Why December Is Like Needlework

Guest post by Jen Funk-Weber of Funk & Weber Designs

Note: I loved this recent post in Jen’s email newsletter, I asked if I could share it all with you.

It happens every year. For someone, December, a month of joy, celebration, family, friends, giving, and receiving, turns into a month of sorrow, frustration, annoying family, fickle friends, giving more than one should, and receiving no thanks or satisfaction. This often makes for jolly good humor, like Grandma getting run over by a reindeer, and the
reason we all laugh is because we know what it feels like. The wild ride that is the holiday season can easily get out of hand.

2009 was a rough year for many people. I imagine it could be a difficult holiday season. It’s not even December first, and I already hear people complaining. Come to think of it,
the first holiday complaint I heard was back before Halloween when stores had Christmas displays set up beside Halloween displays. Oh, wait. That’s right; that was me.

This year, I think we should approach the month of December the way we approach needlework.

If we don’t like a pattern, we don’t stitch it! Good gravy, there are so many patterns out there, why would we waste time and money on one we don’t like?

*Not keen to attend that Annual Boring Party? Skip it! I’m pretty sure National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is on TV.

If we like a pattern but it doesn’t fit our color scheme or preferences, we substitute colors we like better.

*Those orange and black Halloween lights will still shine in December.

If we don’t like the fabric used in a pattern, we stitch on something else.

*If you don’t feel like decorating a tree this year, decorate a bookshelf, your pet, your spouse. Or, what the heck, turn your decorations box upside down and decorate the floor.

Sometimes when we complete the stitching, we hand the piece over to a professional finisher to frame it or make it into a pillow or stocking.

*I hear the local Girl Scout troop offers gift-wrapping service and have you tasted those Costco pies? They’re yummy! Maybe the neighbor kids will put up lights in exchange for cookies.

Sometimes birth samplers are presented on a beloved child’s fourth or tenth birthday. It can be good to hold off until the child is old enough to appreciate it.

*Receiving a holiday card and letter in June is a much greater surprise than receiving one in December, and competition for the recipient’s attention is greatly reduced. It’s great to hear from a friend any time of year.

Sometimes we buy a pattern not because we plan to stitch the whole thing but because we want to stitch bits and pieces.

*It’s okay to cherry pick holiday traditions and celebrations. Bring on the cookies, forget the Big Meal!

Sometimes projects don’t get finished. Admit it; you’ve spotted some UFOs in your life. Sometimes we grow to hate projects that are supposed to be fun because the pressure to finish is too great. All the joy is sapped out it.

*Maybe it’s better to not even start things you know are next-to-impossible to complete. If you haven’t yet thought of the Perfect Gifts for those hard-to-please people who have everything, you probably won’t now that the pressure’s on. People really do like gift cards, impersonal and uncreative as they are. Get a bunch, check off everyone on your gift list, and then sit back, put your feet up, and do something that’s really in spirit of Christmas. Something meaningful. Something joyful. Something fulfilling. That’s right, stitch.

This holiday season, Make It Yours.

Cheer and good will to all!

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