1st Day of Sock Yarn

Today marks the beginning of our 12 day celebration of all things sock yarn, the 12 Days of Sock Yarn!

For the ninth year, we're celebrating our exclusive holiday at Simply Socks Yarn Company!  From Dec. 13 through Dec. 24 you have a chance on this blog to win a special knitterly gift each day.  Could be yarn, could be accessories, and it will definitely be awesome. One added bonus this year- each day will also include a bonus $20 gift certificate to the shop, so you get a gift for now and one to spend later!

How can you join in? Simply visit the SSYC Blog every day from Dec. 13 through the 24th and answer the question in the comments section before the following day's question is revealed (the comments will be closed on the previous post once the next day is up). You'll automatically be entered to win the gift shown for that day. If you participate each day, you'll have a dozen chances to win (one chance each day). And yes, you can win more than one day! It has happened before.

You don't have to participate in any particular holiday to win anything- you just have to want some awesome free yarn or goodies. Over the years because of this event, I've incorporated new traditions, recipes and projects into my life that I wouldn't have learned of otherwise. And I've read some great stories and gotten to know a lot of you a lot better. I'll post the randomly chosen winners in January, and you'll also get an e-mail if you've won a prize. Let's get started!

On the first day of sock yarn, Simply Sock Yarn gave to me....

the new HiyaHiya Flyers! 

To have your chance at trying out these spankin' new needles for free (we'll send you the US 1 and 2 sizes!) plus a bonus $20 gift certificate to the shop, just answer the following question in the comments below:

Do you enjoy decorating your home for the holidays? If so, tell us about some of your favorite decorations. If not, please instead share a decoration that you once connected with or enjoyed.

My favorite decorations, right now, are all my Christmas tree ornaments that I've amassed over the past 40 years. Each year, my aunt Margaret would give me a special Hallmark ornament, and my mom continued the tradition after my aunt passed, so I have quite a lovely collection. I'm also known to buy an ornament on every vacation we go on, as a way to remember that vacation each time we decorate. We have finally finished decorating our tree, which is the largest by far at 9.5 feet. I can't say I'd choose that large of a fresh tree again. First, the cost. Second, we only had ornaments/ribbons for a 7 foot tree, so this year it seems like we are woefully short on adornments. Third it's really hard to find a live, straight tree. As you can see from the photo, this tree has quite a bend at the top and thus I've created a bit of a web of fishing line attach it to the window molding so that it doesn't fall. Again.

But it is very pretty and the kids love it. Now, just to get the rest of the house decorated and presents wrapped and we are all good.

 

Comments

[JoAnn Byrne]

I look forward to putting my tree up with the beautiful quilted Christmas tree skirt my mother made.

[Karin]

i love putting up a collection of gnomes, preferably fiber-y and handmade, and everything that can gets a winter scarf! This year I discovered the Never Not Gnoming pattern and the little gnomes keep multiplying in all sorts of fiber-y goodness.

[Heidi]

Your tree is beautiful! I haven’t done much Christmas decorating since my husband passed. I used to put lighted garland on the stairs banister and line the bay window with lights. It was so lovely!
Merry Christmas to you and ypur family!

[Aimee Kilburn]

We would all make a new ornament for our tree while our children lived at home. Now that they are grown, my husband and I relive those years as we put up the tree.

[Luann M.]

The only thing this year is our little Charlie Brown type table top tree. It's enough for us.

[Laura Lenkey]

My favorite decorations are my collection of ornaments gifted to me including the ones from my daughter when she was little and my collection of Byers Carolers. Their joyous faces make me happy. I also have a Willow Tree crèche that I won at our local Hallmark store. The simplicity of their design appeals to me. Thank you for the opportunity. Laura

[Bonney]

I love the memories of almost all our ornaments for the tree. I don't go overboard with decorating but there are several things that make us happy to see again. Our favorite is a small styrofoam house painted red with glitter. The two (now grown) oldest boys got into a massive shouting match one year when they were in high school over who made it in elementary school. Whichever one of them gets to the house first on Christmas gets to put it on the tree!!

[Twilla Steele]

My favorite decoration is my Christmas Village.

