I've been meaning to come back here and write another post and what better to draw me back than a giveaway!
I love the Sew, Mama, Sew! blog and had a ton of fun participating (meaning entering tons and tons of contests) in their last giveaway day back in May. I vowed that I would do my own giveaway next time, and figured I'd have to wait until next May. So I was surprised to see that SMS is doing a giveaway day TODAY (well, really, this week). But what a fun surprise!
So here's the deal. I am giving away one item of the winner's choice from my etsy shop, Ania Jane Threads. All you have to do is leave me a comment on this post telling me about your favorite local holiday tradition. Are there any cool festivals or events going on where you are? Is there something special people in your area do this time of year? I'd love to hear about it!
**Please make sure you include your email address in your comment so I can contact you if you win!**
The giveaway will be open until 8pm EST Friday, December 16. I'll pick the winner that weekend using random.org and I'll let the lucky person know by December 18 through email and on my blog.
You might be wondering what it is that I make, so here are a few pictures:
I embroider and sew wrist cuffs and child's headbands, so if you'd like to win something like what I've posted here, feel free to enter! International entries are welcome.
You are more than welcome to follow my blog or "like" my Facebook page, but that's not required to enter the giveaway. I promise to start posting more here once the holidays are over ;)
Thank you, and good luck!
PS: You can find tons more giveaways back at the Sew, Mama, Sew! blog.
My favorite local tradition is not from my current home, but from where I grew up. My local parish has a group that goes caroling to all the elderly of the parish's homes and gives a gift basket of homemade food to each one. There's a big pot of bean soup and peppermint schnapps for the carolers after the caroling is done, and a ton of good spirit. I remember photocopying the songbooks as they get pretty beat up after a few years, making food for the baskets, and the feeling as each person comes to the door. It's a great community project in a tiny parish in a small town.
ReplyDeleteI love the embroidery on your wrist,lets - you've already inspired me even if I don't win!
Oh, I love your wrist cuffs!! We don't have much in the way of local events where I live... just the annual lighting of the big huge christmas tree downtown.
ReplyDeleteOne of our local traditions is a Christmas parade and the local businesses stay open late and have some deals. I haven't been there in a while, but it is always a great time. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteGreat wrist cuffs! the folks in my parents' neighbor walk around to look at each other's Xmas lights.
ReplyDeleteThe cuffs are beautiful, the rose ones especially! We like to go cut our own trees here in Oregon, the land of Christmas tree farms!
ReplyDeletescarletteandcinnamon(at)gmail(dot)com
our neighborhood has carolers! REAL ONES! its the best.
ReplyDeleteOur botanical gardens does a big Christmas light display. It is pretty spectacular, although we haven't been able to go see it the last couple of years.
ReplyDeletemindfulhome at gmail dot com
Our city does it's own "First Night" and we are looking forward to attending that for the first time this year! Kind of excited to start a new tradition! jinglesells at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteWell I am new to this city, so we don't know of many good local traditions. We tried going to a parade but parking was tricky, we missed 80% of it and our son hated being cold. Hoping for somethig better next year!
ReplyDeleteI like driving around, looking at the lights. Thanks for the giveaway! robyn(dot)geddes(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteHere it's very common to build a crib and around these dates there are a lot of city squares full of booths where you can find any kind of little figures to add to your crib each year until it gets so big you almost have to abandon your house.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win.
lauramdd(at)terra(dot)es
We just went to the tree lighting, caroling and bonfire at the village a week ago. That might become our tradition! It was wonderful. Almost a Northen Exposure moment. Your creations are wonderful! Since you gave me one, I exclude myself from the giveaway :-) I just wanted to holler out a hello!
ReplyDeleteI love those wrist cuffs! My favorite holiday tradition is spending Christmas Eve with my son making and decorating cookies.
ReplyDeleteI love the cuffs you make. We love driving around a certain part of town called Candy Cane Lane. It's a loop of houses that go all out and do all kinds of lights and decorations. They even decorate the street lights and things as well. It's amazing.
ReplyDeleteI live in Finland and people place lit candles on relatives' and friends' graves. It's so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI love the cuffs.
