Stocking Stuffing

Stocking Stuffing

(by Catharine Fairchild)

Hot cocoa and popcorn as we sit by the fire,

Laughter and smiles, their eyes are getting tired.

Soon their heads nod and bob down in soft slumber.

Plump pillows, cool and cozy, nestle their sleepy heads,

Stitched quilts, tuck them into their warm and welcoming beds.

Sweet dreams will arrive as they doze into sleep.

Tiptoe out of their rooms to gather a few small gifts,

 Sneaking back to their stockings, hoping no eyelid lifts.

Tokens of love await them in the morning.

. . . . . . .

One of the most difficult things to accomplish during the holiday season

is not gift wrapping or baking seemingly endless cookies, but trying to 

get the gifts under the tree and into stockings without anyone noticing...

At our house, Mommy usually find a way to get the gifts under the tree 

while Daddy gets to enjoy the "milk and cookies" that our kids put out.

It's just a fun moment in time when the kids are sleeping, but excited 

for the next day at the same time.  They are older now, so sleep comes 

easier but the excitement is still the same on the eve of the big day!

I still remember when I was a little kid, trying my best to get to sleep 

but waking so often, anxiously wondering if I got one of the things from

my wish list.  The next morning it was always a treat to discover not only the 

gifts but also a stocking filled with small tokens of love in the form of a big orange

stuffed into the toe, some small gifts, and a handful of chocolates!

. . . . . . .

I've been working on a small series for the holidays titled,

- Stocking Stuffing -

Different animals, in their unique environments, gently slumbering while 

a parent plays 'Santa' and quietly fills each of their carefully hung stockings.

 "Stocking Stuffing... Bears"

(watercolour, approx. 12" x 6")

A cozy den under the tree roots, soft quilts cushion their sleep.

Yummy treats tucked into their stocking will make the morning so sweet!

♥ Cath-