[vwbw]

We use to put a big tree and all the rest. Now it's just the smallest tree I can find,maybe. 32 yrs of retail has gotten to me and there is just no time anymore. Yep, no Xmas spirit. My fav decorations were the candles in the windows my grandmother use to put up. I also always wanted a silver tree, thought they were so cool when I was a kid, so 60's.

[amy g]

My mother has a great collection of Nativity Sets from all over the world. It's wonderful to listen to the stories for each of them when we put them up - or when we take them down. I enjoy decorating a tree, but I haven't done so in many years because my space is too small. Someday....sigh.

[Heather]

We decorate the tree while watching White Christmas. I love setting up my Nativity set that was a gift from my mom and remembering Christmas of my past.

[Doreen Righter]

I have a plastic canvas angel tree topper that my mom made. It's very beautiful and doesn't look like plastic canvas at all. I treasure all hand made goodies!

[Donna Baker]

I love to decorate, especially the mantle with Garland and lights but for the past 3 years we have added very curious kittens to our family so we have not decorated and we miss it.

[Teri]

I don't decorate much since I live alone, but over the years I've made so many different decorations. One of my favorites I made when my son was 15 months old. I found a great pattern in a Good Housekeeping magazine from the early 80s for a crocheted gingerbread house. I had so much fun making it, and we always enjoyed placing it near or under the tree every year. I think of that year as the Crochet Christmas since our budget was so very tight I crocheted many of my son's gifts as well as a bunch of decorations.

[JB Pierce]

Cats have made for modifications in the holiday decor — I just don’t trust them not to climb a tree. Table top trees and trifle bowls of ornaments are the order of the day here — festive and less likely to incur feline interest

[margot]

The tree is the thing. even if you don't have time for ornaments. the tree with just lights is a thing of beauty.

[Katie L]

I love decorating. My favorites are a ceramic light up tree made by my grandmother and a light up hallmark gingerbread village we set up around it!

[Susan]

I love our Christmas tree. It’s full of ornaments that hold special meanings. From ornaments our boys made when they were little, to those from my mother in law who has passed away.

[Donia]

My favorite decoration is the Christmas tree. I can't say I enjoy the process of decorating but I love the results!

[Kimberly Wiggin]

This year I am having so much fun decorating! For some reason I got a really early start and that is making all the difference. I have time to enjoy taking out the handmade ornaments and enjoying each one, and remembering stories about the small trees that came from my grandfather. Of course I still have plenty of shopping and baking to do!!

[grace]

This is the first year that we have had a tree since the kittens came to live with us (4 years ago). I really like putting up a tree so this is nice. We sorted all the ornaments and did not put any on the tree that could not survive a crash but it's all good--so far!

[Cindy Smith]

I love decorating! The tree is always fun because it adds such nice light to the dark winter nights. Some of my favorite decorations are my Byers Carolers. I started my collection with some of my mother's and now I have 16.

[Nicole S]

I don't decorate for the holidays because my roommates and I are seldom home much around the holidays, but I always used love the tree at my parents' place. We'd go find it ourselves (in a cut block up the hill or somewhere at the back of our property, not at a Christmas tree farm, so it wouldn't have been trimmed into a cone shape) and decorate it with all our traditional ornaments (no scheme, just a collection of whatever we had) and string popcorn (or, let's be honest, eat most of the popcorn).

[Andrea Rademacher]

I have three boys and that may have influenced my tastes. My nativity was my favorite for years, but after the boys started joining our lives the nativity is still cherished, but I look forward to the talking trees and a large lit up frog 🐸 that joins us at Christmas and all the horseplay and laughter that comes with them. Christmas still has all the solemn meaning and special moments, but silly joys as well that enrich my life as a mom. Merry Christmas!

[Alyssa Larson]

I honestly have not decorated the house much in the past few years. But when I did, I loved decorating my Christmas tree with ornaments from my childhood.

[Pat]

I love Poinsettias so I decorate with varous colors.

[Liz S]

I don’t always get a tree to decorate, but I ALWAYS put up lights. I think I buy more every year - they bring an additional sparkle to the house & I love it.

[Nancy F.]

I have a collection of homemade ornaments my dad made for me and I painted when I was about 4 or 5 years old. My own kids, now teenagers, love these relics.

[Shirley]

Every year since our now 35 year old son was born, we have had a family photo card. I have saved one of each year and arranged them on tag board and framed them. I now have two poster size boards that I hang each Christmas. It’s fun for me and our guests to look at those photos from years gone by.

