Hung with Care, pt 3

 Isn't this fun?  Here are my sister Tona's family's stockings.  I have to say, I feel especially blessed by this tradition and glad to be writing about it this year.  Because between my last stocking post and this one, my dear Grandma Younce, who started it all by making our own felt stockings in the 1970's, passed away peacefully on December 19.   Which makes it almost exactly 41 years since she made this: 

See, Tona's birthday is December 21 (happy birthday!).  Grandma went ahead and made a gender-neutral stocking, not knowing if the baby would be a boy or a girl.  As soon as she was born, Grandma added the pink and the name at the top, and sent it along for Christmas.  I love that it's a mobile, indicating just how young Tona was when she first received it.

It's a bit of a joke to us, that just as Tona is the smallest Younce, her stocking is also the smallest.  You maybe can't tell in the picture, but it's really quite tiny.  A single clementine takes up the whole toe!

The rest are descriptions in Tona's own words.

Don: This stocking was made by Carol Younce in 1989 for Don, who didn't have one of his own. His family didn’t have our same traditions, of course! It featured Don (with the sequins carefully matched to his actual eye color), skiing downhill into an unsuspecting Santa Claus. The trees are covered with batting snow, and there are jingles on the points of the red top. Front and back are medium-blue felt.

Thompson: Made in 1992 by Mom and myself, this stocking is dark blue front and back (actually darker than this picture suggests, almost navy blue). It features a Hoffman celestial fabric, adorned with extra beading and sequins. The name is gold cording, done by Mom.

Forrest: Made in 1994 of dark green felt front and back, this stocking features folk-art quilted pine trees (obviously a pun on his name) made by my Mom. The top has a plaid fabric, with jingles on the points. The name and hanger are both silk ribbon. Jingle on the toe. Lots of interesting sequins, including several sequin kangaroos.

Jacob: Peace/ Lion and lamb themed stocking rendered in red felt front and back. The lamb is made of shag fake fur and has sequined eyes. They are seated together under a palm tree with gold leaves. Name is written in narrow silk ribbon. Made in 1997 by Tona.

Halle: Made in 2000 by Tona, of dark green felt backing and white felt front. Sequined "ornaments" adorn a polar fleece and corduroy collage of pine boughs. Jingle and tassel toe. Name in burgundy cording.