Coeur d'Alene

We are back from our trip to China and all set to go ~ Please Join us this Friday for our weekly Make Mine Pink Shopping Event! This week we celebrate 'All About Family'!

When our family gathers for the holidays, Grandma’s dishes always come out of the china cabinet. From favorite serving dishes that held many a turkey, to silverware passed down through generations. Crisp, starched tablecloths, reminiscent of many holidays past, grace the family dining table. These simple pieces are as much a part of the annual celebration as is the family gathered around the table. Each of us thankful for those memories and for each other.

After dinner is done, and the pumpkin pie is gone, the children are anxious to leave the table and play in Grandma’s bedroom. They gather on her chenille covered bed, anxious to start the treasure hunt through her jewelry box. The boys quickly tire of this game and head off to meet the men in the living room, while the girls play dress up with the old pearl necklaces and rhinestone pins kept inside the box of treasures. They try on Grandma’s cameo necklace and the hand crocheted shawl she keeps on her boudoir chair. They and imagine they are elegant ladies, from what they imagine to be Grandma’s past. It’s always such fun to explore the treasures and keepsakes, looking for something new since their last adventure.

The women sit around the table long after dinner is over and the dishes are cleared, sipping tea from favorite vintage cups. Their fingers trace over the cross stitching on the antique tablecloth, and they marvel at the long hours someone put into the intricate design. They talk about their own stitching projects and their favorite collections of antiques and heirlooms.

Talk turns to plans for the upcoming Christmas holiday. Always hoping for a handmade Christmas, they share their favorite sewing and decorating plans. A holiday-themed quilt that must be finished in time, a Christmas stocking for a baby’s first Christmas and maybe even a stylish sweater knit from a teenager’s favorite colors. They reminisce over past holiday traditions and plan which new ones to start this year, jotting down suggestions and writing lists of memory-making ideas for the family this year. They may even draw names for gift giving.

When our family gathers for the holidays, our home is filled with love, laughter and many memories of the past gatherings just like this one. A glance around the room provokes a feeling of deep gratitude for the family and friends in our lives.

See you There,
Nancy, www.coeurdalenegifts.com