Be Brave - Create Your OWN Christmas
In May of last year my husband and I sold our house and became vagabonds. Our plan was to simplify our lives and get rid of everything that was not immediately useful to us. People who have done this know what a daunting job this can be. For two years prior we slowly gave our five children choice of our possessions. Our furniture, book shelves, washer, dryer, lawn mower, leaf blower, pressure washer, sewing machines, and such went out the door without a single ounce of regret.
Surprisingly, the items that created the most anxiety were all the handmade items that our children, our grandparents, our great grandparents, and our friends had made for us throughout our lives. My great-grandmother embroidered pillow cases for me when I was a kid and gave them to me every Christmas. At the time I just thought she was senile and maybe she believed that I was my mother. Through the years though I treasured theses beautiful items and took great care in preserving them. In the end I couldn't part with them and they are still with me in a box that I have saved for my grand-daughter.
Handmade quilts from our grand parents, aprons made by my father's aunt, the fly tying tools my uncle made, old photos of my parents as children, all the little gifts made from my children's handprints, the salt dough necklace my son made me, my daughter's paintings, and many other handmade gifts were the last things left in our house. Each time I picked one up my mind would flash back. I remembered my daughter's face with her snaggle toothed smile which was usually blue because of her love of blue food. A vision of the photo ornament that my son brought home to me from kindergarten which depicted him with his pants unzipped. Then there was a plastic canvas frame that my oldest daughter made me with her photo and it produced a vision of my little girls sitting at the pattern table at the fabric store drawing dresses. Beautiful memories of life drifted through me when I touched each of these items.
I believe that the spirit of the maker is hidden deep inside a handmade gift. Touch it and you feel their hands upon it, you can see the time spent making it, and last you have a remembrance of what they meant to you. I treasure my handmade gifts. For me a gift is an expression of appreciation, love and respect. It is this sentiment expressed in a physical item.
Through the years I have made many, many handmade gifts. I love to send handmade cards, knit and crochet handmade baby gifts, I make most of my Christmas presents, and I make lots of gifts from photos. Most are not expensive but do take my time. For me the process of making these things is meditative and renewing. It allows me to be in a space where the true reality of life, relationships, and love can be contemplated and expressed.
I have big problems with the way Christmas has evolved in the United States. It has turned into a predictor of the economy for the upcoming year based on sales that take place throughout the season. We need to stop this madness, regroup, and take our holiday back. Christmas is not about maxing out your credit cards and spending all of your time shopping at the mall! It is a sacred time. A time for reflection and renewal. As the Christmas season approaches I challenge you to look around at those who mean the most to you and find a way to honor them. The giving of your time alone can be one of the most precious gifts. Be brave and challenge the expectations of society and create your own Christmas reality. Remember, creativity renews us.
Pamela G. Akins
I promote my ideas about taking back Christmas on my website: http://www.handmadechristmasguide.com. I encourage the making of handmade gifts by posting simple and economical tutorials for gifts for the upcoming holiday season.
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