The 12 Days of Christmas
Can you believe it is December? Can you believe that Christmas is only 17 days away? I am so happy about that and thought I could not possibly get any happier until, Callye aka Sweet Sugar Belle invited me to take part in The 12 Days of Christmas Project she organized! I asked her what day she wanted to to take and we agreed on the Seven Swans a Swimming!
To see the tutorial on these click here. Thanks so much Callye for inviting me! I had a blast making these for you!
Now, here is how my husbands family celebrates The 12 Days of Christmas:
This is my mother-in-law Shirley. She LOVES the 12 Days of Christmas and celebrates it every year by making big beautiful baskets with individually wrapped gifts for people. Each gift has a number on it so you open #1 on the first day and #2 on the second day until you get to day 12! How fun is that!! She defiantly knows how to spread Christmas cheer.
When my kids were small, she would make each one of them a basket of their own. They were so excited every morning to wake up and unwrap a present from grandma. I was thrilled because the gifts she gave would entertain them all day long and I could get cookies baked and gifts wrapped. The best part was to see the excitement on their little faces every morning. In case you are reading this Shirley, you gave me so many wonderful Christmas memories with my kids through you kindness and I love ya for it!
This year, she decorated her entire house with in The 12 Days of Christmas. The living room has each day represented on the mantle and each room has a theme. Her bedroom is “5 golden rings”.
Her kitchen is “A Partridge in a Pear Tree” and well, you get the idea. I am loving that 12 days apron!
But to me, what makes this tradition so special is that she gives these baskets to people that may not be looking forward to Christmas. She gives these baskets to those that have had a rough year or to those who have lost a loved one. I can’t imagine how hard Christmas would be if I lost someone close to me but, having someone take the time to make me feel loved would help make the season a little brighter.
I just wanted to share Shirley’s Christmas tradition with you. I have seen the joy on the children’s faces and can’t wait to make this my tradition as well. Thanks Shirley for making Christmas bright!!!!
Happy Creating,
BEST. SWANS. EVER!
Love your cookies!!! What a lovely tradition! You have such nice in-laws, Lisa! I remember meeting them last year…
I love your swans from the heart cutter; they’re so perfect! Your MIL has a fantastic tradition going! What a sweet woman!
This is such a heart warming post. Thank you for sharing. I love your swans!! I try to do 12 days ornaments for my oldest daughter each year to hang on her tree while the boys sing the song (they have to sing the verse for the ornament that they hang). It’s fun and creating a memory. I’m really enjoying this series by Sugarbelle. –Katy
Lisa, I LOVE everything you do. I am so happy that I discovered cookie art and that there are people like you so willing to share.
What a special lady. She has a heart of purest gold and such a sweet smily; I want to dash over to the US and give her a cuddle!
Those cookies look amazing… I have all my Christmas cakes to decorate but then I’m going to sit down and start my journey into this style of biscuit decoration (gulp!) Wish me luck!
Jenny x
What Gail said…Lisa I love Shirley’s tradition. How wonderful! I might adopt it!
Lisa, the cookies are gorgeous and I love the tutorial! But, this about your Mom-in-law is fantastic…. what a wonderful tradition and different/Old World from the usual Santa, Gingerbread side of Christmas. I love it! Thanks so much for sharing it so beautifully.
Blessings, Donna B.
I want to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas too – what a wonderful tradition. Love your swans, so elegant and perfectly piped!
I just love your beautiful and elegant swans and the fact that you made them on a heart-shaped cookie.
Your mother-in-law Shirley is not only an angel of sweet tidings, she is one fabulous home decorator too. Her 12-days of Christmas tradition is so thoughtful and I know that she must be responsible for instilling the Spirit of Christmas in many hearts.
Wow! These are really beautiful cookies Lisa! Equally beautiful is Shirley’s tradition 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
I saw these on her site and fell in love. Wonderful swans!
Thank you for sharing these wonderful ideas, Lisa. I loved Shirley’s 12 days of Christmas theme. She is an amazing lady who never runs out of energy and ideas. It looks like you have the same energy level and artistic abilities, Lisa. Happy New Year to all of you.