"experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted." -randy pausch

Sunday, December 20, 2009

stockings hung with care

grandma max was famous for her stockings at christmas.
if you were in the family, she made you one.
under one condition.
you had to be born or married into the family before any stocking making began.
it was bad luck to start making the stocking before a birth or before a wedding of an incoming family member.
our wedding in april gave grandma a run for her money in 2004, but she did not disappoint.
in fact, over the years it appears the stockings have grown in length.
sean and brennan's are a good 3 inches longer than mine, made over 20 years before.
extra oranges at the bottom of theirs?
a new pattern?
thicker yarn?
who knows?
just more room for santa to spoil them ;-)
when grandma max passed away in june we knew we were expecting.
i wished for a girl so i could call her max.
a name that meant grace, intellect, beauty, integrity, tact, love, impeccable grammar, and one hell of a cook.
pardon my french, as grandma max would say.
her motto with words was "less is more."
i hope baby max takes after her grandmother.
in all of her grace.
and i hope i can learn to knit.
or talk aunt mary into making one for our newest member.
new year's resolution?

6 comments:

Carley, John, Cohen, kennedy said...

Emily, I just found your blog and really enjoy reading it! How are you? How is life, it seems like it is going well! Congrats on the new one coming super fun!

keri said...

Wow, what a cool tradition! I tried to learn to knit once. Guess my hands are just not coordinated enough, because I finally gave up.
I love that you will call her Max for short! Very cute!!

Amy said...

What beautiful stockings! I love how individualized they are. I love what Max means to you and think it is so sweet that you are already calling your daughter Max.

Susan Anderson said...

We have the same stockings, Em. Dave's mom made them for us. Now that she's gone, I have them made by a woman at a children's shop. So if you ever need the information, let me know.

=)

Emmy said...

That is so wonderful that she did that for everyone. My mom makes stockings for all of us too.. though she will get started before the baby is born. I have had my stocking since I was little and Eric's and my husbands are all obviously newer.. and well besides my name being on mine it is really obvious which one is mine as the white parts aren't so white anymore. 29 years of candy covered hands touching it I guess :)

Jess said...

What a good name for your Max to live up to, and it's so nice that you have happy memories to go along with your stockings.