‘Tis the season to unplug the mechanical lawn Santa, short-circuit the electric yuletide log in the fireplace, and return the carbon copy sweaters wrapped under the tree. If you’ve fallen into the trap of a cookie cutter Christmas, it’s time to go for something a little more personal. Here’s a list of ways to create new family memories and celebrate old ones:
- Display your favorite Christmas cards from Christmas past and present and tuck them around a wreath or a garland.
- Place laser copies of photos in flea market apothecary jars and display them in a collection on your mantle.
- Hang homemade stockings on your fireplace, monogram them or tie nametags on them. Why not laser copy everyone's baby picture and use them instead of a nametag on each stocking -- even mom's and dad's? And, don’t forget your four-legged friends who love you all year round. Make sure they have a stocking with goodies to sniff and play with Christmas morning.
- Monogram an inexpensive fleece blanket in a holiday color. You can buy iron-on monogram letters or go to your local sports shop where they monogram varsity jackets.
- Hang miniature silver picture frames with ribbons as ornaments for the tree.
- Create a special holiday photo album and scrapbook and leave it out for everyone to smile at.
- Display your favorite childhood Christmas books on a mantle or on top of a coffee table.
- Plant a seedling in honor of your first baby or grandchild and watch the tree grow along with your child each year. Plant the seedling in a silver mint julep cup and tie a red ribbon around it.
- Create a time capsule of your special family moments in a shadow box.
- Dust off your favorite holiday record albums and preserve them in record album cover frames from restorationhardware.com.
- Turn a picture frame and your favorite family photo into a butler's table for the holidays.
