Nine years ago, I found what I thought would be the perfect Christmas gift for my brother, who at that time, had just joined the Marines. It was a fairly large cross stitch of a bald eagle with the American flag in the background. And yes, it was a great gift idea nine years ago and continues to be a nice thought as I re-gift the incomplete project year after year (don’t worry, I do get him something new too).
If only I had known how easy it could have been to find time to work on the darn thing before having my sons. But then, you know what they say; hindsight is always 20/20.
The worst year was 2006 – the year my husband decided where to pursue his PhD, the year we moved across the country and bought a house, the year we had our second son… all ending with my brother opening his “present” and saying to me, “Did you even work on it at all since last Christmas?”
I was flabbergasted by the fact that he noticed, but ever since then, I make sure that some noticeable progress has been made. Each year, I swear I’ll space out my work on it throughout the year, only to have December arrive and me working fervently into the night on what I still believe will look great when done.
My brother is no longer in the Marines. My dad and husband insist I should pay someone to finish the cross stitch, but I feel like it loses something then – not to mention, I’m kind of curious to see just how many years it will take.
Next year – the 10th year - I’ll begin working on it in January… right 
Happy holidays everyone! And if you ever plan on giving someone a cross stitch that you have to do yourself, I recommend something small.
Kristen Keller lives in New Jersey with her two young boys, husband and two dogs. In an effort to obtain the perfect work-life balance, Kristen works part-time out of her home office as an independent public relations consultant and spends the rest of her time striving to give her children the same wonderful childhood experience she had. Click here to check out Kristen’s other posts on This Mommy Gig.
