his dad carried it to the front office where we got to see them shaking the tree in a machine to get rid of any dead or loose branches. Then, it was loaded into the back of my father-in-law’s truck and we were ready to go. Even this was a great festive moment; seeing a tree on the back or top of a truck is a classic Christmas image, especially in America, but this was my first time seeing it in action and I was so happy this tree was coming home with us!
When we got home, it was time for the fun part: decorating! AJ’s dad strung up the lights and I started sifting through the baubles. This year we had a lot as they were brought from AJ’s grandma’s house after she passed away, so I wanted to include as many of these as possible to make the tree more sentimental. She collected angels throughout her life so there were lots of really beautiful decorations and, to my joy, some handmade pieces too! Of course I made an effort to put up all the handmade baubles as you just can’t beat them, and I added a few of my own too. Here are some of my handmade favourites I found in Grandma’s collection:
My absolute favourite is the crochet angel below; it’s just so pretty and detailed. I also love the decorations pictured bottom right. AJ grew up in Alaska and these ornaments are from that time. They’re so unique and I love that they remind everyone of this time in their lives.
I dug out some baubles I crocheted last year (click here for my free pattern) using Tinsel Chunky eyelash yarn; as we weren't adding proper tinsel, these were great for adding a bit of sparkle. I also crocheted some new ones for this year. We’re big animal lovers in our house, as you’ve probably guessed from how much I talk about the dogs, so I used a free crochet pattern to make some paw prints. I’m really happy with how they turned out, the pattern was so easy and quick, and it’s nice to have our whole family represented on the tree. Click here to see the pattern I used (featured in my Handmade Gift Guide: Crochet Edition), and click here for my full list of free knitting and crochet patterns for Christmas tree decorations!
Here is the finished tree below. Winston loves napping in the chair next to it!
Another handmade bauble I added I got from a small business earlier this week. We decided to have a walk around the town next to ours called Peachtree City, as they have lots of lovely shops and Christmas lights everywhere. A new shop had opened up called Southern Goods and it was filled with handmade goodies. As a crafter, there’s nothing more exciting than spotting other makers’ work in the wild, so I was very excited to see a range of things from local artists. There was a chest of drawers with amigurumi toys popping out, handmade soaps partnered with sets of crochet scrubbies, and even a full crochet nativity set. I was in my element!
Another great aspect of this shop is that they work with children to raise money for charity. There were lots of decorations made with a piece of wood with small nails in it, and yarn wound around the nails to create different designs. Apparently the children come to the shop after school to sit and make these pieces. I loved the idea and I loved the end result so I just had to buy one for our tree! Take a look below.
Supporting small businesses is something I love to do, so I want to share with you one of my favourites that I discovered this year and that I have purchased a Christmas gift from. Crochet & Clay Cat is an Etsy shop run by Carolyn, who makes gorgeous polymer clay jewellery and crochet accessories. I love her designs so much and I can’t wait to gift one of her products. While I can’t reveal this gift just yet in case a certain someone is reading this, I can show you the beautiful earrings I got for myself.
I can’t recommend Crochet & Clay Cat enough; Carolyn provided excellent customer service and lovely extra details in my parcel. Small businesses often go above and beyond for their customers so, if you can, try shopping small this season to find unique gifts and to make a small business owner smile! Click here to view this shop on Etsy.
I hope you enjoyed this look into my festive December and I hope you have a great Christmas and New Year!❤️