Creating Christmas Memories & Family Keepsakes

Each year leading up to Christmas, I wonder how I’m gonna make it.

As a mother of five young children, I so want Christmas to be special for them. Even amidst the daily craziness of our life that doesn’t stop because we’ve twinkled the house, I want to make Christmas memories with them. I want to establish our own traditions and I want them to know that special kind of joy that only Christmas brings.

I always wonder how I’m gonna make it because I want to do it all. That’s crazy and unrealistic for any mother, but in today’s world, with so many ideas available with just the click of a mouse, I stare longingly at all that “could be” and I really want to do it ALL:

• Baking cookies.
• Crafts.
• Driving around looking at lights.
• Advent calendar.
• Holiday games.
• Christmas stories.
• The 25 Things You Must Do This Christmas

Well, I can’t. I can’t do it all. But, I can do some. And, the “some” become these precious memories that are forming our family traditions. As I’ve been pondering how to find balance during this special time of year — how to “make it” through this season and into the New Year with joy in my heart, there are two things I really want:

1. I want to remember them. I want to remember my children:

Their faces.

Their joy.

Their tiny little fingers hanging ornaments on our tree.

I want to make Christmas memories and remember how Christmas looked to them. I see it on their faces, but in an instant, we’re in the New Year and another Christmas has passed. I want to remember them.

2. I want them to remember Jesus. Our Rescuer was born that day, and if they carry only one thing with them as we head into winter and away from the twinkly lights, I want them to know Jesus.

That Jesus loves them so much that He came to save them.

That we sing because of Him.

That He is the reason we celebrate.

Last year, I began using The Christmas Bible Doodle Book with my children. This book begins with The Christmas Story from the Gospels of Luke and Matthew. The remainder of the book is full of activities that help children sketch, color, or draw how they see and remember Christmas.

There are dot-to-dots, Scripture fill-in-the-blanks, and step-by-step instructions on how to draw Christmas symbols like angels, poinsettias, and wreaths. But my favorite pages help them capture their Christmas memories in the specific ways our family celebrates the holidays. These open-ended pages with sweet drawing prompts are a great place for them to record their Christmas memories.

We take The Christmas Bible Doodle Book with us throughout the Christmas season – to restaurants, family gatherings, and on long road trips. And, throughout the season, they are capturing our Christmas memories, family traditions, and the joy that we share as a family.

This book has become our Christmas memories book – a way for me to remember how my children saw Christmas when they were little. A way for me to remember them.

And, a way for them to remember the most important gift of all: Jesus.

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Your Turn

How do you capture your favorite Christmas memories — photos, journals, or in keepsake boxes? Leave your ideas in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!