I’ve idolized my grandmother for about as long as my memory serves. She has taught me how to load a mean dishwasher, place crisp sheets on a bed just right, organize a household, cook, etc. There was one Christmas, however, that she has stood out in my memories. It was the Christmas my Grandma patiently taught me to make crafts. Grandma does some serious senior scrapbooking, but her crafting is legendary.

Traveling over the river and through the woods accurately describes going to my Grandma’s house this particular year. I was 9 years old and Christmas held every promise in the world for me. After 10 hours in the car with 3 other siblings, I was ready to get out and enjoy the wintry scene laid before me at my Grandparents house.

As I entered the house, the smell of cookies and bread met my nose. Nothing beats the aroma of homemade goods…especially Grandma’s. The dining room table is what caught my eye though that day. Set up for us kids were ruby red, emerald green and crystal beads. Grandma explained that she wanted to teach us how to make Christmas ornaments for the tree. Any time with Grandma was deeply “treasured” time, and I desperately wanted to get started.

For hours Grandma sat with me and my siblings and helped us thread beads onto our wire. We made candy canes, stars, bells, etc. Every single ornament was uniquely designed by our own hand. When we finally finished our task, we placed the ornaments on the Christmas tree and hit the lights. I still can picture those little ornaments to this day. The colored light that burst through the beads was nothing short of magical.

We didn’t have many material possessions that Christmas, but it didn’t matter. We had a Grandma who cared enough to spend quality time with us. As I sit with my own two sons now and reflect on that winter day so long ago, I can’t help but want to try a little harder. Taking time for crafting with kids, teaching them to use their hands and imaginations is invaluable. Showing them how to invent and create different crafts and projects will help in their development.  Life has seemed to speed up a bit and it’s hard to get away from those every day distractions that face us. For me, it’s time to get back to the basics. It’s time to give my kids their own memories to smile fondly upon in years to come.