Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house... were stitched decorations and beautiful homemade gifts! We'd like to wish our readers a fantastic Christmas and New Year, and hope you've all enjoyed working on our festive projects as much as we have.

Don't forget our January issue hits the shops on 27 December and is packed full of exciting stitching ideas for 2013 - it's guaranteed to shake off those post-Christmas blues faster than you can thread a needle!

There's only a week to go until the big day - time to bake some mince pies, buy any last minute pressies and make sure the house is perfectly decorated ready for the 25th! This quick and easy cross stitched angel will make a perfect last-minute addition to your tree - find the pattern in the December issue of CrossStitcher, out now.

This neon Christmas cross stitch pattern has been specially created for us by pattern designer Alice Apple. Inspired by the colours and shapes of 1960s and 70s textiles, Alice's work is playful, fun and bright. We caught up with her for a chat about her creative inspirations.

Please could you tell us a bit about yourself and your business?

I come from a very creative background - my father was a jazz musician and my mother taught me lots of craft skills from a young age. I eventually graduated from Derby University with a BA in textile design. A number of years later I turned my redundancy from a boring office job into a positive by launching my own Etsy shop.

There's still time to save up to 40% on annual subscriptions to your favourite craft magazines!*

To take advantage of this fabulous money-saving offer and give a loved one (or yourself) a Christmas gift that keeps on giving throughout the year, visit: www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/ZC09/

Alternatively you can call 0844 848 2852 and quote ZC09 over the phone to qualify for this offer.

*Offer ends 31 January 2013

Here at CrossStitcher HQ we love a comedy jumper at Christmas time, and these mini stitched versions may be the best we've ever seen!

Attach them to cards and gift tags, or incorporate pictures of friends and family for extra laughs. You'll find the patterns in our December issue, out now.

Our last issue before Christmas is finally hitting the shops, and to celebrate we've put together a huge £534 worth of giveaways for you to get your hands on! Ring the seasons with Bothy Thread's Four Bird Boxes and Four Outfits kits - they come with all the materials you need to complete them. Or if you'd prefer something more girlie, who not go for Goldleaf Needlework's Teacup Fairy kit instead? Finally, we all know you can never have too many goodies in your stash, so we're got 10 gorgeous sets of vintage buttons from Fantastic Ribbons up for grabs.

To enter any of these giveaways, just click on the links below:

Bothy Birdbox kit

Bothy Outfits kit

There's less than a week to go until the December issue of CrossStitcher hits the newsstands, so here's a sneak peek at one of our favourite projects from it - a gorgeous set of baubles designed by Lucie Heaton. It's time to deck the halls!

A subscription is the  perfect Christmas gift and this year we've making it even more special by giving you up to 40% off your favourite craft magazines with our festive discount code - ZC09.

Visit www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/ZC09/ to take advantage of this money-saving offer and give a loved one a Christmas gift that just keeps on giving!

Alternatively you can call 0844 848 2852 and quote ZC09 over the phone to qualify for this offer. If you're buying it as a gift, we'll even throw in a personalised card to announce your gift!

Beat the crowds and kick-start your Christmas shopping! Offer ends 31 January 2013

We're fairly sure you will have noticed over the years, that here at Cross Stitch Collection, we're big fans of Joan Elliott's designs! They're always so detailed and thought-provoking. Which is why we're pretty sad to see her Garden Fairies series coming to end. In our December issue (217), on sale 23 November 2012, you'll see the final fantastic fairy in the series, the Snowdrop Fairy. Serenely resting in a winter wood, surrounded by a bed of delicate snowdrops and two adorable white-coated bunnies, this glamorous girl welcomes in the onset of spring in style. Adorned with delicate seed beads and metallic threads, she really is a sight to behold.

We're head over heels in love with Gail Bussi's gorgeous festive sampler from the Christmas issue (216, on sale 26th Oct - 22nd Nov) of Cross Stitch Collection. Not only do we love the beading detail, festive motifs and vibrant red colour scheme but we also adore the sentiment, because we really do believe that Home is the Heart of Christmas.