Years ago when a friend and I were raising children of the same age in the same decade she gave me an unforgettable gift.
The Idea
It was a 5X7″ coil-bound notebook with a sewn Christmas fabric cover. She had simply labelled it “Christmas Memories” with ballpoint pen on the inside. You know how the gifts on Christmas morning get all unwrapped in a flurry? Sometimes you can’t remember what a dear relative gave to the children. It can be quite embarrassing when the grandparents ask how their grandchild liked their gift days later and in that moment your mind is a blank. This gift solved that challenge! In this book I wrote each of my children’s names on a page and then wrote down all gifts they received from whoever as they unwrapped them. I also recorded all the family members that came to stay over the holidays. Special memories have been recorded and even recipes that I have used and that were a success.
The Key
I still write in it three decades later. And here is the key to it’s lasting quality. My friend told me to store it with my tree ornaments; that way I would never have to look for it. She was right! The fabric cover has made it identifiable and very durable over the years. Every time I use or look at that “Christmas Memories” book, I am reminded of our friendship. When I open it, I am ever grateful of the memories that she inspired me to write down.
The Friend
Perhaps you have a friend that you are still undecided as to what you can give. You want to make it special and not so commercial. I highly recommend this idea. Your friend doesn’t have to have children around for it to be useful. It doesn’t have to be a difficult project to make it personal. A special hardback journal book with a piece of lovely Christmas fabric glued to the front and back works well if you don’t sew. Thirty years ago my friend didn’t have a lot of money so she used an inexpensive notebook and her sewing skills and applied it to a novel idea and created an unforgettable memory for me.
The Memories
Create good memories this Christmas 2019 anyway you can.
–Merry Christmas from Karen
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