New Year Memory Jar

Are you looking for a new tradition to start this year? Last year was our first time trying out this tradition and we plan to do it every year from here on out!

Throughout the year, we write down our good memories on a slip of paper. We fold those papers up and put them inside our memory jar. On New Year’s Eve (or close to it), we pull out each slip of paper and relive all the good memories. We really enjoyed looking through all the memories, especially seeing the ones we had already forgotten about.

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own memory jar:

• A jar
• A ribbon
• Slips of paper
• Pen
• Ziploc Bag
• Marker

OK, it’s really simple. Find a jar you aren’t using or go buy one. I tied a yellow ribbon around mine to remind me to see the sunshine all year long. You can decorate it however you like or just leave it like it is. Set the jar somewhere you’ll see it. If you put it away in a closet, you’ll forget about it and never write down your memories! We keep ours next to our TV in our living room.

Cut up slips of paper — I like to use different colored paper to make the inside of the jar look neat by the end of the year. Set the slips of a paper and a pen next to the jar so its easy to write your memories down whenever you think of them.

Be sure to include memories such as:

• vacations
• funny or sweet things your children have said (so fun for remembering months later)
• inside jokes between you and your spouse (we wrote some of these down and they brought laughter when we pulled them out of the jar)
• date nights
• days of relaxation
• movie stubs (write on the back who you went with)
• days you were really productive
• times you accomplished your goals
• ticket stubs from concerts or other events
• when you got promoted
• when your spouse did something really nice for you (what a surprise for them to pull this out and read it months later!)

At the end of the year, if you want to keep all your memories, transfer them to a Ziploc bag and mark it with “2015 Memories.” Then you can easily reuse your jar for the next year.

Other ideas:

Prayer Jar — Write down short prayers on small slips of paper to put inside the jar throughout the year. At the end of the year, pull out all your prayers to see how God has worked. Some of them will have been answered and some can go back in a jar for the next year to continue to be prayed about.

Blessings Jar — Write down the things you are thankful for — one per day — no matter how big or small. At the end of the year, you’ll have 365 blessings to remember and thank God for. This is an especially good tradition if you tend to get the blues in the winter.