Christmas Memories Made Simple and Sentimental

It’s that time of the year when every bite of food, television show, or song on the radio invokes memories from the past. After all, that’s what’s promoted this time of the year – MEMORIES... 

Simple Memories of Christmas Past: 

As a child I recall sitting around an oak table cutting out sugar cookies at my grandmother’s house. I was accompanied by my brothers and all my cousins. We’d eat more dough than we’d cut. The table would be coated with flour, sugar sprinkles of red and green, and cinnamon candies scattered everywhere. I remember setting aside which Christmas ornaments were mine to decorate the tree, and helping my mom set up our miniature nativity scene – angel hair and all! To this day I cannot eat a sugar cookie or set up our miniature nativity without thinking of those childhood memories. These are the simple, and very sentimental, memories of my Christmas past.

Simple Memories of Christmas Present: 

As you might have guessed, we attempt to make sugar cookies every year. Some years they are made by scratch just as my grandmother made them, and other years we buy the pre-made dough. Kaitlyn sets out the miniature nativity scene, and Joshua lays out the ornaments just as I did. The kids pick out their favorite ornaments, and they love hanging their own Baby’s First Christmas. Kaitlyn climbs on the house with her dad to hang the lights, while Joshua helps me string lights on the tree. On Christmas Eve we read Twas The Night Before Christmas, and on Christmas morning we read the story of Christ’s birth, and pray together before the gifts are opened. These are the simple, and very sentimental, memories of our Christmas present, which will become their Christmas past.

Simple Memories of Christmas Future: 

They are yet to be told. They will be written by my children and my grandchildren. It’s funny how every year, at least once or twice, I feel like I failed to create the fondness I remember about this holiday. Yet, every Christmas season it’s the simple and sentimental things my children can’t wait to do over and over again — regardless of their ages.

Memories of a Christmas K.I.S.S: 

The memory I’m focusing on this year is a Christmas K.I.S.S – Keep It Simple and Sentimental. As women we put so much pressure on ourselves to hand make, home bake, and beautifully create memories during this time of the year. When it’s the simple things we remember from our Christmas pasts, and it’s the simple things our children will remember, too.

This is Kaitlyn’s last Christmas as a Kinder, and between wedding planning and preparing her to move to Colorado, the simple and sentimental all seem so much more important than a packed schedule of Christmas shopping, holiday parties, and completing that overwhelming holiday to-do list.

Friend, choose what lasts. If your Insta-stories and Pinterest boards lay on the pressure to create a Christmas your life just doesn’t have margin for, dump that guilt! Do what you can, and let the rest go! Your family’s Christmas of 2016 will not be remembered by what you do, but by how you made those who mean the most to you feel. So do your family a favor and give them a Christmas K.I.S.S this year and keep it simple and sentimental!

Sending you warm Holiday wishes,

PS… What are some of your favorite simple yet sentimental holiday memories? Share them in the comments below for all of the readers can enjoy.

PSS… We’re have a LIVE online Holiday party for all those who have been a part of my blog and Remade’s online community. Please click here to join us on December 12 at 6:30 PST.