[Kathy (Yarndork)]

As a mom of 5 boys, I love putting up the Christmas tree! Every year we make more ornaments, some from kits, some from school, some with pictures, some with beads, just all different kinds. I love to hear the boys exclaim, "Hey Mom! I remember this one! I made it in 3rd grade! Or was it 2nd?" Listening to them just makes my heart happy. My goal is to one day have a tree with nothing but homemade handmade ornaments on it. So many memories. (I do have to remember though, to put the kids' name and the year on the back of the ornament...sometimes they get going so fast I forget!)

[Tee Munk]

I love making hand-knit ornaments...I'm building a collection! Thanks for a great giveaway

[Julie]

My favorite item in ally decorations is a Christmas house my dad gave to me that winds up and when you open the front everyone inside moves, the lights come on, and it plays music!

[Colleen D'Allura]

A few years ago my husband was deployed and he loves Christmas trees. So the kids and took a piece of fabric, drew the outline of a 4ft tree and used our hands dipped in green paint to fill in the tree. My husband loves his hand print tree. It hangs on our wall every year since. I love seeing his smile everytime he puts it up!

[Natalie H]

I love the way our home looks with all the decorations, inside and out, but I do kind dread the act of doing it all. This year was great because my daughter helped with the tree. Hoping to build a new tradition of decorating with her!

[BeLinda]

This year yes very much. My daughter and I have loved adding special touches to the house.

[Erin]

My mom gives my brother and I a new ornament each year since we were born so when we decorate our tree every year we get to look back at all those years.

[Diane]

I did not decorate this year.
However, when I lived in Minnesota, I started collecting snowmen. Most are hand made of fabric. Displaying them in California seems odd so I don't. Maybe some day.

[Cynthia Carpenter]

We have collected Santa ornaments. He is all that is on our tree. My husband also lights up the yard.

[Donna Kuehl]

My favorite decoration is a small santa and reindeer music box that I found years ago at Goodwill. I touched up the paint and added new glitter! I leave it out all year long!

[sue swartz herr]

I grew up without the tradition of Christmas trees but have had them in our home in the past. Now all our ornaments have gone to our daughter, who likes trees and who has two young sons. This year we will have one small skinny tree with lights only (my preference). I will have lots of candles! I like simplicity most of all.

[Brandi]

What has made decorating more special to me is that now my two children are old enough to help decorate the tree and the house. It is so much fun to see their excitement when we pick a tree and they get to make the decisions on how to decorate it. I also cherish my Grinch ornaments that my mother has given me, that's what I look forward to hanging up the most.

[sharon]

I do love my home decorated for the holidays. I love all the pretty colors and smells of Christmas.
My usual theme is snowmen. The tree is not my favorite as I like them fresh and it seems they want to shed needles everywhere, which is a problem especially with pets.

[junglewife]

I’m not much of a decorator but I love Christmas decorations. I especially love putting garlands with white lights over my windows and the soft light they give at night. I also have kind of started collecting tree decorations (as in, actual trees, not decorations for the tree) and those trees get displayed on my mantle 😊

[Meg C]

My collection of Christmas tree ornaments are cherished, but I rarely use them any more. I like in a small cabin, heated with a wood stove, and have pets. Having an indoor tree creates more problems than I care to tackle. However, I have a lovely creche my mother made when I was a kid. She made a cave and made pottery Virgin Mary, Joseph, infant Jesus in his manger, three Kings, donkeys, the camel that came with the Kings, the drummer boy, some other characters, and an angel to stand on the top of the cave. These figures are 5 inches or taller, and she hand-painted them all. It's beautiful and I remember it from every Christmas from about the time I was 7 or 8 (I'm 64). Since the pieces are stable and heavy, I can set them up on a heavy rug on the floor and the animals won't knock them over. I love it. I don't miss having a tree because I live in the woods and can decorate the hemlock in my side yard with food treats for the birds and animals: peanut butter balls with seeds and nuts mixed in, popcorn balls, suet with bright red cranberries, bunches of corn cobs; I can make that tree as festive as I like, and the birds and animals do all the clean-up.

Happy holidays to everyone!

