Each year, I strive to add something new and special to our family holiday celebration. Whether it’s as simple as a new cookie recipe, a planned excursion to a community Christmas tree lighting, or inviting a guest to our celebration, I find that something special and most usually, goofy, happens during these new “events” – like the time my sisters and I had a friendly competition over who could make the best cranberry jello mold, and none of the jello’s set. (Note: everyone still sampled each one and voted despite the cooking disaster! I can’t say that mine won.) Or, the trip to see the magnificent Holiday Lights at the Botanical Garden and the keepsake tree seedling – which the dog of course decided to visit and call his own. Of course, these are the funny, special moments that end up at the forefront of my family’s Christmas memories, and always in my journal.
And so, amidst the busyness and celebration of the Christmas spirit, we offer you our gift of creative ways to journal during the holidays.
Five, Simple, Creative Ways to Journal During the Holidays
1.Write a memory of the holidays when you were a child. Are there traditions that you still honor today?
2.Take time to document your milestones during the year. Pull out your 2011 goals/resolutions and make a timeline of special events and life markers.
3.Take some of the more beautiful cards that you receive and incorporate them into your journal. Who sent the card, and why is it memorable? Does the design of a specific card/letter speak to you? Write about it in your journal.
4.Write about someone who will not be with you this holiday season. What memories do you still enjoy? How has that person had an influence on your life this year?
5.Take your journal out under the stars at night and write about the intangible gifts you have received this year. I love to write and listen to “Silent Night” and Handel’s Messiah, while curled up in a warm blanket, looking out at a starry night.
May the gifts of simplicity, abundance and peace be with you and your family.
Debi Wacker is a Journal Coach and co-owner of Write to Health http://www.writetohealth.com/, a creative writing adventure dedicated to helping people discover the healing benefits of journal writing. Write to Health's journal circles explore and celebrate health through writing about spirituality, addiction recovery, cancer survivorship, life transition, grief process and life legacy. Write to Health's online journal writing courses teach a variety of techniques including letter writing, clustering and lists. Inspirational blank journals and guided meditations complement the writing programs and help clients begin a writing practice in the comfort of their own homes. Debi is also co-author and publisher of The Sacred Purse, a collaborative book of women's poetry and essays, and continues work on her first novel. She is president of LightSource Marketing, a marketing and business development consulting firm with offices in Virginia Beach and Washington D.C. Debi specializes in strategic and market planning, program design and development, and copywriting. Debi recently returned to the college campus as a part-time professor. Reach her at debi@writetohealth.com.