Merry Crechemas

(This story first appeared in the December issue of the Anglican Journal.)

My mother, Catherine Hall, knit this for me the year her father, Canon Shirley Wood, died. That fall, I had broken my leg and my parents came to help me a few times, so I saw them more than usual. I was very concerned about Mum, as she wasn’t knitting, which is quite unusual. I expressed concern to my brothers that her lack of usual activities meant she wasn’t coping well with the death of her father. They didn’t seem concerned at all.

On Christmas day when I opened the box containing these wonderful knitted characters, it became clear that I had worried for no reason. In fact, the extra time my parents had spent with me made it very challenging for my mum to finish my gift in time. We all had a great laugh!

Every year when I display this crèche, my cats spend a few days trying to play with the figures, so the scene gets frequent rearranging.

It is a great reminder of my mother and her father.