Christmas time at my grandparent’s home was a magical season that came alive in September, long before other families in the neighborhood uncovered sparkling treasures and hung them on a tree in their living room.
Their love for the holidays meant that my grandma and grandpa decorated 18-themed trees, had a room festively decorated all year and an attic complete with rotating ornaments, and decorations collected from around the world. The kitchen in their home was transformed into an English yuletide with the help of a huge Charles Dickens village. My grandparents threw holiday parties for friends and family every night during the month of December. How could I not love Christmas?
As a child when I wasn’t decorating Christmas trees or designing houses for my dolls, I could be found in dance class. My love of dance transpired into being inspired to sew. My mom had sewn my costumes until she couldn’t take it anymore and she forced the sewing machine on me. In school I took home economics even though I could swear I signed up for cooking. My mom saved my grade by making my final project, a wrap around skirt, since it turns out I can’t follow instructions or sew from patterns.
In 2003, when the holidays came around I decided to bring out the sewing machine and I made Christmas stockings for myself, my husband Ryan, and for Jake, our English bulldog. The stockings were a hit with family and friends because of their contemporary colors and retro designs. And especially a hit with my mom who took all the credit for my sewing skills!
The following year we welcomed our daughter Della to our family and I made her a stocking. With the extra felt I sewed a few more stockings and sold them at a holiday sale. The first stockings didn’t have any kind of identification for the owner. I knew I didn't want to add a cuff to the stockings but hanging a personalized picture frame that identifies who the stocking is for was appealing. Each stocking comes with a frame.
Soon I was developing my own collection (there are 18 stocking styles, including 5 new designs for 2007) and selling stockings as a business. My company is represented by Keena Co., showing at gift shows around the country, and The Ahna Holder Holiday Stocking Collection can be found in more than 100 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Working on designs and shipping means that Christmas time in our house starts earlier than September, like it did with my grandparents. My grandma is so proud when we start bringing out Christmas in July!