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Making a personalized Christmas stocking is a terrific tradition that brings a special joy to each member of the family. Coordinating themes, color schemes, trims and fabrics to your loved ones’ taste is fun and easy.

Let’s look at each element of design in turn and get your creative juices flowing. At the end, you’ll have a design and pattern for your personalized Christmas stocking.

Themes: Christmas has many “faces” to display on a stocking. Just think of things your family member particularly loves about Christmas or loving family associations. Christmas themes include angels, the Nativity, snowmen, Christmas trees, gingerbread men or a partridge in a pear tree. Maybe your sister loves cats. You can use an ethnic theme reflecting your family’s heritage. Be creative!

Color schemes and fabrics: Besides the traditional red and green, white, silver and gold give a festive look. Generally, three-color schemes work well. However, you can create a stunning stained-glass effect with a range of jewel colors.

Let’s say your niece loves gold lame and roses. Gold fabrics and trims are well entrenched in the holiday decorating idea bin. Here’s one idea. You could use gold lame fabric for the stocking background, then appliqué hearts of different sizes in a rose-patterned fabric. Trim the cuff with purchased satin ribbon roses over a band of delicate lace. A perfect personalized Christmas stocking.

Your older Aunt Jane has a thing for plaids and angels. How about a background of assorted plaids arranged in stripes, with a white satin angel appliquéd to the stocking with a lace cuff trim? You might attach a few snips of yarn hair for your angel.

Your husband likes neutral colors and enjoys fishing. You might choose two or three neutral shades for the stocking body, and appliqué a fish with a Santa’s hat or antlers for Christmas fun.

Put your imagination to work. Check your fabric stash, and visit a fabric store.

Large fabric stores carry an unbelievable variety of trims. The types, materials and number will amaze you: laces, ribbons, woven, ethnic, glittery, sequined, beaded and tasseled.

Let your family member’s personality guide you. Your brother might not like satin and lace. He might prefer a manly suede leather trim. Remember, you want a personalized Christmas stocking. It’s fun for you, and your family member has a joyful memory each year to come.

Now let’s bring your personalized Christmas stocking to life!

Use a paper grocery bag to draw your stocking shape. Using a pencil, refine the shape until you like it. Cut out your stocking, then trace a duplicate on another grocery bag. Mark the duplicate with a half-inch allowance on all sides, then cut out.

Your first cutout, without seam allowances, is used as a template for shapes you appliqué or zigzag stitch to your stocking base shape. Complete each side, then stitch together. Now you’ve got a personalized Christmas stocking. You’ll love the results!

Christmas Carolers

For some people, Christmas carolers are a special part of Christmas, and without them, the holiday would not be the same. There is something beautiful about hearing Christmas carolers outside your home, singing in beautiful harmony as the snow falls and twilight looms. Some sing traditional carols while others choose to go with more modern songs. Sadly, this is a tradition that has somewhat died out due to safety issues, but you can still find Christmas carolers in your community if you want to hear some marvelous singing at Christmas time.

You may find that schools and other groups put on holiday themed shows that feature Christmas carolers and other musical acts. The school band and the school chorus might perform a magical program meant to inspire the magic of the holiday season. These events are sometimes free, and at other times, they are used to raise money for your school music programs. I remember these events quite clearly from when I was a child, and it became a Christmas tradition to go see the Christmas carolers and the school band perform. They gave a beautiful twist to many of the Christmas songs I knew and loved.

In same cases, you may able to hire Christmas carolers for your holiday events. You may find groups of four, much like a barbershop quartet, or you can find a full chorus of Christmas carolers to perform. You may be able to choose what songs you want them to sing, and for how long you want them to perform. They can be the main attraction, or they can be a special touch to a special holiday gathering. For large corporations, this may be a wonderful addition to the holiday bash you throw for your employees. If you have a party for your clients, this will be an excellent touch they will not soon forget.

If there are simply no Christmas carolers in your community, and you really miss the tradition, there is nothing stopping you from forming a group on your own. Put an advertisement in the local paper and you will find that there are plenty of people who want to sing with you. You can sing in your community, or you can put on performances for those who might be lonely around the holiday. Christmas carolers may be welcome at nursing homes, and hospitals, but remember to call ahead and ask permission before you show up.

I have always wanted an Angel Christmas tree for my home. I love the idea of setting a manger scene under the tree and filling the evergreen with angels that ascend to the top leading to a big, shining star. It makes the perfect representation of the holiday celebration and an Angel Christmas tree really helps us focus on the idea behind the celebration as well.

I’m pretty old-fashioned when it comes to this holiday but many can still enjoy an angel Christmas tree without leaning towards a particularly religious theme. These beautiful objects are perfect for any holiday celebration not just for those of us who want to keep the meaning of the holiday traditional for our families.

There is a significant obstacle to creating such a display. Many of us have sentimental personalized Christmas ornaments that mean the world to us. I hate to put them aside to create an angel Christmas tree theme. These ornaments are important because they represent very special times in our lives and I don’t want to leave them in the box.

My husband and I came up with a solution to the dilemma. We had a few options that I will share in case you are torn between creating an angel Christmas tree and using your personalized ornaments as well. These are simple and you may find that you really like the idea of showcasing your sentimental decorations separately from the angel theme tree.

We chose to buy a small tree for the sentimental display. This evergreen is in our formal living room where special guests can come to see and talk about the personalized holiday ornaments in this area. There is something special about arranging the sentimental objects in one display rather than in a sea of ornaments on a big tree.

Other ideas that we had include using the sentimental personalized ornaments in unusual places. One of the places was on garland strung on the fireplace mantel. This is a great option for families who have only a handful of sentimental decorations to arrange. I also liked the idea of arranging them on a wreath as well.

I’m sure that you can think of other ways to display your personalized decorations. There are plenty of other options. These simple approaches will give you plenty of room on your holiday evergreen to create an angel Christmas tree that really sticks to the theme.