Welcome to Brownie's Chair, my blog about all things cross stitch. Feel free to have a look around, and email me if you have any questions or suggestions!

Sunday, December 20, 2015

20th Day of Advent Blog Hop

Hello readers!  Today I am proud to co-host (with Cheryl) Day 20 of Jo's Advent Blog Hop.  I've admired Jo's blog hops for almost 2 years now, so I'm very excited to be participating for the first time. 

Jo has asked us to share some Christmas stitching with you all and then share our Christmas Eve traditions.  So I thought I'd share a photo I snapped of Mill Hill's Holiday Stamp before I sent it off to my exchange partner.  Ornaments always look better hanging on a tree don't they? 


So now onto Christmas Eve traditions.  Growing up, and even still now, I don't think we ever have a "typical" Christmas Eve.  Our activities change a bit from year to year, although there are two constants: family and putting out stockings. 

Of course when we were little my brother and I would always put out milk and cookies for Santa and then pick out which stockings we were going to use and choose some for our parents as well.  Although we had a fireplace growing up, we never hung the stockings up, rather draping them over the couches and chairs in the family room.  This left more room for extra presents of course.  The years my Mom and Dad got sick of wrapping presents at 2:00 in the morning there would be more things piled around the stocking than in the years they started the wrapping earlier in the month. 

Now that my brother and I are adults, we still put out stockings for the family on Christmas Eve.  Then we take turns sneaking up to them in the middle of the night to fill them with goodies.  We have collectively taken on the Santa role I guess. 

What we fill our time with during Christmas Eve before the stockings go up varies from year to year.  We often enjoy doing a Christmas puzzle, so sometimes we will pull that out early and put one together on the card table while watching Christmas specials on TV in the background.  One time we gathered around the tree and read the book The Best Christmas Pageant Ever out loud in turn.  Which, by the way if you've never read that book, I highly recommend it.  Lately it seems Christmas Eve is reserved for snuggling up in your favorite cozy blanket and putting in a favorite Christmas movie.  My brother will probably opt for Elf while I'll fight for A Muppet Christmas Carol.  Although with the new Star Wars movie coming out a few days ago, I sense there might be a movie marathon in the works instead. 

Thank you for joining me on this blog hop!  Don't forget to check our Cheryl's blog for another Christmas stitchy post today, and you can catch up on any advent posts you've missed on this page at Jo's blog

Merry Christmas!

post signature

17 comments:

  1. That's a lovely ornament - I'm sure your exchange partner will be thrilled with it! Your traditions sound nice and relaxing. Wishing you and your family a very Happy Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds like you have a cozy Christmas Eve! Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Amazing ornament Alyssa. Wonderful traditions you have in your family. Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for taking part in the Advent Calendar Blog Hop this year, especially after lurking for two years LOL.
    Your Christmas Eves sound like lots of fun. Thank you also for the book recommendation. I had to check it out instantly and found a copy on the "Marketplace" section of my work's website, where they sell OOP and hard-to-get books. I hope it's worth it! On my post I listed all the books we currently read on Christmas Eve, we may be adding another one now.
    Your ornie is lovely and they do look so nice photographed on an actual tree.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great finish on your ornament and lovely traditions too.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your exchange ornament is very pretty and Christmas Eve sounds fun..I like the snuggling up in your favourite cozy blanket part:)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lovely ornament :) That sounds like a fun tradition! I would vote for Muppets as well :) Have a Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your Santa ornament is very nice, and I enjoyed reading about your Christmas traditions. Merry Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Such a sweet little ornament. And it was fun reading about your varying Christmas Eve activities.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hopping by on the blog hop. What a beautiful ornament. I just love Mill Hill kits. Sounds like a fantastic tradition. I wish you and your brother a very Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh, your Christmas sounds lovely peacful! I love how you keep your stockings & santa tradition alive, even now that you're grown up :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Nice stitching! My vote is for Muppet Christmas Carol -- that's a favorite in our house, especially with my oldest, who's obsessed with the Muppets.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Pretty and neat ornament, yes it looks best on the tree, lucky exchange partne:) Thanks for sharing your precious Christmas tradition, more stockings to come.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Beautiful ornament. Merry Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
  15. That is a lovely ornament. Happy Christmas

    ReplyDelete
  16. How nice to see your stamp finished, it's lovely hanging on the tree. I'm still working on mine! I don't think I've ever read that book, I'll have to remember it for next Christmas.
    Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete