Do you ever wonder what to do with all those things you can’t bear to part with but have no place to put? Those tokens of good times—Chicago Cubs ticket, napkin from a wedding, blue ribbon from the county fair, newspaper articles, macaroni necklaces made just for you by your nephew, masterpieces created by your daughter—aaah, the list goes on and on. We all have these treasures; these treasures are what life is made of—memories. Now, what to do with these treasures . . .

As we enter the new millennium looking to the future, we need to take time to reflect on our lives—relive pleasant times and put unpleasant events to rest. An easy and enjoyable project is to create a memory jar. All you need is a container of some sort. The prettiest ones are fruit jars, the older the better. The size of the jar depends on the memories you intend to put in it. The contents will depend upon your purpose. They may be thematic or you may just want to save a hodge podge of things. For example, the keepsakes from your trip to the ocean might include a pebble, a shell, sand, a piece of driftwood, and a photo. Your high school senior’s memory jar might include a senior picture, graduation announcement, grade card, prom invitation, and the list could go on and on. Your car buff husband’s memory jar might include hot wheels, Grandpa’s tools, keys, etc.

A variation of this idea is to create a time capsule; for example, collect tokens of the year 2000 such as the state quarters, presidential campaign materials, newspaper articles, stamps, current photos, anything that represents the time period. Select a container with a lid, cover with fabric, and fill with time capsule memorabilia. These time capsules are wonderful baby and wedding gifts as well as a great way to preserve history.