Creating the BEST Memories

Recently, I read a short post about creating memories.

I was reminded of this when my grandson’s sixth birthday was approaching, and I called to ask him what kind of present he would like.

“Just get him a gift card Mom.”, my son replied. He was, of course, trying to make it easy.

“Stu, I don’t give gift cards. There is no memory attached to them, no fun, no emotion, and once it’s spent, it disappears in everyone’s mind.

He referred me to his wife, who came up with a brilliant idea of a scavenger hunt done with walkie-talkies- perfect!

I became oppositional to gift cards when I remarried, and my entire husband’s family gave gift cards. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it was an exchange of money only – no laughter, no memories, no fun.

I was determined to try something different.

The following year I invited them to dinner at a little restaurant in South Philly called Franco and Luigi’s (francoluigis.com). The waiters and waitresses in this restaurant are all students from the Academy of Vocal Arts, and they sing famous arias every so often during a meal there. The music is live, which makes it even more special.

We started with drinks at the top of the Bellvue Hotel. It was snowing lightly, and the tiny lights in the trees down Broad Street made the entire scene look magical.

We then took a cab (pre-Uber) to the restaurant.

South Philadelphia is something to behold during the holidays. There are lights of every color everywhere. They drape from one side of a street to another. It gives such a feeling of celebration.

We took the grandkids who had never experienced opera. We didn’t expect them to fall in love with it – just the experience, and they loved it.

The food was great, we laughed, and we succeeded in creating a great memory. I still smile when I think of that night.

We started a tradition that went on for several years and loved it every time.

It got me thinking about how a little bit of extra attention could make such a difference.

Part of the joy of the whole thing was thinking about how to make it as wonderful as possible, how to amaze, create laughter, and show our love in a very concrete way.

What if we practiced something like that every day?

I am guessing that we might be dwelling on what could go right rather than complaining about everything wrong. It might lift us in such a way that we wanted more of that.

Encouragement, no doubt, takes some work. It takes careful attention, observation, and a willingness to go beyond what is status quo. The gifts of it are so far beyond what you might expect that you might want to give it a try. Don’t limit it to family. Include others whose day you want to make joyful.

When you do this, take a minute and notice how you feel. I’m guessing you’ll want more.