When I was in high school, a friend and I taught a Sunday School class together. On the morning of the final rehearsal for the Christmas Concert we saw other teachers giving presents to their students and realized we didn’t have gifts to give to our class. Since we were living in a small town with zero shopping options on a Sunday afternoon, I figured we were out of luck. But my friend Corinne quickly devised a plan. When she returned to the church that night, she brought with her the most adorable knitted snowmen she had whipped up that afternoon. She said it was no big deal. I was amazed.
Research says activities like needlework can lower your heart rate and blood pressure, and reduce levels of harmful stress hormones in our bodies. That is good news for those who love to do this kind of work, including the more than 30% of women aged 25-35 who knit or crochet. The numbers of younger people picking up the skill is growing, as is the number of boys and men giving it a try. Many of these crafters spend months gearing up for this time of year as they collectively knit hundreds of thousands of hats, scarves and mittens…all to give away.
I love mittens. I love the bulkiness, the coziness, and the way snow sticks to them. My absolute favorites were the ones produced for the Vancouver Olympics. They were in such demand that I was grateful they’d been under the tree for me at Christmas, just weeks before the Games began. I was given pairs from the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics too, but there was just something much more special for me about those ones in 2010. I wore them until there was practically nothing left of them.
Our choice of mittens can be symbolic of what is important to us. They may show our allegiance to a sports franchise, support for a charity, or even our cultural heritage. I am a huge fan of the beautiful Norwegian ones, and a sad day for me was when I realized I lost one of mine. I kept the single mitten because I couldn’t bear to part with the one I still had.
Mittens make great topics for children’s books. They are filled with warmth, humor and beautiful illustrations, like “The Mitten Tree” by Candace Christiansen, the story of a woman who knits mittens and secretly hangs them on a tree at a bus stop. Children who don’t have any are able to select a pair so they can go and play in the snow. Each time she runs out of yarn, a basket mysteriously shows up on her doorstep and she continues to knit.
December 6 is International Mitten Tree Day, a day believed to have originated with an elementary school teacher, likely in response to the book, and fittingly on the day celebrating Saint Nicholas, known for secret gift giving. Classrooms, churches, workplaces, community groups and individuals hang mittens from trees, with the intent that they be given away--a gift that should never be underestimated.
Last December I met a single mom raising two little girls on social assistance who expressed deep gratitude for the local food bank, not just because of the food, but because her family had received a bag full of handmade toques, neck warmers and mittens. She was so moved that someone had made and donated these items to give to those who may not have enough--or any--warm clothing. For some, mittens under the tree may be expected, or perhaps one gift among many, or even tradition. For her, it was overwhelming. A hug for their hands from a stranger.
It’s such a cozy feeling slipping your hands into a pair of warm mittens—a feeling just like someone is wrapping their hand around yours and holding on tight. We may not be able to be close or touch one another right now, but there is still so much we can do. Giving a pair of mittens may be the very best way to grab hold of someone’s hand and make them feel as if they are getting a great big hug. That’s my outlook.
