Happy Holidays! Our family tradition of doing a craft after dinner (and maybe a few drinks) was born in 2006 when my family and my husband’s family celebrated the holidays together for the first time.

My mother, @niki_ketchman is a professional artist and made the suggestion that we all make our own ornaments together. She brought a big box of miscellaneous items and materials from her studio and poured them out on the table for everyone to browse. What came naturally to her caused everyone else complete anxiety at first! We all just stared at the pile drawing a complete blank and glancing side to side to see if anyone else knew what to do. Then gradually we each picked up a button, a piece of fabric, a glittery thread, a shiny piece of metal, a section of wire, etc. and the creative process began to evolve. To everyone’s amazement, we each created something special that we never expected.

It turned out that the ornament pictured above that Mark’s mom created that night was the one and only ornament she made before she lost her battle with pancreatic cancer.

Ever since then, Mark has carried on the idea and made it a tradition. So we have painted ornaments, wine glasses, dinner plates, and this year, aprons! We have had a blast doing it, (now that we’ve gained some confidence). The best thing about it is that we incorporate the items from previous years into each year’s decor and festivities, and it enriches the ambience while bringing back the fun memories of holidays past!

What is your favorite holiday tradition and how did it start?

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