Today I am excited to tell you about our Christmas Jar Memories!! Some of you are will remember it because it is the third year for the old jar! It is one of my favorite things to prepare waiting on December to arrive! It has been so much FUN coming up with things to do AS A FAMILY during this special season.
As a busy mom I try to keep things very simple during December to avoid missing the real meaning of Christmas. Having things our family does together (key word here!) seems to slow us down to enjoy each other as well as what this season has to offer.
A couple of years ago I wanted to make memories for and with the boys. Something the boys would always think about when it came time for Christmas. So I started what we call "Christmas Jar Memories".
I am positive you will have everything you need to begin this tradition this year!
First off gather your family together. Have a pen and paper on hand. Talk about, discuss and write down ideas/things you want to do during the month of December. As a family.
Some of the boys favorites are watching Christmas movies, going to look at Christmas lights in our PJs (one of my favorites too!!!) or baking cookies. Last year my favorite was going to downtown Fort Worth to see the big tree and Christmas displays.
When you make the memory really doesn't matter. It could be during the week, only on the weekends or both. We do both, but keep them very simple......another key word here is simple!
Now when you have all those FUN ideas it is time to put them on paper. I print them out on the computer, cut each one and fold. Find a jar or some sort of container and put all the ideas into the jar. A pretty bow is optional, but I insist you add something to it to make it special. I think I have changed the bow each year.
Now decide how often you will take an idea from the jar. I prefer to get all our ideas from the jar on Sunday evenings. This year we will have 3 FUN things to do during each week in December. By having our ideas on Sunday it allows me to not only plan our week, but also gives me time to make a trip to the store for supplies and such if needed. This year a couple of our memories actually have a specific date so for those weeks we already know something we will do.....make a memory.
The one thing I strive to do is make it FUN! And not spend lots of money!!
Memories are of the heart and you do not have to spend a lot of money to make them. My goal as a mom is to leave the boys a legacy of FUN, loving memories that our family did together at Christmas.........not a legacy of "stuff" under the tree.
I hope I have inspired you to make a "Christmas Jar" this year and fill it with FUN memories for you and your family.
1 comment:
Thanks to you, we have our Christmas Jar on the kitchen table for the second year in a row! We haven't put the slips in yet. My goal was to start December 1.
I like how you draw them on Sunday, which gives you time to prep. Adding that to the to-do list!
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