How crocheting gave me Christmas back

When you’re a crochet lover, Christmas means making a big list of all the beautiful handmade gifts you’re going to put under the tree. And, it’s a fact, you can never get enough crochet, so, why not making the tree and the decorations too?

For me, it has been a magical experience !

When I was a child, I lived in Belgium, a very small European country. During the Holidays, it was cold and snowy. On November, there was a day I will always remember. The day when my mom used to get back from the attic, her hands charged with a big dusty box on which was written “NOEL” (the French word for Christmas). Of course, I couldn’t read at that time, but I recognized those 4 letters very well as they were the symbol of a very happy day ! 

Then we spent hours decorating the tree, putting the lights first so the other garlands would hide the wires, then the balls, and the fake gifts (in which I used to wish a real one was hidden).

In the evening, we replaced what could have been a television evening by a “Christmas tree evening”, staring at the flashing lights.

When I was 9, we went to live in Africa. Nor the snow nor the big magic box were part of the trip, and although we continued to celebrate Christmas, it had lost a bit of its spirit. So when I came back in Europe, far from my family, Christmas left a bad taste in my mouth, and I abandoned the tradition.

Then, there was crochet, and this blog, and you.

When I published my Halloween decoration, some of you wondered what I would make for Christmas… “Nothing” wasn’t an answer for me. So I looked for some inspiration in my confort zone and… Well “the Nightmare before Christmas” works as well for Halloween as for Christmas, doesn’t it? 

That’s how I started making a Santa amigurumi. 

Once my Father Christmas was done, I had to take pictures for the pattern… And a Santa on a white background was definitely too sad ! 

So I said to myself “let’s make a Christmas tree real quick!” and I followed thelazyhobbyhopper pattern with Katia Alaska yarn.

And it was perfect ! It looked almost real ! I could almost smell the thorns, just like I used to smell them when my mom got back from the attic, her hands charged with a big dusty box on which was written “NOEL”… 

*Poof*

Magic ! It was back ! The Christmas spirit ! Lights ! I need lights ! Sparkles ! Fake gifts ! 

That afternoon, I came back with LED flashing lights, sparkly pipe cleaners, garlands, and small fake gifts.

Then I decorated my tree, putting the lights first so the other garlands would hide the wires, then the sparkly pipe cleaners, and the fake gifts (in which I still wish a real one is hidden).

When I plugged the lights, I was 20 years younger. 

If this article made you want to add a bit of crochet to your Christmas decoration : 

• The Christmas tree pattern is available here 
• Santa’s pattern is available in my Etsy shop

See you soon  ! :)