Most new year’s eves you will find us down the coast, picnicking by the water and watching the 9pm Huskisson fireworks (usually with Cappers tucked safely in the car – she doesn’t do fireworks). It’s a really nice way for a family to spend new years.
Last year, I found myself wondering how I could make new year’s eve more memorable. Fireworks are great, but I wanted to add a reflective element to proceedings. This from the woman whose perfect new year’s eve has always been cleaning the house from top to bottom and opening a fresh ‘to do’ list notebook. I’m so rock and roll.
Anyway, I came across the idea of a ‘memory jar’. A jar on the kitchen bench, a stack of little notecards and a pen close by and each member of the family is encouraged to write down a special memory. And yeah, okay, mostly it’s been me writing down the memories since we cracked this open in January and the kids were pumping out a card an hour for the first two days before moving onto something else and never contributing again.
But they’ll be grateful that good ol’ mum kept the whole thing going. On new year’s eve we’ll open the jar and read out all of the cards as we flit around the foreshore eating our camembert and quince jam sandwiched between two Peckish plain crackers (serious taste sensation there).
What is that elephant doing to that giraffe?
I’m looking forward to the end of the year, I really am (!!!). And if you’re wondering why I didn’t share this post in January so you too could be making your own memory jar, well… let’s just call it the morphing of Maxabella loves into more little ‘how tos’ and tips and tricks. Before that… how to do parties, incoherent ramblings or nothing, right?
Go on, open a set a notecards, find an old jam jar and start your own sweet memory keeping today…
What does your family generally do on new year’s eve?
Catherine says
What a lovely idea! I think I even have a jar somewhere at home that would be perfect!
Vicki @ Boiled Eggs & Soldiers says
What a gorgeous idea. We were at a friends farm and watched the sun set behind the hills which was stunning and then roasted marshmallows before all the kids had a giant sleep over and the adults had the midnight feast!