For those of you who don't already know this, Jo at Serendipitous Stitching organizes an Advent Calendar Blog Hop every year. This year I am very happy to be a part of it! Do be sure to check Jo's blog via the link above all these 24 days of advent to see what Christmas cross stitched item everyone has decided to share with you, & also to learn a little something about their Christmas traditions or to find a shared recipe : )
My choice of stitching to share with you is this Little House Needleworks ornament design which I stitched last year (& which was finished by my good friend Myra) ... Ding Dong Merrily on High.
Ding dong! merrily on high,
In heav'n the bells are ringing:
Ding dong! verily the sky
Is riv'n with angel singing.
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!
I love Christmas music, especially Christmas carols. Do you know the difference between Christmas songs & Christmas carols? Christmas songs can be about any aspect of Christmas, but Christmas carols tell something about the birth of Jesus ... & after all, Jesus is what Christmas is all about : )
"And lo, the angel of the Lord
came upon them,
& the glory of the Lord shone round about them,
& they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them,
Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day
in the city of David a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you;
Ye shall find the babe wrapped
in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel
a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God, & saying,
Glory to God in the highest,
& on earth peace, good will toward men."
Luke 2:9-14
I've decided to share a Christmas tradition which my husband began on Christmas Eve 1975, 2 months before we were married. That Christmas Eve he presented me with a Christmas story book. I'd love to show you a photo of it & all the others I have accumulated since then, but alas, they are packed in a moving box & heaven only knows which pile of moving boxes let alone which box! I do have a few books from the past couple years that I can show you, however.
Each year, in the weeks before Christmas, John goes shopping specifically for a Christmas book which I don't see until he reads it to me on Christmas Eve. It might be a children's Christmas book or an adult Christmas book, funny or serious, illustrated or not. One year he could not find a book he liked, so he sat down with pen & paper & wrote one for me! It was the story of when we met in high school. It's my most special Christmas book of all : )
In case you aren't familiar with the song
Ding Dong Merrily on High,
here is a YouTube video for you to enjoy : )
I wish you all a very merry & blessed Christmas!
35 comments:
Great stitching and a beautiful tradition! That's so sweet of your husband. I hope the two of you have many many many more Christmases together :D
You did an exceptional job finishing your ornament! I love it :)
And I LOVE your tradition too. I bet that handwritten book is the best book of all! Thank you for sharing that with us!
What a wonderful tradition you and John have, Shirlee! Love your ornament finish!
Robin in Virginia
What a great post Shirlee. =)
That John of yours! What a guy. I love, love, love that he wrote you a book. Fabulous.
Lovely ornament too. ;)
Shirlee,
I LOVE the tradition your husband started! What a fantastic idea. I'm sure that one book he made for you is very dear to your heart. He sounds like quite the Romantic!
Also, I love that Christmas Carol you quoted and your lovely ornament. I learned something new today from your blog: I never realized there was a difference between a Carol and a plain old Christmas themed song - how about that! Thanks for sharing your ornament and tradition. I really enjoyed this post. Kevin
Oh, Shirlee, I love that tradition of the Christmas books... How very sweet of your husband!! And thank you for enlightening me on the difference between Christmas songs and Christmas carols... Did you know I was named "Carol" because I was supposed to arrive on Christmas Day? My poor mom--I ended up being three weeks late!!
Lovely ornament that you and Myra created :)
Very nice post. Your ornament is beautiful. And a special thanks for sharing your story of a Christmas tradition. Lovely.
Judy Heartland stitcher
What an awesome tradition Shirlee. You indeed, have a very special man.
Linda
Your ornament is beautiful! I love designs inspired by Christmas Carols too, and have always liked Ding Dong Merrily On High :) You and your husband have developed a wonderful gifting tradition!
Awww...what a lovely tradition to have. What a romantic!
Beautiful ornament you shared.
Love your Christmas tradition started by John. What a sweetie to write you your love story! While looking at the pile you have in the photo, I see "The Littlest Christmas Tree." We have that cute story too. You will have to share what new book you get this year.
Lovely story and ornament.
Great post, Shirlee - I did not know that about the difference between a Christmas Carol and a Christmas Song, I hope it is a trivia question this week when we do the daily quiz at work.
Love the ornament and I love the tradition of John reading you a Christmas story, that is so lovely.
Merry Xmas, Kaye
That is a very wonderful tradition, so lovely.
A lovely post and a beautiful tradition. Happy Christmas xxxx
A great tradition and lovely ornament too! :)
Lovely post my friend , love your stitching and your story so heart warming, big hugs.
I remember you mentioning the yearly Christmas book, that is wonderful...I did that for my boys when they were younger.
Your ornament is beautifully stitched and Myra did a great job finishing it. I really do love the ruched trim.
Did I miss something? You have many packed boxes....does this mean your house sold?
I always think of Linus, from the Charlie Brown Christmas special, whenever I read or hear that scripture.
What a lovely ornament! Now you have me humming the song. Books are a great tradition. We always had special Christmas books when Jen was small. Perhaps we should bring them out again!
Lovely stitching. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful story about you and John.
Beautiful all of it, the stitching and the stories. I bet you cherish that hand written story the most. Have a wonderful Christmas.
The ornament is beautiful, I've never seen that one before. And what a fabulous tradition...your hubby's a real sweetie!!
Your and John's book tradition warmed my heart. Fantastic idea! I used to do that when our son was younger but didn't occur to me to continue. We are never too old for a Christmas story. Beautiful post Shirlee. love Annette
Lovely ornament and a lovely tradition.
what a great tradition and I love the ornament. I like to stitch Christmas pieces that are part of Christmas songs.
what a lovely tradition, song and matching ornament!
it's so very sweet of your husband; he's a keeper yes?
tracy
That John sure is a keeper Shirlee. What a wonderful holiday tradition.
Love your ornament! This was a great post ~ loved reading of your special Christmas tradition ~ so sweet!
Pretty ornament and great book collection / tradition.
As I am listening to the carol I am in awe of your blog post! That tradition is so great! And what a great thing John did when he could not find a suitable book that one year! I love that and him, for treating you so wonderfully! Hugs!
Thanks for taking part! It is great to read about your traditions. I love the book idea. The Large Boy and I collect different versions of the Night Before Christmas poem and read them all on Christmas Eve.
Shirlee,
I love your ornament! It is so beautiful and fitting for this time of year!
Your tradition with your husband is the sweetest thing I have heard in a long while. You both have a wonderful relationship that is very special.
Wishing you both a wonderful Christmas!
Lovely stitching! Your blog is so wonderfully decorated for the season - very festive. Happy Holidays!
What a lovely idea, the books! Love the ornament too.
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