The Year in Review – Our Family Memory Book

Happy New Year! May God richly bless each of you in this upcoming year. In this blog I’d like to share the special way our family marks the end of one year and the beginning of a new one. 

One of my favorite family traditions is our annual ‘year in review’ discussion. During the Christmas holidays we set aside time to sit down as a family and recap the past year. I make a tray of snacks and bring out our family notebook. As we reminisce over the past year I write down the specific memories important to each family member. It is a great bonding experience – we laugh, celebrate achievements, and sometimes even cry as we remember people, places, and events from the year gone by.

After we have rehashed and recorded these memorable moments, we turn our attention to the upcoming year. Each of us compiles a list of things we’d like to learn, do, and accomplish. When these goals are complete, each person keeps their own list in a safe but visible place with an additional copy added to the notebook for future reference. Some time is spent looking over our past lists to evaluate our accomplishments and growth.

Lastly, we complete a ‘favorites’ list. Over the years these lists have evolved to accommodate the kids’ growth and maturity, but each list usually includes items such as favorite food, color, animal, book, movie, and so on. Even hubby and I participate; and though many of our answers remain consistent (my favorite color has been yellow for as long as I can remember), a few surprise us – who would have ever guessed I’d ever favor cats over dogs!

On the ‘favorites’ page is a place for the kids to print and sign their names and if they choose draw a picture of themselves. When reviewing past journal entries they get a kick out of seeing the changes in their artwork and handwriting.

My family and I have been making our ‘favorites’ list for several years now. Below is a book version of it which I made available on Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases made using the link below.

Our Family Journal: A Five-Year Memory Book, Volume 2 (for 2-6 family members)

This memory book can, of course be utilized at any time of year. Homeschooling families may wish to engage in this activity at the beginning or end of the school year instead. If this interests you, click here to see the download I created specifically for homeschool memories. 

Another year-end tradition I’d like to share isn’t one my family participates in, but I thought some of you might appreciate. As a scrapbooker, each year I create a two-page spread of national news and notable world events – births, deaths, wars, natural disasters, political happenings, and more. I include these pages at the end of my annual scrapbook, as a nice ‘summary’ of the year. (though I must confess I am a few years behind – better add ‘finish scrapbooks‘ to my goals for the year!)

I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse into one of our family’s year-end traditions. Does your family have any New Year traditions? Please share them in the comments below.