The Stocking Project

This is the story of a 33 year project. This project has been a work of love and determination. I guess you could call it the Stocking Project. It’s a dear project to me because it has been faithfully executed through the years. So many projects I would like to do with each of my children (like taking pictures at the same time in the same outfit, or making hand prints at the same age…you know all those cute Pinterest projects) just don’t ever happen. I may have to write a blog someday about the Guilt Books — those baby books that are filled out for the first and maybe second baby, bought for the third and never given a thought to for the fourth. This one was completed for each new baby right on time.

It all started at a Ben Franklin’s in Conroe, TX back in 1982. Danny and I were getting ready to spend our second Christmas together. Being a newly married couple, we did not have very many Christmas decorations — stockings being top on the list of decorations we needed to have. Ben Franklin’s had the the perfect counted cross stitch stocking kit for Danny’s stocking. Always ready for a new project, I bought it and had it completed before too long.

Of course, I needed a stocking too, so I used the pattern from Danny’s stocking and designed one for myself. With two stockings,  the Stocking Project is complete. Right?

That is until 4 years later when we were blessed with a new addition to our family — Matthew. I wanted to continue this tradition of ours and get Matthew a stocking made for his first Christmas, so I searched the craft stores for a stocking kit I could cross stitch. There was one dilemma. The stocking instructions I purchased (not a kit, just instructions) were for a stocking facing to the left. The our stockings pointed to the right. I figured, how hard could it be to reverse the instructions while I stitched. That’s right. I reversed everything as I went. Yes, I could have just scanned it into my computer and reversed the image but…wait…this was 1986. We didn’t have computers in our homes back then. Color copies, if they were even available, were expensive. So I reversed the stitches as I went. It’s not perfect, but I was happy.

Now we had 3 happy Christmas stockings all hanging in a row.

All was well until 1991 when son #2 (James) came along. I knew I had to get him a stocking made before his first Christmas. I didn’t even have to go looking for a kit or pattern because the instructions I bought for Matthew had a couple of other adorable stocking instructions. I chose the Snowman for James and got to work. I had that thing finished before the Christmas decorations even went up.

That’s when I realized I had made a mistake. A mistake that would haunt me every time we hung the Christmas stockings. As you can see, James’ stocking is turned the wrong way. I had forgotten that I had reversed the pattern for Matthew’s stocking and went by the written instructions for James. Grrrr….

Oh well…as usual in life, things changed which helped bring balance to the Stocking Project. Shortly after James’ 2nd Christmas his new little brother, Andrew, made his appearance. Of course, I knew I had to start making his Christmas stocking. If his brothers had a stocking by their first Christmas this little guy was going to have one too.

The instructions that came with Matthew and James’ stockings had one more pattern. I was making preparations to make it for Andrew when his daddy stepped in to put his foot down. This 3rd stocking was going to be adorable. A bear riding a rocking horse. What could be sweeter for a baby boy. Danny said, “He won’t be a baby boy for long. He’s going to be a big boy and won’t want a bear riding a rocking horse for his stocking”. What a bummer. Of course, Danny was right but I really liked that pattern, and I still do. Abiding by his daddy’s wishes and common sense, I head to the craft stores looking for a cross stitch stocking I could make for Andrew. I hadn’t forgotten the unbalanced stockings and knew I needed to get one that pointed the same direction as James’. I did and here it is.

Now things look a little better. Five stockings…almost balanced. I sound OCD about this. I’m really not but this just annoyed me.

A couple of years later, brought the balance our Stocking Project needed. Timothy was born. As was my routine, I found a stocking for him and made sure it turned the right direction. This is one I designed somewhat. I found a magazine that had several stockings. I chose the best parts out of each to come up with this design. After all, this would most likely be the last stocking I made. I wanted to use all the best parts of the stockings in this magazine.

As I hung this most recent stocking alongside the others, I felt a sense of calm and completion. Balance had been brought to the Stocking Project. We had a house full of little boys. All was well.

And then…along comes Jonathan. Five little boys. Who would have thought I would be the mother of five little boys. I was busy. We were home schooling the boys. I was teaching violin lessons in my home. Baseball, boy scouts, Bible class all were squeezed into our tight schedule and now a new baby. Life was good. Life was fun. I was tired but I knew I had to get Jonathan a stocking made by his first Christmas. I found this really cool one that probably took more time than any of the others but it was worth it.

At this point, since Timothy’s stocking had brought balance to the Stocking Project, it didn’t really matter which way Jonathan’s stocking pointed, it would put a kink in it all but it worked out that his pointed like the previous 3 boys.

But we weren’t done. In less than 2 years, the last little Dow baby (of this generation) was born — Benjamin. You know what they say, “If you want something done ask a busy person.” That was me at this point. Busy! Six little boys involved in every little boy activity imaginable plus running a little home business selling home school curriculum online. Still teaching violin lessons. But this little baby was going to have his own stocking made before his first Christmas just like his brothers. Thankfully, he was born in February.

Obviously, his stocking had to point to the left. It did and once again, balance has been brought to the Stocking Project.

As life goes on, the inevitable happens. Our family grows. The boys begin to marry and have children of their own. While I would have liked to have made each of my daughter in-laws a counted cross stitch stocking, I knew that it probably wouldn’t happen so I resorted to another love of mine, quilting. Crazy quilting at that. With the help of a friend, the three stockings were completed today.

I would have liked to have had a stocking for each of them their first Christmas in our family but it didn’t work out that way. This year is the year the Stocking Project has, at least for the time being, been caught up.

What about the grand children, you ask? Well, I knew better than to think I could keep up with making each of them a stocking. One of my boys makes the occasional comment that when all 36 of my grand children are born… That would be a wonderful blessing but a lot of stockings to make. I took a lesson from my mother in law who did attempt to make each of her grandchildren a Christmas stocking. The year she had 3 born, she gave up, gave in and bought stockings. I did the same. If I had made their stockings, I would have wanted them to look just like these. Thank you Hobby Lobby for your half price Christmas decorations.

Now we wait…for the next addition to the family.