The Gift That Lasts
By Dale E. Lee
2021.10.13
Summary:
- My Box
- A Suggestion
- My Treasures
- Things to Collect
Detail:
- My Box
Once as I was growing up I was given a special gift. I’m not talking about a Christmas gift that came in a box. It was the box itself. (We all know that kids like gifts that come in boxes almost as much as the box they came in.) This was a special box, not because of its contents, but because of the things I could put in it after I received it.
The box was the size of an apple box and covered on the outside with a plastic liner that would normally have been used to line cupboards in the kitchen. Since it was not paper, but plastic-like, it has withstood the ravages of time and is still covering my box more than 50 years later.
But what was in the box? I don’t believe anything was inside the box, but I could have been wrong as it’s been so long. It was was a treasure box, not a toy box. What was and is so important about it is that my Parents gave it to me to collect my childhood treasures. But the treasures I have collected have been far more than just childhood treasures.
- A Suggestion
I would like to encourage you give your children, brothers, sisters, or whoever else you want, a special gift during the holidays, a Gift that Lasts. A place they can put their treasures where they won’t be lost and forgotten.
To make the Gift that Lasts even more memorable, you may want to add a copy of a treasured picture or a trinket that would be memorable to them. Then include a letter explaining the purpose of the box, some memories you have of your relationship with them, and an encouragement to fill it with their life long treasures. It is a good idea to cover the outside of the box, so it looks special and won’t be thrown out.
- My Treasures
The following are some of the things I have collected in my box over time:
- Baby clothes. Yes I still have some my mother gave me.
- A picture album.
- Mementos from vacations.
- Boy Scout awards, clothing and patches.
- School, sport and music awards, trophies and projects.
- A book containing a poem I wrote and was published.
- A small place mat I wove as a child using a loom at school.
- Etc.
- Things to Collect
What you collect is up to you, but don’t limit yourself to paperwork. Collect the things that are important to you, but small enough to fit in the box without taking up too much space. Think of things your children or extended family might be interested to find out about you and which you can share when you meet.
The following are some suggestions, in addition to those above.
- Sports patches, awards, and rings.
- Diplomas and certifications.
- Hobbies, such as a book of stamps.
- Vital documents, such as Birth, Death and Marriage.
- Art you created as a child.
- Pictures of family and friends.
- A favorite toy as a child.
- A video of a family meeting, vacation, or reunion.
- A note to the future, much like what is put in a cap stone of a building.
- Etc.
Since a normal apple box is not very secure, you may want to put things that have high monetary value in a safe instead of your box. Your box should be for treasures that have high sentimental, but not monetary value.
You may also want to have a separate box for marriage and family items to keep them separate from your individual items.
Have fun. Let us know if you have success with your Gifts that Last. Drop us a line at service@seekerz.net or share it with others as a comment to this article.
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