[Marcy Jefferson]

I have collected a variety of glass icicle ornaments for years. I have hundreds of them. They are the last ornaments on the tree, at the very tips of the branches. The tree looks like it’s been dipped in freezing water. The lights twinkling through the icicles always takes my breath away.

[Lisa]

I used to decorate every year, bringing out many cherished items from my childhood. Then December started to be super busy and chaotic in other ways and we’re usually gone for the holidays. So I made the decision to lessen the stress of the holidays and not decorate. One day life may get calmer, and my treasures will be waiting.

[Laura]

Beautiful tree! Making ornaments to decorate the tree is my favorite decorating thing to do. Christmas lights on the tree and around the house are my favorite decorations!

[Sheila P]

Partially decorated this year. First time in many years since I have been moving a lot with my job. Put my 6' Aluminum tree up this year which is my favorite. Next year hope to have my remodel completed and open up all the Christmas boxes.

[Faith Schmidt]

I don’t really decorate, but I love the lights people put on their houses. Especially the ones that outline the eaves and windows. It makes them look like gingerbread houses.

[Cindy K Long]

I love the holidays. My favorite decorations are the ornaments we've collected over 30 years and the tree skirt of bright reds and greens that I knit myself a few years ago.

[Faye J]

The tradition over the past number of years is for our grandson to locate the two cardinals hidden on the tree, something that just creates smiles.

[Darcy coffel]

I always love to put out my collection of Santa’s. Big and small I love them all!! I wrap little whe lights around them to add some glitz.

[D Z Schnupp]

My favorite decoration is a nutcracker from a trip to Germany in 1976. We bought each of our daughters nutcrackers too. Ours is a chimney sweep. It reminds me of our trip to visit my brother & sister-in-law and living away from the USA for more than 3 years.

[Renee Shipe]

My favorite Christmas decorating piece is a very old rustic nativity set which I purchased over 50 years ago. We weren’t married that long at the time and could not afford a lot with just starting out, but it is rustic the way it was and is portrayed, reminds me where we were back then. My husband passed 16 years ago but I still put the rustic nativity set under the tree every year. I have three other sets but none remind me of things past like the rustic one..

[Katie Porter]

I haven't done a tree the last few years, but I always hang up my crochet snowflakes. My Grandma used to send me a few each year. They remind me of her and they always make me happy. It's not Christmas with out them.

[Arvada Trickle]

I love decorating for Christmas! We have a tradition that a little reindeer ornament goes on first and is the last to be taken off. Both our son and daughter have an ornament for their trees and our grandson got married last year and his family is carrying on the tradition 🎄

[Kate Greenwood]

I have a single Rubbermaid tub of Xmas decorations and it’s the perfect amount for us to enjoy. The house has a little festive feel and it’s not a huge ordeal to put it up or take down. This year, I love our tree and the subset of our ornament collection that I put on it. It’s not overwhelming and you can really enjoy each ornament and remember their stories from our childhood as well as our marriage.

[Laura]

My husband says Christmas “throws up” by the time I’m done decorating.
Love the tree and my snowmen and angel collections.
No judgement on tree rigging...I used rope tied to bricks one year.

[Nicole Acuna]

Yes! And my favorite decorations are the ones my children make me each year but I also cherish my grandmas old crocheted snowflakes, gingerbread men ornament and Santa ornaments she made when I was a child. I miss her so so much!

[Hilary H.]

I have 2 favorite decorations, my complete collection of Hallmark Frosty Freinds Ornaments and I have a vintage tinsil tree my grandmother gave me

[Andrea Egeland]

I don't do a lot of decorations, I put a few lights outside and I have a non-traditional Christmas tree that has a heavy bottom so my cats can't knock it over. I always travel home for Christmas so my favorite is my parent's tree that has Precious Moments ornaments that have been collected (2 new every year) for my brother and me. There are over 50 ornaments on the tree now.

[Linsey]

I LOVE putting up the tree!!! We have 3 and I really do think we could with a fourth, but that’s it. I leave the outdoor lights and any other decking of the halls to others.

[Sally Chrisman]

I only wish I could really decorate for Christmas. I start with good intentions every year, but end up in a last minute scramble - usually caused by work or travel. But this year, no travel or work and I still haven't gotten my act together.

Perhaps these needles will make my knitting faster so I have more time for decoration?

