Friend of the Month

Each month, I will be featuring a person who loves Christmas as much as I do. In addition, to sharing about the individual person, a favorite craft or decoration of the individual will also be shared.

This month's friend, I met via Christmas to the Max (Yahoo group).

Friend's Name: Paula

Personal History: I live in Idaho. My husband and I have 5 children (4 girls and one boy) and almost 3 grandchildren (all boys). In July, our third daughter will be married. We own a tire and car care store. We have been married 34 years. I love being a mom and now a grandma. I enjoy gardening, taking care of our home, and supporting our family.

What do you love about Christmas? My dad loved Christmas and so it came naturally. One day I was reading through an old family history of my grandfather who died before I was born and there was an entire section about how much he loved Christmas. My brothers, all my aunts, uncles and cousins on that side love Christmas, so I suppose it is genetic.

What do you love about this craft/tree? Our kids loved "Where's Waldo?" When I saw an 'I Spy' bag, it piqued my interest. Then I heard that someone had made an 'I Spy' tree. I did a search and found a small one which gave me some ideas. I started looking all over my house for items and small things to include in the tree. I was so excited as I continued to fill up the bag with items because I knew that my little boys (grandsons) would love this. I went through junk drawers, bottoms of boxes, toy boxes, tool boxes, sewing supplies, etc. One of my favorite things on it is a plastic spoon with cheerios in it. After I gathered everything together, I realized I had enough stuff to make a 3-foot tree. I started covering it with all of the treasures I found. It was very therapeutic. After gluing everything on the tree, I sprayed it red. Then I made an eight page book that listed all the items on the tree so when people look at the book they can find what is on the tree. There are several hundred things on the tree. This past Christmas it was visible from the front door and every person that came in would walk to the tree and look for the hidden treasures.