ReplyDeleteFort MacLeod, AB has the oldest and longest Santa Parade west of Toronto. Mostly because everyone in the town is in it! It's a ton of fun and totally retro.
We don't have any great local traditions! I wish we did though; that'd be neat!
ReplyDeletein our city we do a "burning away the winter blues" where we burn an efficy and have a big party to ward off the winter blahs...a must when our days are so short (Canada's Yukon)
ReplyDeleteWe have a local canal festival - ironically it was cancelled last time due to flooding!
ReplyDeleteoh, I love that sweet headband!
ReplyDeleteOur church does a huge Christmas dinner musical that is so amazing!! We just went on Saturday night and loved every second of it.
lisa.otis6 at gmail dot com
I love the Edna cuff!! So pretty! We always go to the Dickens Festival, which is basically a craft/food fair, where everyone is dressed in period costumes -- we always have fun browsing through all the pretty things, eating yummy food, and watching a play of The Christmas Carol and/or Oliver Twist. Thanks for the giveaway! :)
ReplyDeleteThose cuffs are so cute - nice blog and i have enjoyed reading it. thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteI love the headband and would try to fit it on my own head ;)
ReplyDeleteWe love to go to Handel's Messiah every year and judging by the turnout, many other people do too!
I really like the winter leaves cuff. Our area has ice skating in the park but I haven't been yet, its supposed to be really nice. We are in FL so I'm not sure how they actually do this outside.
ReplyDeletecraftafarian at gmail d c
Your wrist cuffs are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteOne of the events I like in my city is on Christmas Eve when lots of people go to the city centre and there are street artists playing music and singing carols and shop owners do barbeques and treat customers.
AriadnefromGreece!
ariadnesky@hotmail.com
a tradition sewers feear is "Fas'net" it's a spring festival do drive out evil spirits and of course the winter (in some areas ending in burning a strawman representing winter)... but I will add the Wikipedia: http://bit.ly/i9AGJA
ReplyDeleteWell the fearsome part are the costumes as the old traditional ones are made up of thousands of little felt scraps sewn to a kind of trousers and dress. The hard part is carrying the bells - grown ups carry up to 10kg in huge metal bells. Well that's absolutely home for me - as you don't get that kind of tradition anywhere else... And sorry but I have been so imersed in Christmas I needed another topic.
So I hope you managed to read my short story because now comes the important part: Thanks for the chance!
Not here, but at my in laws' house there is an ice festival!
ReplyDeletepeachstateme(at)hotmail(d0t)com
Love the wrist cuffs - thanks for a chance to win. In our area one neighborhood has all of the houses put out luminarias lining their driveways and sidewalks on Christmas Eve - beautiful! ellen@myerly.net
ReplyDeletethe only thing i know of is last year my town built a temporary skating rink...not sure if they are doing that again...i love your embroidered cuffs! so wonderful! i like to embroider my knitting projects.. raineco@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteWe have a fun holiday parade and tree lighting in my town. I love your shop!
ReplyDeleteI love your embroidered bracelets, especially the Curvy Threads one!
ReplyDeleteThe community where I live is very small, and one of the things that I really like about it is a Thanksgiving tradition. Every year there is a community Thanksgiving dinner that takes place the weekend before Thanksgiving. It's a time when people can get together with their friends and neighbors and enjoy a nice meal together. It's potluck but there always seems to be all the necessities and then some!
We love to go and walk down Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, with some hot chocolate... and they blow bubble snow! Thanks for the chance to win one of your gorgeous creations!
ReplyDeleteThere is a local college that puts up a huge christmas light display so our holiday tradition to go walk around the campus and look at lights, so pretty and the kids love it. Thanks for the chance to win!
ReplyDeleteokiedokiemama at yahoo dot com
Good friends of ours are glass artisans and every year they open up their studio for a show, demonstration and sale. It has become our tradition to attend and pick out a new ornament for our tree and a new pendant.
ReplyDeleteMy hometown always holds a festival in the Fall known as Harvest Day. Considering Fall is my favorite season, I love any and all excuses to celebrate during that time of year!
