Editor's Note: This recent article about "recycling" a well-loved baby blanket by blogger Andrew Regan caught my eye at Andrew's Celebrating Weakness blog and I thank him for permitting us to share this great idea with our readers. LMH

My Favorite Christmas Gift

It's a little early for Christmas, however it is not early enough to start thinking about the wonderful gifts we have received during our lives. The best gifts are always the well thought out gifts that represent the love of the person who is giving. These types of gifts are worthy to be cherished and held close to the heart with thoughts of gratitude.

One of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever received was from my mother. It was a warm cozy throw blanket which comes in handy during the cold New England winters. My wife and I, and of course our Boston Terrier have enjoyed the use of it almost every day. This is no ordinary throw blanket that you might buy from a store. My Mother created it out of the very same baby blanket that brought me comfort and security in my earliest years. The baby blanket is sown safe inside a recycled warm outer layer and there is a little slit (shown in picture at the left) that I can put my hand through to feel the warm comforts of the blankie which I carried with me so long ago.

Whenever I am having a difficult time, I can always reach for my new recycled baby blanket, which reminds me of how much I am loved. It reminds me of how grateful we should be for all the gifts God has bestowed upon us. It moves me to ponder how God is our safety and security and our comfort in times of need. God often works through others to bring us closer to Him, this loving gift from my own mother has done the same for me.

If you are interested in creating a blanket like this my Mother, sent me the instructions here:

I took two pieces of fleece, probably 60” by 48” or as large as you want to make it. Place the baby blanket between the two layers. Pin the baby blanket thru the upper and lowers layers so it doesn’t move. Then I cut the edges of the fleece every 1” about 4” in from the edge of the blanket. Tie the bottom and top layer strips together all along the four sides of the blanket. Finally, I used a very large carpet needle with yarn and tied thru all three layers at the places I pinned the three layers together. Then I cut a little door over the center of the blanket where the baby blanket would be, bound the edges of the door with any stitch like a blanket stitch and big enough to place a hand inside to be able to touch the baby blanket. The theory is making a tie fleece blanket, but just placing the baby blanket in the center. A fabric store could give instructions how to do the tie blanket if this sounds confusing.

Hope this helps!

Love Mom

Andrew Regan is an honored member of his Parish Pastoral Council, RCIA Team Member, and past Religious Education Discussion Leader. He takes his 16 years of Catholic education and 40 years of life experiences to his blog Celebrating Weakness at http://celebratingweakness.blogspot.com/