The Elf was Listening

Merry Christmas! We made it home from our airport adventures by noon on Christmas Eve day. We had a beautiful evening with friends and opened our handmade gifts after they left.

This little Christmas elf sits high up on a shelf all through Advent. He reports to Santa about Christmas wishes and behaviors. Once I caught E down on her knees praying to the elf :). Anyway, obviously the Christmas elf was listening well because everyone seemed very pleased with their gifts.

Here's a little tour of some of the handmade gifts:

These little pouches were made by the daughter of our friends who came on Christmas Eve. She had filled them with little bottles of massage oils and lotions. Our girls gave them pillows filled with wool and lavender.

The girls made N this fleece sleep sack and bag for summer camping.



The apron was a big hit (as was the watch). E got right into the kitchen to help make breakfast. We need to find a recipe box so we can keep adding recipes as she learns them.










N made the girls this chess board out of mahogany and maple.


I made N these historic maps of our town by downloading the old images, printing, and then framing them.












This is a yoga mat, bolster, and sack that I made for H.

And, finally, N made me this beautiful maple shelf which I will hang in the kitchen.

Sometimes it's a bit of a struggle to get these gifts made, but the love with which they are made makes them outshine everything else. These gifts are the ones we really remember over the years.