Jenna Bush Hager Found One Last Christmas Gift From Her Late Grandmother
Jenna Bush Hager opened up about a special gift that her late grandmother Barbara Bush left for her great grandchildren before she passed.
"Ganny" needlepointed Christmas stockings for her great grandchildren, including those she wouldn't get to meet like Jenna's newborn Baby Hal.
Christmas is an important tradition in the Bush family, and Jenna says her children will know her grandparents through their letters and stories.
On April 17, 2018, the Bush family lost one of its most beloved members, but Barbara Bush made sure her family would continue to feel her presence long after her death.
Jenna Bush Hager, the granddaughter of the former First Lady, talked to People about a special tradition that Barbara started in the months before she passed from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Jenna received a call from her aunt in November 2018, letting her know that "Ganny" left several needlepointed Christmas stockings for all of the great-grandchildren that she wouldn't live to see—including Jenna's newborn Henry Harold "Hal" Hager.
"What a beautiful thing she did so that all three of my kids could have that,'' she told People. Jenna said that while Baby Hal will never meet his great grandmother, she and former president George H.W. Bush, who passed last November, are "ingrained in the fabric" of their family.
"Hal's the first baby who won't get to meet these people that were such an important part of my life,'' she told People. "But I also know that through my grandparents' letters and their stories and the ways they raised us, he'll get to know them."
Christmas is a special time for the Bush family. In a 2018 essay for Southern Living Magazine, Jenna wrote about the importance of the holiday and her grandmother's handmade stockings.
"On Christmas Eve, we drove to Camp David, the Presidential retreat in Maryland. The cabins, named after the trees in the area (Aspen, Red Oak, Maple, Elm), were just the right size for each of our families," she wrote. "We gathered in the main cabin, Laurel Lodge, for good food and plenty of laughter."
And when it came to her Ganny, Jenna always thought of "her hands busy (usually her mouth too) as she meticulously needlepointed. She worked on many projects, but her most precious were stockings for her great-grandchildren."
Jenna described her 6-year-old daughter Mila's handmade stocking as traditional, "with her name stitched in cursive next to poinsettias." Four-year-old Poppy's is designed with a Christmas cat "watching Santa suspiciously, as only cats can do."
Last year was the Bush family's first Christmas without Barbara and George H.W. Bush. "I'm nostalgic for the days when we were together," Jenna wrote in her essay. "This time of year is full of love but for those who have recently lost someone, that loss is illuminated."
Still, Barbara's legacy lives on with the Bush family's handmade Christmas stockings. "She wanted to make sure there were stockings on reserve for great-grandchildren who would come after she was gone," Jenna wrote. "That was our Ganny. She wanted to leave the world a little more beautiful through her work, her words, and even her needlepoint stockings."
In a loving Instagram post featuring a young Jenna with her Ganny, Jenna wrote a heartfelt note to honor Barbara shortly after her passing.
"She was the glue that held our family together. She taught me to use my voice but also to value the opinions of others. She adored her friends and family; her loyalty was unwavering," she wrote in the caption. "Gans, people stopped me all the time to tell me how much they loved you. I didn’t mind sharing you with them. I love you more than tongue can tell, my Ganny."
A post shared by Jenna Bush Hager (@jennabhager) on Apr 17, 2018 at 7:02pm PDT
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