[Angie]

I love nativity sets and especially the rustic barn type one my parents always put up. I have a few sets, each very different but , of course, the same theme! Additionally, I ❤️ all the lights!

[Diane Nocivelli]

Yes! I love putting the ornaments on the tree - so many memories from my grandparents, parents, including handmade from my aunt and my childhood.

[Mary]

My favorite part of Christmas decorating is putting out the Nativity...a reminder of why we celebrate Christmas.

[Sue Kieft]

Love my ornaments that our kids made when they were small. I still put them up every year and remember when they were little. They’re 33 and 35 now!

[Dee Coots]

I get the bah humbug award. I do not enjoy decorating, I love the season but have been poisoned by the decades of retail work. I love the memories of putting the tree up with my mom, and making cookies of course.

[Michelle Roy]

I love decorating for Christmas. I’ve got many favorites, this year I am especially loving my Department 56 ‘A Christmas Story’ houses. Given to me by my Mother In Law when she downsized to an apartment.
I’ve also been bitten by the DIY decorating this year, I would love to add more handmade decorations, ornaments, wreaths, etc. in the coming years.

[Debra Cohen]

I decorate my mantle and front hall with an assortment of snowmen...and also put some on my front door. The beauty of decorating this way is that they can be out all Winter,not just the Christmas holidays!

[Jalinnn]

We dont really put a lot of decorations out, but I dont think we can fit another ornament on the tree. We also have a Disney singing set from my husband's childhood that goes up every year. We do put lights on the fence around the barnyard for outside decorations. The donkeys and chickens seem to enjoy that😉

[Jessica M]

Due to some life complications, this is the first year I've decorated in many. I moved into my boyfriends house this summer so this year we bought a new tree and tree topper to start our Christmases together. Every year we go to Chicago to visit the Kindlemarket and this year decided to start a new tradition of picking out a new ornament there each year. I love the one we picked and am excited for this new tradition.

[Rebekah]

I love decorating for Christmas! My favorite decorations are the handcrafted ones. The beaded snowflake ornaments my grandma made and the stockings I knit for everyone.

[Lori B]

I also love my collection of Hallmark Ornaments! I probably collected them for 20 years before I had my son and now I can share them with them. After I had him, they took on more significance and buying additional ornaments every year to coincide with his interests like his favorite movies or replicas of his favorite toys. His interests may change but having the ornament to remind me that at one time he loved Wall E or Peanuts gang or Little Tikes toys is special. I also treasure any ornament that he has made over the years!

[Donna]

I no longer decorate the house because, for the past, 16-17 years, we have all gotten together at my younger daughter’s house. Santa might not know where to leave presents for the grands if they weren’t at home, right? When my girls were little, I loved decorating for Christmas. And every year we’d make cookies &, most years, bakers’ clay ornaments. For my older daughter’s first Christmas (1973), I crocheted little bells (with tiny silver ornaments as clappers) & Christmas stockings in red, green, & white CroSheen (why did they discontinue that?). I’d put candy canes in the stockings & hang them, the bells, & the bakers’ Clay ornaments on the tree. Those were my favorite decorations because each one had a memory.

[Tracy Bagley]

I try to make at least one new ornament a year. I started making them the 1st year I had my own tree after moving out of my parents. So my favorite ornaments are the ones we have made ourselves. Some are cross stitched, some are knitted. Some are glass balls with paint or glitter inside. We even have some baked Fimo clay ones that are adorable. Each one reminds me of what was going on in my life at that point in time.

[Jeanne]

My decorations are minimal. Too much help from the cats, so all tree ornaments are unbreakable. The lovely antique German ones from my mother are safely stored. Alas

[Debbie]

My favorite decoration is the tree. Yours is a beauty! I also like to put up wreaths and smaller trees in little arrangements around the house.

[mellenknits]

My parents downsized a few years ago and in packing my mom unearthed a macaroni shell wreath that I made in 1982 - still in perfect condition! I don't know whether it's because we used industrial glue, or whether the gold spray paint acted as a super preservative... I have it hung on the door and it makes me smile whenever I pass it - I hope it lasts many more years!

[Rosalind Gibbins]

We don’t have a tree because we are usually gone from home at Christmas time spending time with family in the Colorado mountains. We enjoy seeing all the lovely snow-capped trees that fill the landscape there!

