A Christmas Stole for the Pastor, etc.

A little scrap red cotton left over from stockings, some gold lamé and gold ribbon picked up at Jo-Ann's, and a bit of double-stick facing and voila.

I backed it with natural muslin leftover from my Robbing Peter to Pay Paul quilt (still languishing in the sunroom). Cheap and fast. And I managed to finish it a few days ahead of the Christmas Eve service. In case you can't tell from the picture, on the one side is the star and on the other is the creche with a little head and a halo around it.

We're finally able to dress the boy in some hand-me-down Christmasy sweaters, which I love.

And last week we went to his "Christmas program," which, because it's a daycare populated largely with babies and toddlers, amounted to a lot of parents holding their babies and singing (because obviously babies can't sing). Calvin's class was old enough to sing, but most of them stood glassy-eyed in front of the crowd, which had about twice as many people as could fit in the venue. Calvin's expression here is just how I felt about the whole thing as well.

Once we got out of that crowded room we got to ride a "train" that was pulled by a tractor dressed up to look like an engine and the whole thing was covered with Christmas lights, so that was fun (though it was about 12 degrees Fahrenheit that night).

Tonight we are caroling to shut-ins and after that I have no other commitments (besides work). We've had a very busy few weeks with parties, dinners, volunteering, choir stuff, and programs. I, for one, can't wait until Friday when we can slow down and focus. And, as always, I look forward to January when I can clean up, put away, return decorations to the attic, and feel the sense of renewal and freshness I always get from January.