Do you remember the holidays when you were a child? The family, the food, the gifts? I remember having a favorite ornament that I always wanted to hang on our Christmas tree, as a child. It was a ceramic bell that was white with flowers on it. I would find the perfect spot that was safe for this special ornament. I also remember I loved to make it ring.

Today, as an adult, with two teenage boys, my favorite ornaments are the hand made ornaments they made in school.  Some are just ornaments made out of construction paper with yarn to hang them, others are made out of clay and there are a few that are glass ornaments covered with glitter! I cherish all these ornaments and smile every year as I pull them out of the box and then glance over at my little boys who are not little anymore!

Many of our fondest memories are the simple ones. The times we did something that seemed inconsequential at the time, but now fill us with warmth and fondness. I remember one year, due to finances, my family had a very simple Christmas with a couple of little gifts.  The four of us spent the day together watching Christmas movies.  My boys have talked about that Christmas since and expressed they enjoyed just being together and having a relaxing Christmas Day.

Each year, for the holidays and throughout the year, we need to take time to spend with our family. One year when the boys were young we made ornaments for our extended family members. We bought glass ornamental balls and my boys put different colors of paint in them and shook them up. They turned out so pretty that I told the boys to each make one for our tree also. These ornaments still look as good as they did many years ago!

Getting kids to help make cookies to deliver to the neighbors is always a fun activity. The actual decorating of the cookies is exciting for them and delivering the cookies to the neighbors teaches them to think about others. Another idea is to look for a family or a child to adopt for Christmas. Take your child with you when you shop for the family/child. It’s good to adopt a child within the same age bracket as your own; this way you can engage your child and ask them, “what do you think they would like?” It involves them and usually they know more than you what that child would like!

Of all the things you remember this holiday season and into the year ahead, remember to make small moments with your family. They will most likely be short and fleeting, but they will be the significant memories you and your family share as you pass through the years.