Interesting Christmas gift idea!!!

anewbecboo
on 12/9/08 6:23 am - Ellensburg, WA

I subscribe to a email thing called Everyday Cheapskate and this was in yesterday's email. Thought it was a unique idea for a Christmas gift or any gift for that matter! So, I'm sharing it with my great OH family!!! here's the link to the idea that has some possible questions to use... http://www.cheapskatemonthly.com//mary_webdesk.asp?ID=39322

Journal in a Jar

Strictly speaking you can make a gift from anything you can stuff into a glass canning jar. Embelli**** with fabric, ribbon or raffia, add a tag that gives the recipient specific instructions on what to do with it and you’ve just made a Jar Gift.

In the past we’ve made Cookies in a Jar (the ingredients are layered to resemble sand art), Mixes in a Jar, Cakes in a Jar, Fragrance in a Jar, Light in a Jar, Spring in a Jar, Sewing Kit in a Jar and Lemons in a Jar (see CM, July 1998, 1999 and 2000). I was sure we’d exhausted the topic. Then I heard from Janet Ward about something new: Journal in a Jar.

A bit more complex than previous jar gifts, Journal in a Jar requires the traditional jar plus a gift pack. The idea is to give a person everything they need to write the story of his or her life including appropriate and specific questions and prompts like: Why was your name chosen for you? What was happening in the world when you were born? What was your favorite hiding place as a child? What is your favorite hiding place as an adult? What is your personal secret to happiness?
You can include as many questions or prompts as you like, even 365 to make it easy for your recipient to simply pull out one at random each day and write about it.

At first I found this to be a terrific gift idea for a parent or grandparent. But then it dawned on me this could be adapted for any age, even a child just learning to read, write and draw ...

Draw a picture of your favorite pet or animal.
Draw a picture of your favorite thing to do in the summertime. Draw a picture of your favorite place to go.
Draw a picture of your favorite thing to do with Grandma or Grandpa.

For an older child or teen the prompts could be more like ...

Tell about your favorite pet–-what kind of animal is it?
When did you get him/her?
Tell about your hardest day at school.
What is your favorite band? Why do you like them?
What’s your favorite thing to do in the summertime?
Tell about a trip your family took that you particularly enjoyed.
Where did you go?
What did you see?
What embarrassed you on that trip?

Of course every Jar Gift needs a recipe or instruction card tied to it. Here’s an idea:

Recipe for Your Life History
Combine a generous slice of your life history, a dash of nostalgia, several cups of facts and feelings and [the number you come up with] deliciously interesting questions. Draw one slip of paper. Take a few minutes to enjoy the memories. Paste or write the question at the top of a blank page. Fill in your answer. Don’t worry about your handwriting or spelling—-just tell your story.

The purpose of this gift is to help you preserve a written account of your life. Enjoy the homemade memories that celebrate something very important ... you!

Include with this gift jar a nice blank book or writing paper, an appropriate binder and a nice pen. Include everything required to get started. If your recipient is computer savvy, include an appropriate binder that will fit computer-printed pages.

This is an idea that can be adapted in so many ways. The more you can personalize it, the better. Adapt your questions and prompts to the specific recipient so the result will be more detailed and the answers more complete and specific.

Make it fun by including questions you know will make the person laugh because the answers are so hilarious.

To help you get going I have posted hundreds of questions/prompts for all age groups—-as young as 5 and as old as 105, below. You can copy and paste them to your word processing program or write them long hand. Add your own unique questions. Print, cut apart and drop them into the jar.

Journal in a Jar is not a gift you can make on Christmas Eve. You need to get started now.

While you’re at it, make one for yourself. It will become a legacy for your children.

Surgery was RNY 5/21/07...I can be found on Facebook: anewbecboo or Becky Reddick

Kim K.
on 12/9/08 10:22 am

RNY on 10/01/07

I love it!!!

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose"

Jim Elliot

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Interesting Christmas gift idea!!!

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Interesting Christmas gift idea!!!