UPDATE: Making these ornaments was perfect project for our kids! I asked them to think about their favorite memory with Nanny and to pick something that represented that story. It was a little hard at first for them to choose something, but once we got started the memories just kept coming. A green pompom for Nanny’s favorite color, a pink ribbon to remember she was a breast cancer survivor. Blue sequence to remind us of her love for fishing with her family!! A safety pin for her love of crafts and sewing. A rubberband because that was her “hack” for about anything that needed fixed. The kids talked about things Nanny did for them. . . . times they spent with her . . . how she spoiled them with bubble baths and vanilla ice cream. How she made them feel so special. They described her personality and wrote it on the ornament . . . loving, always kind, patient and gentle.
I bought a box of clear ornaments from Hobby Lobby. It was very simple to take the top off the ornament and fill it with memories! We used ribbon, pom poms, small sea shells (because Nanny loved to collect sea shells every time she went to Myrtle Beach) anything crafty and small enough to fit in to the opening of the ornament. Then we put the lid back on and wrote more on the outside with a Sharpie marker. This project has endless opportunities to make it very personalized. A person could write a small heart felt note to put inside. They could use paint, colored markers or stickers. One caution I want to give is to make sure you don’t put anything in the ornament that is pointy or has the potential to break the glass. This happened to one of ours so lesson learned. I hope this post gives you some inspiration to make the holidays meaningful and memorable. Memories are one way we pass our legacy onto the next generation. Take every opportunity to create memories with your kids and to share with them that life has meaning and worth!!
ORIGINAL POST: As Christmas approaches, a friend of mine was sharing the idea of making a memory ornament. I loved the idea and searched Pinterest for some ideas. If you are looking for a way to remember your loved ones there are lots of ideas floating around the Internet. I loved the idea of a special ornament filled with specific items that create memories of one we miss. At first I wanted to make them for my children as a gift, but the more I thought it through, I decided to let the kids make their own. So sometime during our Christmas celebration we are going to take a pause. We are going to take a special moment to remember Nanny by doing a special craft in honor of her!! We are going to pause and make our special memory ornaments. I am hopeful it will open up the door for conversation where we feel free to share about our favorite times with her that otherwise might be awkward to bring up and talk about. I will make sure to take lots of pictures and update this post. It helps me to look forward to our celebration time instead of dreading it because I know there will be a special time set aside to remember and to share!
