Jingle Bells and Ho Ho Ho

It's no secret that I love Christmas. I love the winter season and snow and cookies and egg nog and putting up the tree and traditions and the feeling of good will that fills my heart. I wish some of the family drama could be left at the door but even that can not kill my holiday spirit. One of my favorite parts is Christmas knitting and the knitting machine I become after December 1st. Try as I might to start early I am not like my friend Stefanie, of Handmade by Stefanie, who starts her Christmas knitting in May. I tried to be a good girl and started Ben's traditional Christmas sweater in late September. Unfortunately if you don't work on a project it doesn't magically knit itself in the bag just 'cause you are thinking of knitting it. 
I did pick up my dad's Christmas socks from 2009 finishing them one day over two years of being cast on. 

I dyed the yarn while I was working at Lorna's Laces in Chicago flag colors. I love how the colors pooled and while the pattern doesn't knock your socks off, it's subtly there. So I have finished 4 of the knitted gifts I planned, 3 more are on the needles and 8 more to be cast on. But that figure could always change. 19 more days until Christmas morning. I am not crazy. And this all still seems very doable. This blog post is as much trying to convince myself as convince you out there reading my ramblings. Next to knitting and cookie baking is my love of wrapping gifts. My mom taught me to wrap gifts at an early age and I was always ready with a finger to help tie a ribbon tight or the scissors to curl the ribbon ends. This year I've discovered jingle bells thanks to pinterest. Here's a taste of the tree and the wrapping I have wrought on the presents beneath.

The present in the foreground is for my sister-in-law. I found the rosette at Renegade handmade this past weekend, made by my friend Lillian Asterfield, and just knew if had to be a bow on her box. The tags are from Star Shaped Press here in Chicago.

The Gnome paper I couldn't resist. It's so cute! I saved some of it to wrap my mom's present as well. Since she's the one who started the whole Gnome thing with me after watching Amelie.

One more gratuitous picture of the full tree. I just can't help myself. Some may call it commercialism. I'll keep Christmas in my way and you can all keep it in yours. Happy Holidays my friends!