Remember the Beadflowers Advent event last year…? Well, that was so much fun that I’ve decided to do something similar for this year. So, with December fast approaching, it’s time to tell you all about the Beadflowers Christmas event for 2021…
What is the Beadflowers Christmas event for 2021?
No matter where in the world you live, I am inviting you to join me and celebrate…
Twelve Days of (Beaded) Christmas
Just like last year, I will be sharing a bounty of special offers, beading games and free patterns for you all to enjoy. This event will take place between 1st and 24th December. And I will be hosting it both on the Beadflowers website, here, and also in my Etsy store. So, everyone is welcome, no matter where in the world you live.
(And yes, that does include all EU residents…you will be able to enjoy exactly the same treats as everyone else because I will be hosting this across my Etsy store too).
How do you join in?
When the event opens, (on 1st December 2021), you will be able to access the event page, here. That is going to give you a little themed fun each day, including puzzles with a beading theme, and possibly some patterns on sale…
But, in addition to that, I am going to be giving out some extra special gifts via email. These will include free patterns and discount vouchers that you can use every day throughout December. So, if you want to enjoy those goodies too, please follow this link and leave your details.
Everyone is included
Now, I have been thinking about this a lot. In fact, I was pondering whether to even mention Christmas in the title of this event. Not because I have anything against Christmas, but because I really wanted to make everyone feel included and appreciated here.
Obviously ‘Christmas’ is technically a Christian religious celebration. However, as we all know, it has become much more commercialised than that. Much of what we celebrate has nothing to do with the Christian story, and everything to do with more Pagan traditions, and of course Santa!
But even that can seem like it excludes people of other faiths. Yet, other faiths also have their own celebrations during the Winter months. I’m thinking of celebrations like Diwali and Hanukkah.
Click here to get the Hanukkah lantern pattern
So, I began to ponder how to really make this fully inclusive. And, it seemed to me, that the best thing was to strip out all of the ‘objects’ that we associate with the occasion, and look below those to what they really symbolise. I think that once you do that, you can get to a common ground that is ‘bigger’ than any individual celebration or faith.
So, what are those common elements?
Joy and light
Light and celebration (joy) seem to me to be common across all these festivals. They also go back further to Pagan times and the Winter Solstice. I think we all feel something that is driven by our connection to nature. As the days grow darker, we long for light. And perhaps this is also a time to go inwards (literally indoors?) and reflect on the year that has passed and prepare for the new beginnings that will emerge once the days begin to lengthen again.
So, I hope that is something with which you can resonate, whatever you believe or celebrate…or not.
Click here if you would like to make these beaded Peyote star tealight decorations
Loving and Giving
The second thing that seems common to everything is the idea of loving and giving. We seek out friends and family, seek to share time together and offer gifts to one another.
This may be tied in to the ideas of reflection and celebration. It’s a time to show those about whom we care how important they are.
So, again, I hope these will be ideas that resonate with you.
Shaping the Beadflowers Christmas event
So, although I ended up relating this event to Christmas, it’s really about me bringing some light into your life and sharing some joy and giving through my beadwork.
Hopefully you will have a lot of fun. I thought it was worth reflecting on a very kind message that I received about last year’s event…
“I just wanted to drop you a note to say thank you so much for the advent calendar this year, which must have involved a great deal of work and planning. It has been a bright point in each day of this gloomy month! Your words today were particularly touching. I have been able to treat myself to a lot of lovely patterns that I would otherwise not have been able to afford, and I’m looking forward to getting a head start on new ornaments as gifts for my family and friends for next Christmas. Thank you again!”Vicky
My intention is to bring you the same fun this year. And, by sharing some free beading patterns and lots of discounts, I want to say thank you to my beading family for all your support of my work throughout 2021.
So, remember, if you want to take part in this, just follow this link and leave your details! Then, I will look forward to sharing much fun and joy with you throughout December.
