The Mitten Tree.

One of the lasting memories of Christmas with Grandma Phoebe was her mitten tree. Every Christmas you could count on a new pair of mittens hand made by Grandma. There was a special tree of them in her back room, slightly warmed by the old pot belly stove nearby. Sometimes we could pick out the ones we wanted (this sucked if you weren't the first of the 30+ cousins to arrive) and sometimes she would have our names on them. But each year, they were a special gift we looked forward to.

Since, I don't knit, I remember and honor her tradition by adding mittens I crafted from felt, as decorations to my Christmas tree. I also have one pair of her red mittens left from days past, that I use as a tree topper for one of my smaller trees. Each of these trees serve as fond and lasting reminders of this special woman.

Her daughter, Bess, carries on REAL mitten tree tradition in our family. This year she made 85 pairs of them. EIGHTY. FIVE. PAIRS. I asked her how long this takes her. She said she made a some last winter after Christmas, and then finished the remainder up this fall. NO. BIG. DEAL. The picture above is some of those she made. She strung mittens by family for each  great-grandchild of Grandma Phoebe (well each of those great-grand children that are still in grade school K-12 anyway).  I guess even super-knitter Auntie Bess had to draw the line somewhere!