Candy Chains

So as I was growing up, one of my favorite traditions were our candy chains. A woman my dad had worked with made these "chains" using macrame. Macrame is yarn crafting using knots. She created these long "chains" and then put yarn in between the knots. At the beginning of December, my mom would buy candy (or use the candy she stole from our Halloween buckets I found out recently) and we would tie one piece of candy on for each day in December. Then every day we got to eat one piece of candy, and we could see how close to Christmas we were. Think of it as an advent calendar, only much more delicious (and fattening).

So after I was married, no more candy chains. Well, my Mom gave me mine, but with only one chain, no else got any candy. So I have had the desire to learn how to make them for several years. Well, in 2004, I finally looked at mine, and looked online, and looked at mine, and looked online, and I figured out how to do it! I was so excited! I made our family's chains in 3 days and got them up for that year.

So then in 2005 I thought it would be fun to make them for my whole family. Most of us were married and had kids and we all loved that tradition, and I thought I would make it possible to continue it on. So I started working. I could do one chain in just under an hour, and I only had 12 to make. Plus some for our neighbors. Plus extras for when more babies are born. I don't know how many I ended up making, but I still have like 12 left over.

So that Thanksgiving, when supper was over and cleaned up, I asked everyone to gather around. I gave each family a wrapped box and told them to open them. When they did, they were all so excited. But the kids didn't get excited until I pulled out 2 giant bowls full of candy. I had brought all the candy and yarn so they could tie them on and have them ready to go. It was so much fun. I had been looking forward to doing that for several months, and it was totally worth it.

Following are pictures from that evening when we are getting them all put together. I looked through all my pictures and I have never taken a picture of the chains hanging on the wall! So next year, I will take a picture and then post it. So don't go anywhere!

Cutting the yarn to put on the chains. That is the worst part...threading the yarn around the knots. That is why I bought yarn and made them all do their own!

I did 3 different patterns: red and white, green and white, and red and green. I pretty much chose who would get what (except for Ashlee who know I was doing them, and I let her pick her colors. Shhhh.)

My brother Reece helping kids kids choose their candy.

Some people just put their candy on randomly, some create a pattern. So there is a lot of hard work in deciding what candy to use!

My chains were done at home, so I was supervising. If you look in this picture, my siblings are the ones having fun, and the in-laws are the bored looking ones. They didn't appreciate them at the time. I hope they appreciate them now.

This was so much fun! I loved seeing how much fun everyone was having. I was so excited to be able to continue a beloved tradition from our childhood!