It doesn’t take much for a memory to imprint itself on a grandchild’s heart forever, and holidays provide optimum opportunity. Festive lighting and yuletide melodies saturate the season and intensify memory indelibility. A grandparent’s involvement, which feels novel and somewhat storybook, adds to the occasion.
As grandparents, we have a unique sliver of time to thoughtfully and purposefully forge beautiful memories.
In anticipation of my seven-year-old granddaughter’s visit, I considered her personality. She loves
all things glittery and crafty. So I gathered some local pinecones and sprayed them with peppermint (this naturally cleanses them and gives them a minty fresh aroma). I also ordered spray-on snow so it was ready when she arrived for our little adventure.
On a sunny day, we laid a plastic trash bag flat on the lawn and placed our ornament items on top. We were about to make beautiful snowy pinecone decorations for our Christmas tree. My granddaughter began spraying each cone with delight.
The “process itself” became part of the memory.
These wet cones needed drying time, so we hung them outside on nearby branches. We watched them sway and dance in the open air, which added to the anticipation. They looked whimsical. And as they glittered and glowed in the beaming sunlight, we could hardly wait to see them shimmer on our tree.
When morning arrived the following day, we raced outside to gather our snowy pinecones, which were now dry.
Each ornament was placed strategically on our Christmas tree at my granddaughter’s discretion. This was her time to express creativity. Allowing odd placement and bunching (without negative feedback) is important in shaping a good memory.
As adults, we can sometimes be stifling (even with good intentions). If it’s a matter of safety, that’s one thing, but building a memory with gentle guidance on harmless things goes a long way. I always ask myself what is more important–the memory or the presentation? Plus, when our grandchild moves to the next activity, we can discretely reposition a few clusters.
What a joy to nurture a lifelong memory. And now is the time when they are young. After all, their youth is only a sliver of time; here, for a moment, and then it’s gone.
What are some of your plans with your grands this Holiday season?
The Grand Times 