Scrolling through Instagram the other day, I noticed a friend’s photo of a photo of a jar filled with slips of paper. She and her family had spent the month of November writing down things to be thankful for, and then took turns pulling out slips of paper and talking about them together on Thanksgiving.
Since I was already feeling like Thanksgiving went by too quickly for our family, without much of a chance to reflect, and inspired by my friend’s simple idea to add some meaning to the typically busy holiday season, I decided to grab the kids and do something similar. The result is our first ever Memory Jar (beta version, of course).
The idea is that every Wednesday for the next couple of weeks — and in between, if the inspiration strikes — we’ll jot down a memory from the past 11 months (happy or sad, both are important) on a slip of paper and drop it in a glass jar. Some afternoon or evening between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, we’ll sit down and take turns pulling slip of paper out of the jar and talking over what we’ve done over the past year.
The resulting “memory jar” craft project is described below. Since this an off-the-cuff project we whipped up last night, I’m not sure how it will turn out, though I’m hoping it helps us take just a few hours to get together and think back on the ups and downs of 2014.
Here’s how we made our memory jar:
- Some wrapping paper (holiday themed, if you’re into that)
- Some ribbon (again, holiday themed is possible though not required)
- A basket (or similar container)
- Scissors
- A jar
- Something to write with (pen or marker recommended)
- Friends and/or family to contribute
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Step 1 Grab some different rolls of holiday wrapping paper and cut off 1’x1′ square pieces. Then, fold the pieces in half 3-4 times until it’s folded into a 3″ square. Then, unfold the piece back again, and you’ll have some nice creases to cut on. |
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Step 2 Using the creases as guides, cut the larger squares of paper into smaller squares. Then, fold the smaller squares in half (with the paper design on the outside) and crease them to make sure they lay flat. As you finish them, put them in a circle in the bottom of your basket. Leave room in the middle of the basket for the jar. |
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Step 3 Grab some ribbon (green and red, if available) and tie them to the top of a clear jar. Place the jar into the middle of the basket. |
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Step 4 Set a particular day of the week (“Every Wednesday”) or just invite friends/family members to jot down memories any time. When you’ve written a memory, fold it back up so it’s hidden and place it into the jar. |
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Step 5 When the slips of paper are gone, or on a set date (we’re going with New Year’s Eve), take turns removing a slip of paper and reading it. Then spend a few minutes talking over the memory before passing the jar along to the next person to take the next slip of paper. Bonus points for having a phone or laptop on hand — when a slip of paper is pulled from the memory jar, find photos or videos of the event to add to the conversation. |