At the beginning of 2016 my twenty-eight year old niece began a new tradition. She decided to record her most treasured moments of the year on colored sticky notes, and collect them in a jar. Then, twelve months later, on New Year’s Eve, she opened them up and read all those precious memories. These are just some she recorded:
Bought a car.
Indoor skydiving!
Graduated!
Started a new job with Community Neighbors.
Since we live 4000 miles apart, I don’t see my niece very often, but I could almost hear her laughing, and definitely see her smiling, as she opened up those little notes and re-lived those happy moments in her mind.
These are her words:
Since the beginning of 2016 I have been collecting my most treasured memories of the year. The picture shows only a sample of my many wonderful experiences! This collection has served to show me just how truly lucky I am despite difficult times during the first half of the year.
What a wonderful activity to begin with our little ones at the start of a new year! And it’s so very easy to do:
- Choose a jar, or several, if your children would each like their own.
- Together, decide what would be a good name for the jar, such as: Our Blessings / Things We’re Thankful For / Happy Moments of 2017 / My Happy Jar etc
- Label and decorate the outside.
- Be intentional throughout the year about recording happy moments, in writing or drawing.
- Open them up on New Year’s Eve, taking turns to read each one.
- Find a way to preserve those memories, in a scrapbook, or photo album.
- Begin a new jar each January so that a new family tradition is established.
The Bible exhorts us to cultivate thankfulness. I can’t think of a better way to do it.
Blessings,
Glenys