For some expecting mothers this holiday season, the greatest gift will come for them this Christmas weekend with the birth of their newborn child.
To celebrate this, the babies born right before Christmas Eve at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC will be dressed in festive holiday attire, all thanks to a group of volunteer knitters at Magee.
Dena Chottiner, founder of the group, said they have been busy preparing about 30 handmade and hand-knitted outfits for the babies.
If you’re wondering just what it is that the volunteer knitters at Magee have made for the babies this time around, check out the costume reveal photos here.
“We’ve done things in the past with the babies on Christmas such as dressing them up in stockings and Santa hats, but we wanted to do something different this year for the babies and families spending the holidays in the hospital,” Chottiner said. “Without giving it away completely, I can tell you that all of the babies will be dressed similarly, except for just one!”
The group, founded at Magee in 2014 by Chottiner, knits caps for newborn babies and patients in the hospital who are undergoing chemotherapy. The knitters sit together in a large circle inside of Magee’s lobby twice a month to knit the caps, and the group attracts quite a bit of attention from those passing through the first floor.
“Lots of people will stop over and ask what we’re doing, and some people have even joined the group as a result of seeing us work together on Fridays,” she said.
Parents spending Christmas weekend at Magee this year will get to take home the outfits as keepsakes.
If you’re wondering just what it is that the volunteer knitters at Magee have made for the babies this time around, check out the Christmas event photos here, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
While there is a long wait list for new members, the knitting group does accept and appreciate yarn donations.