Wishing you and your families a wonderful Christmas and all the best in the New Year. I will be taking next week off, but will return with my next post in the first week of January. And in case you were wondering, here is my annual ornament for 2009.

Decorating the Christmas tree is an event. For some, it is a family time with everyone taking part. Not so for us. My husband dutifully wrestles the tree into its stand every year, and then it’s over to me. I decorate the tree like I make a quilt: balancing colors and using elements to tell a story. Many of the ornaments I even made myself.

With the holiday season quickly approaching, I thought I would share one of my annual traditions. Every year, I make a fabric Christmas ornament for each of my neices and nephews. But I always make extra, because I have learned that they add a nice, personal touch to any gift.