Following conversations with my niece and nephew over the weekend about what gifts they would appreciate, I am now not just knitting my new star-themed hat design (which still needs a name!) for my sons Tom and Toby, but also for my niece and nephew. So last night I cast off the third hat I have knitted in just over a week.
While knitting the second hat I worked on improving the neatness of the corkscrew tassels. Now instead of a knit cast-on, knit increase row, and knit cast-off, I’m working the cast-on and cast-off in purl, with only the increase row worked in knit. In particular, I’m working the cast-off row very carefully to produce an even finish.
Over the weekend at outrageously short notice (the decision could and should have been made much sooner) the UK government introduced new restrictions that place much greater limits on families joining together at Christmas. Now instead of having my sister’s family and my first husband (my eldest son’s father with whom we have a very close friendship) come and stay for the two nights at each end of Christmas Day, just my sister’s family and my Mum (who is ‘bubbling’ with them) will visit on Christmas Day. We will all by then have been isolating for a week to minimise the risk of the visit, a safeguard we had planned ourselves before the new restrictions were announced. My heart goes out to folk in London and the South East who cannot meet up at all with another household due to news that the virus there has mutated into a more virulent strain, with a huge increase in infection numbers there.
These circumstances have highlighted for me me that though I view Christmas as very much a time of family togetherness, the most fundamental element of the festive season is giving. The more effort I expend in the giving, the more meaningful the gift becomes, the more joy it affords to both giver and receiver. It is a pleasure and a privilege to make things for those I love, using the skills I have developed, be that knitting, sewing, painting or cooking. My husband has developed the same love of gifting from his loving labour. For many years at Christmas many of our family and friends receive jams, cordials, and wines he has made with produce from our allotment, which he tends throughout the year.
As a deeply spiritual person, this festive season has much holy significance for me, and not just as a Christian. Most religions have festivals around this time of year that involve a tradition of giving gifts. Whatever your faith I pray that the gifts you give and receive this winter are experienced as a powerful communication of love and light, gifts that knit us together as a a year passes that has been hugely difficult for the worldwide human community.
