Getting started on my Michaels Dream Tree Challenge #JustAddMichaels

A couple of weeks ago, my husband calls and asks, “Ummm… Why is there a Christmas tree on our front porch?” It seems that I forgot to tell him that I’ll be doing the Michaels Dream Tree Challenge this year.

It’s a 7 foot pre-lit tree, so I can understand him being a little freaked out over its arrival. 🙂

For the Dream Tree Challenge, Michaels provides bloggers with a tree and a gift card to purchase ornaments and supplies to decorate it up.

As it is, we put out 4 Christmas trees every year. Now we’ve got another one to add to our mix! I think I just became The Crazy Christmas Tree Lady. Ha! Seriously, though, decorating Christmas trees just makes me happy. The possibilities are wide open for theme and color, and each tree ends up with its own personality.

So last night I took a friend with me to Michaels to get my inspiration and buy my first round of decorations. If I’m The Crazy Christmas Tree Lady, my friend Rhiannon is The Queen of Glitter. (This summer she actually went to the doctor with a glitter injury. No kidding!!)

No surprise then, that we ended up oohing and ahhing over all the sparkly, glittery decorations they have at Michaels!! My plan was to take photos of us in the store, but we got a little high on the sparkle and forgot. We jumped from one aisle to another, pawing through all the garlands and picks and ornaments that could end up on my Dream Tree.

Here’s a Christmas decoration shopping tip: If you want an idea of how an ornament, garland, or pick will look when it’s actually on your tree, take it over to the aisle where they sell the trees. You can audition your pieces on the display trees.

I’m waiting until I’ve got it all put together to give you all the detail on my theme. But here’s a little sneak peek of what I came home with.

This is the first round of decorations for my tree. I tend to decorate trees in stages because it’s hard to tell exactly how everything is going to look until you get some stuff on the tree. I start with my inspiration pieces and then fill in around them. Luckily, my Michaels store is just 10 minutes from my house. I have a feeling I’ll be making a lot of trips there in the next few weeks as I get my Dream Tree set up.

Disclosure: Michaels provided a Christmas tree and $500 gift card for me to participate in their Dream Tree Challenge. Any opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

Dear Crafty Readers,
“I run a small sewing business. I sell handmade items that do really well at Christmas.
Every year, as soon as November hits, the messages start rolling in.
‘Can you squeeze in one more?’
‘It’s just a small order.’
‘I really need it before Christmas.’
The thing is… I’m tired.
I spend most of the year sewing, planning, listing, packaging, and selling. By December, I’m already running on fumes.
This year, I decided to do something different. I set a clear cutoff date for Christmas orders. After that date, I said no — even when people asked nicely, even when they said they’d pay extra.
Some people understood.
Others didn’t. I got guilt-laden replies, passive-aggressive comments, and a few messages implying I was being selfish — or lazy — or ungrateful for the business.
Now I’m second-guessing myself.
Am I the asshole for saying no to Christmas orders because I want to actually enjoy the holidays?
— Anonymous

If your chest tightened a little reading that, you’re not alone.

This question cuts straight into one of the most uncomfortable truths of handmade selling: Christmas can be both your most profitable season and your most draining one.

And the pressure to keep saying yes can be enormous.

Why Christmas Turns “Can You?” Into “You Should”

At Christmas, requests don’t feel optional — they feel urgent.

People aren’t just asking for handmade items. They’re asking for:

Last-minute solutions

Emotional reassurance

Meaningful gifts under time pressure

And because you can sew, it quietly becomes something you should do.

That’s where boundaries start to blur.

The Myth That Christmas Orders Are “Too Good to Refuse”

There’s a strong belief in the handmade world that Christmas business should be taken at all costs.

After all:

It’s good money

It’s high demand

It’s only once a year

But what that belief ignores is the cost of constant urgency.

Christmas orders often mean:

Late nights

Missed family moments

Sewing under stress

Rushing instead of enjoying the craft

More orders don’t always mean a better season.

When “Just One More” Becomes Too Much

Most sellers don’t burn out from one request.

They burn out from:

One more order

One more exception

One more rushed deadline

One more person saying “It’s really important”

By the time December arrives, many makers are exhausted before Christmas even begins.

And exhaustion makes resentment grow quietly.

Why Saying No Feels So Wrong

Saying no at Christmas feels harsher than at any other time of year.

You’re not just saying no to a sale — it feels like you’re saying no to:

Someone’s gift

Someone’s tradition

Someone’s stress

That emotional weight can make even reasonable boundaries feel selfish.

But wanting rest isn’t selfish. It’s human.

The Unspoken Assumption: Makers Don’t Need Holidays

There’s a quiet, unfair expectation that if you work from home or run a creative business, you don’t really need time off.

That you can:

Sew while others relax

Work while others celebrate

Fit rest in “later”

But makers have families. Traditions. Bodies that get tired. Minds that need space.

Christmas shouldn’t belong only to buyers.

Does Enjoying the Holidays Make You Unprofessional?

Some people believe that real business owners should push through.

That saying no to demand is:

Bad business

Lazy

Leaving money on the table

Others believe that protecting your time is the only way to stay in business long-term.

There is no single right answer — but pretending there is creates unnecessary guilt.

What Healthy Boundaries Can Look Like

For some sellers, enjoying Christmas means:

Setting firm order cutoffs

Limiting quantities

Closing entirely for a period

Only selling ready-made items

Boundaries don’t mean you don’t care about your customers. They mean you care about sustainability — yours.

So… Are They the Asshole?

This is where opinions split — and that’s exactly why this question matters.

Some readers will say:

“Christmas is peak season — you take the work.”

Others will say:

“No job is worth burnout.”

And many will quietly admit:

“I wish I’d done the same.”

Over to You, Crafty Readers

Let’s be honest — because this one hits close to home.

Do you set Christmas cutoffs?

Have you ever regretted taking too many holiday orders?

Do you think sellers should push through December no matter what?

Or should enjoying Christmas be non-negotiable?

Scroll down and tell us where you stand.
This is one of those conversations that deserves honesty — not judgement.

(If you have a sewing dilemma you’d like to submit anonymously, Sewing.CraftGossip would love to hear from you.)

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