We asked for you to show us where you hang your stockings with care – and many of you did, as part of our How Do you Deck Your Mantel contest. On Friday, a winner was chosen.

Patch, in partnership with the blog EventTrender, asked readers to share their mantels.

On Friday, Stephanie Ubaydi – whose mantel features family memories – was selected randomly as the winner; she will receive a $50 gift card to Lowes.

Ubaydi's mantel features her original childhood stocking, along with that of her husband. Those precious stockings frame the homemade ones that an aunt crafted for each of Ubaydi's children when they were born. The nativity is on the left, and also featured are other childhood pieces such as a ceremic, musical Christmas tree, an authentic German Nutcracker and a German Smoking Man.

Here's what Ubaydi wrote to Patch about her family and traditions:

My husband Rami and I have been married 17 years. We met while attending college at Oakland University.  We have traveled the country with my husband’s job and for the past five years we were separated from family during the holidays while we were living in Southern California. Rami’s family lives here in the area and my family is scattered around the country. We have four young children (Isabella, 11; Sophia, 9; Ava, 8 and Quentin 5) and while we were gone we tried to incorporate as many things as we could in our holiday celebrations that brought back things from our own childhood.

The sizes of my mantels have changed as we have moved so often.  The beautiful nativity is sometimes the only décor that would fit on some of my mantels through the years. The stockings were also very important to me as each one was handcrafted by a family member through each of our own childhoods. Mine, by my grandmother, who accidentally created it backward because she used my older brother’s stocking as a template. Rami’s was made by his mom.  Each of our children were given a beautifully ornate handstitched stocking for their first Christmas by an aunt on my father’s side.

Last summer, having just moved into our final home here in Rochester, I was pleased that I would be able to finally have my dream mantel for the holidays.

 Rami and I went on our first date nearly 20 years ago to see the Nutcracker Ballet at the Fox Theater in Detroit. I have collected Nutcrackers since our first Christmas after our marriage. Rami’s mom is originally from Germany and a friend of mine traveled to Germany last year and sent me the authentic German Nutcracker who took his rightful place on our new mantel.

Also, while unpacking this year I found the old German Smoking man that had always been in Rami’s family home during his childhood. The final piece that I was looking for this year was the ceramic Christmas tree.  My Grandmother had made one when I was a girl.  My mom still displays the tree in her home in Florida.  I wanted a tree and started looking.  They were very expensive on Ebay. 

I popped in to the Resale Connection on Main Street one day on a search for something else and low and behold … a beautiful ceramic Christmas Tree with all the ornaments (just like my Grandmother’s with birds and butterflies, too) as well as a music box … was sitting there in the window.  I brought it home and placed it on the mantel. 

The final touches are the garland and strands of lights and  flowers.  The strand of lights we use are actually the first single strand of lights that Rami and I used on our first Christmas tree together … our tiny 5-foot skinny tree that only needed one strand of lights. The tree is gone but the strand of lights still twinkles from the mantel each evening.

About the contest

EventTrender bloggers Sue Keels and Angela Butorac thought up the mantel contest, and asked Patch to take part. And, well, you know how we love to get readers involved!

As director of sales and marketing at the Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, Keels is constantly keyed in to elegance. Along with Butorac, an event planner from Sterling Heights, they produce EventTrender, filled with all things inspirational when it comes to entertaining, cooking and showing off your home.

During the contest, dozens of you showed off your mantels for us. I'm sure there were more than a few readers who came away with great ideas for their own mantels.

So thank you again, Patch readers, for sharing! And thanks to EventTrender for being a great partner in this contest.

You can find photos of more mantels at the contest page on Patch, at EventTrender, or on the EventTrender Facebook page.