Christmas Amigurumi Animal Ornaments (Free Crochet Pattern)

When my daughter Lena joined our family last year, I wanted to make the holiday season extra special as a first-time parent and decided to start up some new traditions.  I compiled a list of holiday tradition ideas for families, and one of the traditions I've adopted is to make a new and uniquely-designed amigurumi tree ornament for my baby girl every Christmas.

For Lena's very first Christmas last year, I crocheted the Christmas Mouse, as it was the Year of the Mouse and her Chinese zodiac sign.  The little mouse in its Santa hat and matching scarf seemed like a sweet ornament. 

Over the course of this year, my husband and I observed with joy and fascination as our daughter became much more interactive with the world and aware of her surroundings.  From quite early on, we noticed that she had a strong and clear affinity for animals, particularly cats and dogs.  We had stayed at our aunt's home a couple times this year, and Lena always loved looking at, toddling after, and talking to their pet cat.  It was so sweet to watch her point out all sorts of cats in different forms (ceramic cat sculptures, cat photos, cat illustrations)...and we realized her concept of a "cat" was pretty solid.  She seems to adore them, so this year I decided to design a cat ornament!