When I think about my childhood, the memories that immediately come to mind are: riding bikes with my sister, playing outside until it got dark, sledding, being excited to buy gummy bears at the mall with the dollar I earned from cleaning the house, seeing the movie Friday The 13th for the first time and being afraid to sleep, skating competitions, skating outside with my sisters under the Sun Valley stars, watching fireworks with my family, playing barbies for hours, opening a present from my sister, her crying, me having to give her the present back...
These are the experiences I remember and smile about. My memories aren’t filled with the “things” from my childhood because when it comes to the things, my mind is a little foggy. I do remember getting a coloring book that only needed a paintbrush and water to make the colors miraculously appear. I loved that book. I remember getting a beautiful doll one Christmas. Her name is Savannah—my nieces now play with her. My point is, the memories of my experiences flood back faster than the memories of the "things."
Have you ever seen The Story of Stuff? It’s a fast-paced, interesting video that teaches us where the stuff we buy in stores comes from and where it eventually ends up—so it explains exactly what is involved with making a product from extraction to production to distribution to consumption to disposal. It’s a little over 20-minutes long, but it’s such an important video that will get you thinking about what you buy and bring into your home.
The reason why I am thinking about this is because of the approaching holiday season. Think of some of the things we’ll all be buying for our kids. In the past, I have been totally guilty of buying the toy of the moment. I’m not saying I don’t buy toys for my boys, of course, I buy them toys! But I'm trying to be more mindful by thinking about how, what, and how much I buy:
- This year I took Markus and Max to California for a hockey trip and gave them tickets to Disneyland instead of presents
- I also bought Max some new shin guards as he has grown three inches in the past two months
- I'm listening to Morgen when he says to give money to an orphanage in Mexico instead of buying him gifts
Now back to the quote above: Collect memories, not things. Beautiful! My boys and I have created countless memories so far through traditions and hockey vacations. Like seven years ago today, meaningful memories aren't something that can be forced, memory creating moments are unexpected, and usually, those end up being the best kind.
How about you? Have you seen The Story of Stuff? How do you decide what kind of things you buy for your children?
