December 6is Mitten Tree Day #MittenTreeDay which is a interesting #Holiday I hadn’t ever heard of. Have you? I was thinking we could take the Tree in front of our Apartment Complex’s Office and decorate the Tree and have people hang #mittens on it to donate to the #homesless in our Community. You could do the same in your area.
Join us as we celebrate Mitten Tree Day on December 6th a fun holiday that encourages using and giving mittens. Mittens are the perfect solution to keep our hands warm when playing in the Snow and building Snowmen.
Mittens are also the perfect gift for those who do not have a heater or fireplace to keep them warm. So, purchase (or knit) some creative and colorful mittens that you would love to sport when you step out of the house and make a few extra mittens for someone less fortunate than you.
Before you ask we don’t know the details of the history of Mitten Tree Day, but there is a belief that school teachers formed Mitten Tree Day during Christmas time. The idea of Mitten Tree Day is said to have emerged as a fun class activity, which they named after a book called “The Mitten Tree.” The book’s author, Candace Christiansen, focused the storyline on a woman who missed her grown-up children.
In the book The Mitten Tree, the lady walks through the cold Winter weather and spots a few children waiting at the school bus stop. The lady notices that the children want to play in the Snow but can’t because they don’t have any mittens to protect their hands.
Feeling sorry for the kids, she knits a basket full of mittens and hangs them on a tree near the bus stop. The woman continues to knit mittens for the kids of her town and no longer drowns in the memories of her children.
Did you know according to sources, the name ‘mittens’ comes from the Old French word ‘Mitaine.’ It was an old pet name for a Cat, and at that time, mittens were made of animal fur. The earliest mittens found are said to date back to 1000 A.D.
Mittens were also very common in Medieval Europe. However, since they were hard to make, they were often worn as a fashion statement by the wealthy. Today, we make mittens from different materials like wool, leather, fur, or polyester. Did you know mittens also tend to be warmer than gloves because our fingers generate more heat when they are together.
How to Celebrate Mitten Tree Day
- Now is the time to shop for mittens for yourself, your loved ones, and those in need. Experiment with colors and patterns and search for sales on Mitten Tree Day.
- If you have a pair of mittens you want to show off start taking pictures and posting pictures of the mittens on Social Media for the world to see!
- Did you know mittens are one of the most creative Christmas Tree decorations and so useful too. Perhaps you can take a page from “The Mitten Tree” and leave mittens for children or the less fortunate to find.
Facts About Mittens
- Mittens in the 1800s were called ‘hailing hands’ by American Colonists.
- In the Latvian tradition women getting married are given a hope chest filled with mittens.
- America’s first female entrepreneur Abby Condon sold knitted mittens for Soldiers during the American Civil War.
- Did you know some mittens have poetry verses woven into their designs? I didn’t know this but I would like to see them. How about you?
- The most popular mitten pattern is the Star or Rose pattern which is the most loved mitten pattern.
Why People Love Mitten Tree Day
Mitten Tree Day leads to fun shopping sprees and its celebrations of mittens can lead to a shopping spree with friends or family. After all, it is crucial to match your mittens with the Christmas outfit!
National Mitten Day gives us a chance to give back and the day reminds us that there are people less fortunate than us who would love to have mittens to keep their hands warm. Mitten Tree Day is the perfect day to do something about it.
Mittens are very important to protect you from the cold and mittens are especially essential for kids who often play around in the Snow and those without shelter.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