ReplyDeleteLocal tradition..tamales at Christmas..love.
ReplyDeletethank you for offering your beautiful handiwork.
skowens (at) sbcglobal (dot) net
Our little town does a Christmas parade, with fire trucks and tractors and local businesses. Then the kids come to the fire house to see Santa and have cookies and hot chocolate. It is fun!
ReplyDeletebeth(dot)sebastian(at)gmail(dot)com
New Orleans has christmas caroling in the square in front of the cathedral and it is beautiful! thanks for a great giveaway!
ReplyDeleteFireworks with Santa's arrival and the lighting of the bridge over the Hudson river
ReplyDeleteI love our annual Christmas parade.Thanks!
ReplyDeleteNot much in the way of a local annual tradition...but this year, my church decorated as a Home-made Christmas. They asked for contributions from every family. Turned out great!
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm more interested in taking part in local holiday traditions, but now that we have a toddler we can't! Probably the one I wish we could do the most would be Midnight Madness in the Kerrytown and downtown areas of Ann Arbor where stores stay open late one weekend in December. It's really festive...so I'm told! I love all of your stuff!!
ReplyDeleteAAARRRHHH look at your goodies!! Ok Ok... fav traditions are going to the beach on Chrissy!! It's so strange to see snow in movies when it's so hot here hahaha...
ReplyDeletexo Steph
Our town has a historic hotel that hosts"christmas tree elegance" a benefit for our symphony. Dozen plus trees are decorated in themes by businesses around town---very beautifully. and they have a host of presents: trips, cruises jewlery ---you name it. You buy tickets that support the symphony and then drop you stub in the tree boxes of you choice. one winner for each tree and all prizes associated. It is so festive and fun...I missed it this year :(
ReplyDeleteI love your cuff bracelets! Gorgeous! Thanks for the chance to win! Newest facebook fan! :)
ReplyDeleteWe have a local light show that is spectacular! The kids love it!!!
hopefulthreads at yahoo dot com
our town puts out sand bag luminaries on christmas eve - that's my favorite.
ReplyDeleteab3belote at gmail dot com
I don't really know my new town's traditions, but when I went to college in Williamsburg, I loved the grand illumination in Colonial Williamsburg. akmajor (at) gmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteOn the Friday after thanksgiving, we have the tree lighting on monument circle in indianapolis, it is a really spectacular thing to see:)
ReplyDeletethehappycrochetchic@yahoo.com
About 20 minutes away is a small 1920's village that gets totally decorated for Christmas, and has fun things to do that they did in the 20's. It also has a restored vintage carousel that my girls LOVE riding on. We're going on Sunday, hooray!
ReplyDeletechibidani at gmail dot com
The art/craft show is one of my favorite things because I get to find all the really unique gifts.
ReplyDeletehwcutie at hotmail dot com
Beautiful embroidery! Each year, I go to The Christmas Revels performance in Cambridge, MA -- it's a celebration of the winter solstice that focuses on a different culture each year. I just love it, and as it turns out, tonight is when I'm going this year! Can't wait! Welcome yule!
ReplyDeleteour library set up a town in the field behind it called santa's village and on the weekends it's open with a pet shop, mrs. claus house, santa and many many more fun things. we have visited it every year since having kids.
ReplyDeletemamasimpson4 at gmail dot com
Every year Santa rides through our neighborhood on a firetruck and hands out candy canes. My daughter looks forward to it so we always make sure that we are home for it!
ReplyDeleteWe are about to head out to the local dairy, which has been transformed into a storybook village! Lots of animals, sweets, and singing. Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteWe have an event called "Cornish Christmas" and it's great! It's a market/festival downtown and it's every Friday from right after Thanksgiving to right before Christmas. If you're ever in Grass Valley, CA at this time of year, I recommend it!
ReplyDeleteThere is a community near my parents' house where on Christmas eve they turn off all the electric lights and line the streets and driveways with luminarias (paper bags with candles in them. People come from all over to drive through and look at it. Merry Christmas!
ReplyDelete