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 Christmas Village !
A while ago, I read a description of a joyful tree lighting ceremony in a small town and I immediately knew I wanted to depict this scene in stitches. Even in bigger cities, there are smaller neighbourhood events just like this, and I wanted to remember the feeling that these events give each one of us. The townsfolk of my imaginary little town gather together as they chat, eat, and wait for their friends. Christmas spirit fills the air as kids play happily, and townfolk get ready for the season. When everyone has gathered, I imagine the gasps of delight as the Town Tree blazes forth after dusk, and the fun and laughter as Santa Claus arrives by sleigh with his reindeer (or by horse drawn carriage). I imagined lots of snow, ice skating on the river or pond nearby, and a colourful picture of kids playing, and carollers singing while the country folk arrived.
 This sampler is the result of my flight of Christmas fancy! At the top of the sampler you’ll see a farmhouse with sparkling lights and glowing windows, a small mill nearby, a lighthouse to shine a beacon for those who will arrive by water, a happy child just finishing her snowman before being collected by her parents sleighing on their way into town. In the middle section, the first stanza of H.W. Longfellows’ poem “Christmas Bells” are surrounded by cardinals and specialty stitched snowflakes. This poem was written in 1864 at Christmas during the American  civil war, and is still sung by carollers to remind ourselves of peace and good will. At the bottom of the sampler my imaginary small town is depicted, including church and schoolhouse, as snow lies round about. Folks are skating, singing, and enjoying their friendship with each other. These three different parts of this design can be stitched separately as stand-alone designs perhaps using my free online alphabets to create your own wording. Or stitch it as is, to create a sampler that embodies the best of Christmas spirit in your town! Have a very merry Christmas year after year, with love from - Thea |
