One of my favorite part of Christmas is picking out and decorating the tree...sadly, we're traveling for Christmas this year so it just didn't make sense to get a tree - so I'll live vicariously through all of you!

Going out to a tree farm is so amazing, the fresh smell of pine, happy families, piped in Christmas music; a perfect post card of Christmas. Of course in my family's experience that postcard of perfection lasts about 30 seconds and then one is running off and hiding in the trees, another is crying becasue her brother stole her glove, and the third is trying to scale the tree sled and is at risk for breaking multiple bones.....ahhhhhh Christmas (I still love it though).

Here are Gloria and Jessica to share their tree cutting and decorating adventures...

Porkchop and CookieBear love to hear the words “Go, Go, Go” and the jingle of their collars & leashes. Today my daughter, her husband and I said “Ho, Ho, Ho” as we made our way to the Windy Hills Farm to choose a tree.

My furry babies were the best dressed dogs at the farm in their I Love Lucy Fleece Sweaters from Stitchwerx. They were thrilled to run around the children who all stopped to pet them; and, together with their moms, compliment them on their sweaters.

Porkchop is wearing the Christmas Print Fleece purchased from Walmart last year. She prefers riding in the front seat to look out the window. We actually refer to the “child lock” as the “Porkchop lock” because she knows how to roll down the windows . . .

My daughter Kelly shares the remnants of Porkchop’s sweater by sporting a fleece hat made with Stitchwerx’s Combo Hat pattern. There’s fringe on the top, just like the fringe around Porkchop’s neckline.

CookieBear is adorable in her fleece sweater, which I adorned with the optional flower design included in the pattern. The looped fringe is easy to make and looks fantastic! I love this sweater!

My daughter is delighted to have her new Christmas Greenstyle Creations Centerfield Raglan, made with Girl Charlee Reindeer on White Cotton Jersey Blend Knit Fabric.

The heart elbow patches show her love for the holidays! I love the elbow patch variety included in the Greenstyle Raglan!

We’ve chosen our tree and are on the way back home to decorate! Only 21 more days until Christmas!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Hey, there!
It's Jessica from Snickerdoodle Stew! As much as I wish we could get a fresh tree, several of us are allergic to them, so we go for the fake. My husband has a weakness for Christmas lights and thinks he's the next Clark Griswold, so he's always wanting enough lights to land a 747. We have favorite ornaments that we hang from year to year, like handmade button garland and all of those projects the kids bring home from school. I used to want an all matchy-match tree, but I love pulling out their old ornaments and proudly displaying them on our tree.
When I thought about what I loved about trimming the tree and Christmas decorations, I also thought about one of my favorite Christmas traditions: The Nutcracker. I've always loved the Tchaikovsky ballet and even moreso when I get to actually see it. And the actual Nutcrackers can be a little creepy with their big eyes and chomping teeth, but they always look so regal. Who doesn't love a man in uniform?

My contribution today is an homage to the hombre of the holiday. I found this fun Nutcracker fabric from Timeless Treasures at my local Ben Franklin store (seriously, one of my favorite places to find DEALS!) and knew immediately I wanted to make something for my littlest guy. I picked up this gold fabric with a fun, line pattern and ordered some very necessary Riley Blake mustache fabric. I love the look of Brownie-Goose pants patterns and all of the fun details, so I chose to use the Henry pattern (of Henry & Henrietta).

See what I mean about the details? Not that this candy cane would last longer than 5 seconds for him to put it in his pocket, but he did have 3 in his hand. Carrying all that candy can wear a kid out!

I paired the Henry pants with the Classic Ringer Tee from Peek-a-Boo Patterns. My original plan was to make it look like a Nutcracker uniform, but I opted for the mustache applique so it would get more wear. Although, you may just find him sporting these pants in February, you know, because he's two? I found a printable mustache template and then reduced it by 75% to get the perfect proportions for my little guy. Those yummy red and blue knits you see are from Purple Seamstress Fabrics and are seriously my go-to for solids.