Why Crafting Matters More During the Holidays
- Lauren Twitchell
- Nov 18
- 4 min read
The holidays are noisy. Calendars fill, stores crowd, ads scream for attention, and somewhere in the middle of it all, we’re supposed to find joy. It’s easy to get swept up in the frenzy.
But that’s why crafting—whether it’s woodworking, cooking over fire, or even bottling homemade wine—matters more during the holiday season than almost any other time of year. Crafting slows us down, roots us in the present, and reminds us that the best gifts and gatherings don’t come from stores or shopping carts. They come from hands, heart, and intention.
Crafting Pulls Us Out of the Rush
It’s tempting to let the holidays become a checklist: buy the gifts, plan the meal, decorate the house, get it all done before the calendar flips again.
But when you step into the workshop, light the coals, or set a batch of wine to ferment, time changes. The pace slows. Your hands move steadily, deliberately. The noise fades, replaced by the sound of a saw, the crackle of fire, or the quiet bubble of fermentation.
Crafting pulls us out of the chaos and back into rhythm—one that feels human, peaceful, and alive.
Handmade Matters More
Think about the things that stick with you after the holidays are over. Chances are, they aren’t the trendy gadgets or the throwaway décor. They’re the handmade gifts, the home-cooked meals, the things created with intention.
A cutting board passed across the table, still warm from sanding.
A tray filled with cookies, baked in cast iron and shared with neighbors.
A bottle of homemade wine, corked and labeled with care, handed to a friend.
These aren’t just objects. They’re gestures of love, built slowly and intentionally. Handmade matters more because it carries memory.
Woodworking: Building Tradition, Not Just Projects
During the holidays, woodworking becomes about more than shelves and tables. It’s about making pieces that add warmth to gatherings:
Serving boards that hold holiday meals.
Blanket ladders that keep living rooms cozy.
Ornaments or décor that kids paint or help assemble.
These projects may seem small, but they become woven into family tradition. Each year, they’re pulled back out, serving as a reminder of the season you built them—and the intention behind them.
Woodworking isn’t just about sawdust; it’s about building tradition that lasts.
Cooking Over Fire: Food as Memory
The holidays are often centered around food. But taking that food outdoors—to the smoker, the grill, or even the firepit—changes the experience.
The turkey smoked until golden, resting on a wooden board before carving.
Sides cooked in cast iron, bubbling with smoke-kissed flavor.
Late-night s’mores or roasted apples by the fire, long after the main meal is over.
Cooking outdoors makes food feel like an event, not just a dish. It creates memory: the smoke drifting in the cold air, the glow of the fire against the early darkness, the laughter of family gathered close.
Food is nourishment, yes—but during the holidays, cooking over fire turns it into connection.
Winemaking: A Lesson in Patience
If woodworking is about tradition and fire is about memory, winemaking is about patience.
Fermenting a batch of wine during the holidays is both symbolic and grounding. While the season rushes, the fermenter quietly bubbles at its own pace. No rushing. No shortcuts. Just steady, unseen transformation.
And when you finally share that bottle—this year or the next—it carries the story of patience and care. A gift of homemade wine isn’t just about flavor; it’s about saying, “I thought of you long before this moment. I waited for this.”
The holidays are fleeting, but winemaking reminds us that some of the best gifts take time.
Crafting as Resistance to Consumerism
The holidays tell us to buy. To spend. To prove love with receipts.
Crafting tells a different story. It says:
I can make something instead of buying it.
I can give you my time instead of my credit card.
I can choose presence over perfection.
This doesn’t mean you can’t shop or wrap store-bought gifts. But when you mix in handmade—when you give something that carries your fingerprints—you resist the idea that love has to be purchased.
Crafting becomes a quiet, powerful act of reclaiming the season.
The Rituals We Remember
The holidays aren’t just about the big days on the calendar. They’re about the rituals we weave into the season:
Cutting, sanding, finishing a small project as the first snow falls.
Lighting the grill while the sun sets early and neighbors’ windows glow with light.
Stirring wine, checking the bubbles, watching it clear as the weeks pass.
These rituals might seem ordinary, but they’re what we remember. They anchor us when the season feels too fast, reminding us that the magic isn’t in the mall or the countdown clock—it’s in the small, steady acts of making.
How to Bring Crafting Into Your Holidays
You don’t need to overhaul your season to let crafting matter more. Start small:
Pick one build. A serving tray, a wooden sign, or a small holiday decoration.
Cook one dish outdoors. Smoke a side, grill a dessert, or fire-roast vegetables for your table.
Make one batch of wine. Even if it won’t be ready until spring, the act itself connects you to the season.
One handmade project is enough to shift your holiday from rushed to rooted.
The holidays will always be busy. There will always be lists, deadlines, and distractions. But crafting—whether it’s woodworking, cooking over fire, or winemaking—reminds us to slow down. To create with intention. To give with heart.
Because at the end of the day, the season isn’t about perfection—it’s about presence. And nothing makes us more present than using our hands to create something that lasts.
This holiday, let your craft matter more. Build a board. Smoke a dish. Start a batch. Not for the sake of doing more, but for the sake of doing what matters.
🪚🔥🍷 Crafted by hand, rooted in home.
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