When my son was born on November 25, 1979, my mother gave me a needlework kit to make him a Christmas stocking. It might seem that the first month at home with a new baby (my first and only) would be too busy to think of crafts, but I found the needlework a relaxing diversion and finished the stocking in time for Christmas.

We have gotten it out every year since then as part of our Christmas decorations, though over time it has begun to show its age.

It’s hard to believe how quickly forty years have passed!