[Karina]

This is my first Christmas in a house I actually own so we went a little haywire with decorations. I think my favorite is the white, metal, light up JOY sign I have in my front window. It makes me smile everytime I come home.

[Sheila]

I definitely enjoy decorating. My favorite things to put up are my collection of plush snowman. I also have a lot of the antique little elves. These are similar to The elf on the shelf but are vintage.

[Julie olsen]

A tree and lights on the house.That's enough for me!

[Joyce]

I don't decorate anymore, but right now I do have my most favorite Christmas wreath on my door.

[Tosha]

I don't really care for decorating any more, but when I was younger I always looked forward to and loved decorating the tree!

[Karen N.]

I love the decorations, but I don’t really decorate for the holidays. We always celebrate them elsewhere, so I buy a wreath for the front door and another for the barn door, and then declare victory. I do own a vintage ceramic Christmas tree that I’ll put up in my office. We have a new puppy at home this year, so I’m not going to tempt him to get into mischief.

[Maureen]

I love decorating the house for Christmas. It gets me in the spirit as I do it and it is a nice way to start of the New year with such uplifting décor to the house. We have put up our German Nutcracker and need to add to more décor. We have other items up but there were a few things going on that did not allow things to be put up until this week. I just love the light and beauty of the season.

[Rosemary]

My favourite decoration is my Christmas Village, set up on the mantelpiece over the fire. It has a Charles Dickens theme, with one of the pieces being Marley's house and containing Scrooge in his nightdress upstairs.

[Karen]

When our daughters were growing up always decorated our tree while listening to The Messiah, followed by Christmas carols. The music is sublime and goes well with the good-natured chatter (and sometime bickering!) of the family putting all our special ornaments up.

[Rebbie Garza]

My enjoyment of decorating for Christmas is not as strong since all my kids moved out. Putting up and taking down everything is not much fun by myself. I always put out the collection of elves that my grandmother started back in the 50's. And my great grandmothers porcelain angels are a favorite.

[Teresa C]

No, I don’t decorate. But the year mom did in blue and white set that as my Christmas colors.

[SuEllyn]

Nope, no decorating for us. I just can't get in to it anymore. Christmas starting in August has taken away my joy of the decorations of the season. I grew up with the silver tree that someone commented about earlier. For years I just thought that was the "normal." :)

[Jaime G]

We don't have space for a tree, but I really loved it as a child. Each year we would unwrap all the ornaments and it was like rediscoveribg treasure. I miss that.

[Marikay Dobbins]

I used to go all out with Christmas decorations that included multiple trees, outside decorations, and beautiful table settings. When my husband was diagnosed with cancer, it kind of took the joy out of it and for a while I did very little to decorate. After he died the holidays were dismal for a while so again....not a lot in the way of decorating. But since I moved into my new home, I have begun to do more again. I will never have the multiple trees and electric trains that I had before but there is joy in getting out all my beautiful Waterford crystal ornaments and spending time to value the wonderful memories along with the news one being made every year.

[Amy Hufford]

I still live at home and my mom does the decorating. But when I get my own place (which might be in the coming year) I’m going to do what my mom does - mostly handmade ornaments minus the icicles.

[Sharon O’Donnell]

I used to love putting up my small amount of Christmas decorations, but now I’m not that interested in it. I feel a bit guilty about not decorating, but when it’s time to put away I’m happy!!!

[LaShanna]

I put up a tree for my children. If it weren't for them, I most likely wouldn't bother with any kind ofcdecorating at all.

[Rhonda A]

I am the only one at home so I don't decorate much at Christmas. No tree, no garland, no nothing except for a large Nativity Scene given to me by my aunt. She bought it in Europe and it is truly beautiful. All the animals and figures are separate and painted beautifully. It is truly the reason for the season and I do love it.

[Lauri]

I love decorating for Christmas. The lights make everything so inviting, warm and comforting. We down sized this year to travel in our RV and all of our decorations are in storage, but I still bought Christmas lights and decorated the RV outside. Merry Christmas everyone!

[SusanB]

I enjoy putting our tree up and having the granddaughter help with decorating it. Her and her mother (youngest daughter) love going through the decorations as they put them on the tree. A lot of the decorations are hand made and the collection of hand made ornaments has been added to over the years. I have one special one I put out that was made by our oldest daughter when she was three.