I made my first Christmas card one evening this week.

Don’t go all hater on me.

I love Christmas.

Our little family has had a long-standing tradition of making homemade Christmas cards.

It is one of the many wonderful things I learned from my friend, Jill, who carried on the tradition from her Mom.

Every year around the middle to end of October, we would come up with a Christmas card idea.  Through the years either I drew it or, most often, one of the boys would draw it for the year.  We would have them printed, in black only, and then spend countless hours together in the evenings coloring them with markers.

When the boys went off to college, the homemade Christmas card tradition ended.  For a couple of years I sent boxed Christmas cards.  Then I just quit sending them all together.  Seems the tradition is dying.

Then last year I began my stamping hobby, and I was excited to be creative and make Christmas cards again.

I don’t send as many as we used to, and now every card is it’s own unique creation.  I don’t like to make a bunch of the same card.  In fact, I’ve barely ever made two of the same.  The joy to me is in making each unique and individual and the process of creative creation.  So if you get a Christmas card from me these days, it was made just for you and it’s the only one like it.

But as a special memory of all the sweet cards we’ve made through the years as a young family, I now have a collage hanging in my office.  I bought an old window sash at Construction Junction and modge podged the cards and the photos that went with them on it.  It is a sweet memory as I work from my home office during the day or craft in the evenings or on weekends there.

Here are a few of my favorites through the years.

I adore this one Nick made when he was six years old of the family in the living room – Dad in his chair, the lights on the mantle of the fireplace (if you were wondering what that is across the top 🙂 ), the coffee table on the bottom, and how he labeled everyone.  I love that we all have big smiles.  It took us countless hours to hand color this one as we sent at least 100 cards out every year.

Another fave is this one Jake drew when he was six years old of Santa and his reindeer flying through the starry night over the houses below.  I love these plump smiling reindeer and Rudolph’s red nose.  (anyone that knows me knows how much I LOVE Rudolph!)

And there is this one Nick made at 9 – we laugh now looking at this interesting Santa face.  But look how Santa is waiting to give you a hug!

And this more simplistic, primitive angel he drew at 12.  (they were growing tired of coloring by now…)

Another favorite is this one Jake drew at seven years old.  This one makes me smile seeing the blue marker line “blooper,” and the hearts colored in on the people.

And each year I would put a photo in the card – often times corresponding with the card “theme,” like this one that went with Peace on Earth.

or when I made homemade nutcracker tin soldier outfits for them to pose in…

And then they became a bit more sophisticated, like this one Jake drew at 16 years old.

Such sweet memories and reflections.

So you may be seeing some Christmas cards I make this year here.  Each will be made with love and with fond memories of Christmases past and the anticipation of the joy in Christmases to come.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi