Donna Lawicki, a Quiltersbee member from Michigan, gave me permission to share this poem with you. She uses it on her label.

Quiltersbee.com

The Little Quilt
I’ve made this little quilt for you,
To bring you some holiday cheer.
And every time you take it out,
You’ll know that I am near.
Use it to warm your chilly toes,
On a cold,and drafty night.
Or drape it on the dinner table,
To make your party festive & bright.
Then again, you might just decide,
To put it down and skirt your tree.
A special touch for Christmas Eve,
Color galore for “Santa” to see.
Now my eyes have gone bad,
And the brain’ is a little slow.
But this persistent, stubborn Mom,
Continues to want to sew.
The quilting isn’t always perfect
Lines not quite straight on every row.
But “each stitch” was made with LOVE,
I just wanted you to know!
May you have many happy holidays!

Are you up early (or late) doing your Christmas baking? Check out the recipes on this website

EverSoEasy Fruitcake

The fruitcake recipe pictured above has been my favorite for years – what is your favorite recipe?

The poem that inspired that phrase was written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) He wrote it on Christmas Day 1864, during the civil war. His wife Fanny had died just two years earlier and his son Charles, a lieutenant in the 1st Massachusetts Cavalry, had been wounded And yet, he wrote a beautiful and hopeful poem. The stanzas were slightly rearranged in 1872 by John Baptiste Calkin (1827-1905) who also added the tune and gave us the carol “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”.

Here are the original words to the poem. You can hear them spoken in this touching video.

Christmas Bells

I HEARD the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

Christmas Tree

How did our other customs come about? Click here to watch a video from the History Channel.

The The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is a bi-national United States and Canadian organization charged with the missions of aerospace warning and aerospace control for North America. As such, they are always the first to spot Santa and track his journeys. You can keep an eye on him here – there is even a google gadget you can download, and a facebook fan club you can join! Track Santa here.

The Quilter’s Night Before Christmas

‘Twas the night before Christmas,
And the quilts were not made.
The threads were all tangled,
the cookies delayed.

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The stocking weren’t hung,
the pantry was bare.
The poor weary Quilter,
was tearing her hair.

.

Stacks of fat quarters,
tipped over in streams.
Visions of Log Cabins,
had turned into dreams.

.

When what to her wondering eyes should appear,
But a bus full of quilters with all of their gear.
They went straight to work with just a few mutters,
Sorting and stitching and brandishing cutters.

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The patterns emerged from all of the clutter,
Like magic the fabrics arranged in a flutter.
Log Cabins, Lone Stars, Flying Geese and Bear Tracks -
Each quilt was a beauty – even the backs.

.

Her house how it twinkled,
her quilts how they glowed.
The cookies were baking,
the stockings were sewed.

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Their work was all done,
so they folded their frames,
And packed up their needles,
without giving their names.

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They boarded the bus,
and checked the next address.
More quilts to be made,
another quilter in distress.

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She heard one voice echo,
as they drove out of sight,
Happy quilting to all and
to all a good night!

.

Author Unknown

Anita Grossman Solomon was kind enough to proofread my article on Paper Piecing. There is a secret at the end of it – it actually introduces the New Years Day Mystery!

Provided free by C&T publishing. These are quilt images from their books which they have prepared for you to use as desktop decorations. Very nice!

The Festival of Lights began last night at sundown for people of the Jewish faith. It will continue for 8 days, commemorating an ancient miracle. Happy Chanukah to one and all!