Sharing Christmas Memories

Christmas means different things to different people. We hustle about decorating the house. Some of the decorating is for us and some may be for the sake of the neighbors.

We bake all sorts of things which our hips and waist later regret, but they taste good at the time. We make gift lists and endeavor to purchase the perfect gift for each individual. My personal favorite is becoming a child again and purchasing toys for my grand children. I remember a trip to F.A.O. Schwartz in New York. It was like being in Santa’s workshop.

The giant slipper slide from the upper level to the lower level presented so much more fun than an escalator or elevator for adults and children. Holidays are magic. Restore the child in yourself. Play, laugh, love and live. Take a deep breath from all of the hustle and obligations of the holidays; take time to enjoy the moment. Refresh that inner child who laughs and plays “let’s pretend.” Pretend you are happy, carefree and uninhibited again. Set the example for your family and yourself that life truly is fun. Laugh, just to be laughing; you will find it infectious.

Ever remember your own childhood as you shop for toys for the kids? How many dads have purchased a train set for their kids and secretly enjoyed playing with it themselves? Kids give us a chance to be a kid again even for a few minutes. Mothers, play dress up with your little girls. Bake cookies with them; don’t worry about the mess, they are only little once.

We throw off the cloak of being professional and proper and get down on our hands and knees on a plastic sheet with finger paints. Mothers put a dab of frosting on a plastic placemat on the kitchen counter and let your toddler draw pictures with it. A steady diet of sugar probably isn’t ideal but a finger dipped in chocolate frosting truly delights a child.

We build snowmen and get in snowball pretend fights – we never really aim to hit them. Well at least that’s my excuse – poor aim.  Lay down in the snow with the kids and make snow angels.

Christmas gifts or Hanukah gifts arrive in many shapes, sizes and value. The memories you create with your kids now will not only last them a lifetime but they will become your personal treasures as well. Just as you look back on these memories, you will also remember their handmade gifts to you.

How many of you still have an ornament or even a piece of pottery made by one of your children? Even though they were not a work of art, they are treasured as some of our most prized gifts. I just decorated my tree with treasured ornaments from the nursery school and elementary school days of my sons. My sons are grown with sons of their own and I still smile every time I gaze upon those treasured gifts. Those gifts made me so happy. I kept all of their little notes and cards too. It is amazing what a little note can mean.

The little “I love you Mommy” or “I miss you Gamma” notes are 24 karat gold to me. I have saved every note from the boys. Sometimes the letters were not perfectly formed yet or the words were not spelled correctly. What cares? Love notes from a child are what make life a true joy. The most precious memories of all are love shared openly and honestly. Never pass up an opportunity to tell a child you love them. Collect those precious notes.

Some gifts you plan and some just appear for you at the perfect time. You never know when your note to them or theirs to you presents the spark of encouragement so needed at that moment.

What are some of your favorite holiday memories?

Wishing you a fabulous holiday season and a life of treasured memories.

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