Holiday Gift #3When our youngest daughter was five years old, I bought a cloth-bound journal. The covers were cute Scottie dogs with Christmas bows on a navy blue background. That year after all the kids had opened presents on Christmas day and everyone had eaten their fill of the holiday dinner, I brought the journal out. I asked each person at our dinner table to take a moment to write in the journal. I asked the kids to write something about that Christmas.
The Christmas Journal
Every year, I'd bring out the Christmas journal and ask each child to write in it. They could write anything they wanted. Oh, the older they got, the more they complained. Each year they groan, roll their eyes, and try to weasel out of the task. However, I always got at least a paragraph.
Christmas Past
The journal is full now yet each year I bring it out and place it on the coffee table. It's often the first thing the kids want to see when they arrive for the holidays. They laugh about the silly things they wrote in the past yet even as they laugh, I see the emotion that lights their faces as they remember Christmases past.
Payback?
I have a new journal this year. My kids no longer groan when asked to record a small portion of their busy lives. I have a new generation to introduce to journaling too. This new journal will have stories from my children's children as they learn to write. For now, they just like to hear what their parents wrote so I always oblige and read it aloud. (Note to my kids: You know what they say about payback.)
Takeaway Truth
Journals, used wisely, are great ways to make memories. Try one this holiday season.
No comments:
Post a Comment