A Great Heartfelt Cost-Free Gift Idea for Christmas or Any Occasion

A few years ago for Christmas I received a gift that I will never forget. The gift clearly didn't cost much of anything IF anything at all money wise. To anybody else looking at this gift from the outside it probably didn't look more valuable than around five dollars or so. The contents of this gift, however, was so full of love and meaning that I have always kept it with me and probably always will. After receiving this gift I also started giving gifts of the same sort to people in my life who I love. The majority of people who receive it usually love it because it truly comes from the heart. There is absolutely no way to fake this kind of gift. The gift is a Memory Box.

The person I received it from was my mother. At first glance it appeared to be a medium gift box with a ribbon on top. Typical of any package for the most part. This one however was cloth instead of wrapping paper. Once the lid was removed I saw hundreds of tiny little pieces of paper. I grabbed one and it said, 'I remember the first time you grabbed for my hand and your hand was so tiny it only fit around one of my fingers. I have loved you always my daughter and this moment was one of many that melted my heart.' I never dreamed that one tiny little piece of paper would mean so much to me. Honestly, I cannot tell you one other gift I received that year. I am in no way belittling anyone else's gifts by any means, I'm just saying that for most of us, gifts from the heart regardless of cost, affect us in different ways. Just to know that someone cared enough about me to sit down and make the effort to create a gift just for me that was personal for both us, made me feel loved. For anyone who I have chosen to also create a memory box for they have responded in much the same way. This is such a simple and cost-free gift that truly anyone can do. The most important quality needed from you when creating one of these is your time. That's it!

Here are the few simple steps to create your own memory box for your loved one:

• STEP ONE: Pick out your box or boxes depending on how many you think you might like to try and create. This part can be as simple or as complicated as you feel like making it. Also, base it upon the recipient's taste or personality if possible. For instance, if you are making this for your husband or boyfriend you probably aren't going to want to use a box with crazy floral designs or anything that might be considered more 'girly'. You can choose plain white small-medium sized stand up gift boxes and decorate the box yourself. You can draw artsy things on the box or use stickers or whatever floats your boat. Also, with the plain box you can get a thin fabric based on whatever style you choose and glue it onto the box and lid separately. Doing that makes it look really adorable and all the more unique. It's completely up to you.
• STEP TWO: Now that you have your box ready to go chances are you already have in mind who the recipient of the memory box will be, so now it's time to start deciding what kind of memory box you really want to give. By that I mean, do you want it to be a heartfelt gift to a spouse or child, or do you want it to be more light and easy-going for maybe someone like a co-worker? The way I do this part is I get scratch paper, whatever I have laying around and just start jotting down random notes/memories anything I can about the particular person. Anything and everything that reminds of that particular person. As I start to make lists and basically brainstorm around that person more and more memories will start coming to mind. Things I may have even forgotten about. This is a great way to get every great experience you have with that person down on paper so you can include them in the box.
• STEP THREE: Now that you have finished the brainstorming it's time to start getting the actual memories placed in the box. At this point you pick your paper. This can range from simple notebook paper to cut up strips of colorful construction paper. This can be any kind of paper you want to use. I like colorful and bright so I tend to go with construction paper or brightly colored computer paper because it is thinner and easier to write on. Before you cut up the paper have the memory already written down just so you can make sure you cut the paper with enough width and length. Depending on who the box is going to I end up with slips of papers/memories ranging from 25-200. Obviously the better you know the person the more memories you are going to have with them. It may seem overwhelming to have that many but it goes much faster than you may think. There is no need to write down super long paragraphs on a single strip of paper. Keep it as short as possible while still relaying the complete memory and making it known that it meant something to you.
• STEP FOUR: At this point your memory box should be complete, at least the hard stuff. You have your box prepared and you have all the memories written, cut in strips, and placed in the box. This last step is up to you, but I always include a tiny little hand written note attached to the ribbon or bow or whatever you end up with on the lid. Just saying something simple letting the person know, that to me, they have made a difference in my world. If you want to include it but don't want anything as mushy as that it can even say something as simple as to: from: etc. Then give your loved one the memory box! Four or really three simple steps, since this fourth one is somewhat optional, to making a gift that will really touch someone's heart.

This also makes a great gift idea for children to participate in. Kids love to feel included and a gift like this is something perfect for any child to create for a family member. It makes them feel special and trust me, it will make you or whoever your child gives the gift to feel pretty amazing as well when they read the memories included.

ABOVE ALL... include heart. As I previously said I will cherish this gift for the rest of my life. Just knowing that my existence has affected someone for the better is a wonderful feeling. If you choose a gift like this to share with your family and friends I can promise you they will remember it and it really can make a difference in somebody else's life. I know that when I'm having a particularly hard or awful day it can improve my mood to pick out a random piece of paper and look at the memory that meant so much to the giver of that gift.