I have been an avid cross-stitcher for decades. In 1987, when my son was born, I vowed to cross-stitch a unique and special Christmas ornament for him every year. That promise lasted one year. Fast forward thirty years and I vowed to do the same for my grandson. So far, I have kept that promise.
The first two ornaments I made him were cute, but were lacking a certain Je ne sais quoi. I wanted something that was really charming and special. I scoured the internet, and while I found a lot of patterns, none of them seemed to have the oomph I was looking for. Then I searched Evergreen Indiana and found a book titled The Magic of Christmas in Cross-Stitch (Atglen, PA : Schiffer Publishing, 2018). This book has the cutest, most adorable Christmas cross-stitch charts I have ever seen. Whether you’re looking for a cherubic child writing a letter to Santa, or angelic children building a snowman, this book seems to have it all. Last year I cross-stitched two little mice sitting under a mushroom wrapping presents. When I showed it to a friend, she said it w
as “beyond adorable.”
This year my grandson will get Santa stuffing his bag full of presents. My hardest decision now is which delightful design will I cross-stitch next.
My precious little grandson is only two years old and doesn’t yet appreciate that I’m doing this for him, but someday, he’ll hold up these ornaments and say “My Mēmo loves me.” And you know what? He’ll be right!
Start a new tradition this year and read a different holiday book every night this December until Christmas. Here are some suggestions from our children’s librarians.