Each year is a time of unprecedented changes, adjustments, and maybe even challenges, yet it is also one of growth, joy, and fostered relationships. What’s one of the best ways to look back at our best, strongest moments? With a memory jar, which is a New Year Eve tradition for many people and their family members, everyone gathers the eve before New Year’s at a home with sparkling grape juice for the kids, wine for the adults, warm goodies, festive attention and gear to ring in the new year. Then the family members pull gratitude and reminiscent notes out of a jar and read them, taking turns.
A quick note before we start: This makes a great gift in a jar for a special someone. Memory jar ideas for boyfriends and memory jar ideas for best friends can work just as well here because our friends are just as much our family.
Any of these decorative and crafting items can be found at your local craft store like Michael’s or Hobby Lobby, through online retailers like Amazon, or in crafting aisles of Walmart and the like. Some options might even be able to be found free online.
In order to make this memory jar a success for my family, it is important to make it easy to use. Hold the slips of paper, the printables for the memory notes in a drawstring pouch or simple envelope with a pen, placed beside the memory jar.
Nix the scrapbook and count your blessings of best memories by storing them in a jar with quotes or stories from over the year. You name it.
One day at a time beginning Dec. 1st, add a memory from the year by scribing it on the cardstock or paper notes and dropping them inside the jar. Then on Dec. 31st, after dinner has been had, pull out the jar and read away your most precious memories shared with your loved ones.
If you instead want to do this memory jar project all year long, that’s an option too! Starting on January 1 of the new year, place the memory jar in a central location in your home where all of your family members have easy access to it such as a kitchen countertop or the living room or front door entry hallway table.
Throughout the year, each day if you really want to challenge yourself, you can fill out a memory paper with something special that happened (big or small) and add it to the jar. Then, as a New Year’s Eve tradition, you can open the jar and read all of the memories from the year.
Create your DIY memory jar in the suggested fashion with the ideas provided above then add on a printable gift tag to the jar’s lid. The printable tag should include a brief description for your gift recipients on how to use the jar: “Nix the scrapbook and count your blessings for the year of best memories by storing them in this jar with quotes or stories, one memory a day at a time.”
That’s it!
Follow us on our IG, Facebook, and Twitter to share your own jar or what your most memorable moment, precious memories, happy memories of 2020 have been with the hashtag #30daysofmemories / #bestyearofmemories!