Hostess Journal : A Lovely Keepsake To Cherish
This weekend my family is having their Christmas get together. Although we aren’t an overly large family (about sixteen of us when all assembled at my mother’s house), it isn’t often that we are all able to get together at the same time, usually no more than two or three times a year. With many of you having company over for the holidays, I thought this would be a perfect time to bring you a little information on starting a hostess journal, which is sure to be cherished by you and your family for generations to come.
I have always wanted to do this but only just now did. I simply purchased a journal, lined or plain, it makes no difference.
My journal is for Bountiful, our new home.
Whenever we have company over (What a gift it is to be able to entertain friends and family!), I write the date at the top of the page, the names of our guests, what we served, and any special memories or a little summary of the gathering.
My first entry was for our impromtu Christmas party.
(I really do have horrendous handwriting but I know my children will be glad I wrote this in my own hand one of these days. They may also wonder why I didn’t go into medicine…)
The second entry was when my Mother, Father, and Grandmama came over with my nephew and niece for dinner.
Their anniversary was coming up and so we gave them a gift and I wrote down what it was in addition to the other information.
That time,. I had everyone sign the book. Katy especially enjoyed this.
We took some special photos, so I placed them in an envelope and tucked them inside.
Of course, this would be a lovely idea for a scrapbooker to expand on but I prefer to go with the lesser pressure option right now, you can always go back and scrapbook later.
My niece, Elle is just a few months old, so I traced her wiggly hand on the page. 🙂
I know I’m going to cherish this and it is such a simple idea.
What a wonderful keepsake to pass down to my kids, too!
Special thanks to my dear friend, Maralee McKee, for taking time to talk with me yesterday about the wonders of keeping a Hostess Journal. I just knew she’d be a wealth of information and she has been keeping one for about fourteen years now. I’ve heard of other ideas where folks kept a special table cloth and had each guest sign it in permanent ink. I love that idea but the journal is something I can pick up and flip through, remembering what I served to people and drawing ideas for future guests.
Just a simple, lovely idea I thought I’d bring you in time to make your Christmas entries. This would make a lovely hostess gift as well.
Merry Christmas. Take time to draw joy from the simple things!
Gratefully,
Christy 🙂
Grandmama, Katy Rose, Mama, and niece, Elle.
Joy is not in things; it is in us.
-Richard Wagner. Submitted by Sara. Submit your quote here.
Linda,
I will pray that the Lord gives you and your family strength and comfort in your time of need.
Bless you and yours.
My many thoughts and prayers are with you and your family!
Dear Linda,
I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I know how hard it can be because we lost my nephew to SIDS (crib death) when he was 6 months old. It just didn’t seem right that we had so little time with him. However, it was comforting to know that he was somewhere that he was loved and cared for in the highest manner. It may take some time to come to terms with it but know that you are in my prayers. May God grant you the strength to get through each and every day during this very sad time.
Betts in MI
Dear Linda,
I am so sorry that your family has suffered such a loss. I cannot fathom the pain and sorrow you all must feel, but you are in my prayers today, that you will draw strength from God and will realize that you will see that precious baby again, someday. God Bless and keep you all.
Barb in Az.
Linda, I know this is a sad day for your family. I can say that I
do understand as I buried my husband on the 23 rd of Dec. several
years back and it was the saddest thing ever for me and our young
children. You and your family will be in my prayers. May God bless
all of you.
Betty L. in Tn.
Oh, Linda, I am so sorry for your and your family’s loss. There is nothing more devastating than losing a child…I know, because I lost my son when he was 26 years old and not a day goes by that I don’t think of him. It is every parent’s worst nightmare to lose a child. There is no pain, grief or loss like it. I will pray for you and your family during this difficult time. Just know that the Lord is with you, He understands your pain and loss and He loves you. There are two Biblically-based resources I would like to direct you to: A book called Through a Season of Grief by Bill Dunn and Kathy Leonard (I carried it around with me for over a year after my son’s death); the other resource is Caleb Ministries, a website and support group for those who have lost a child. It was founded by a young woman at my former church in Charlotte, NC (I now live in Florida.) You and your family need prayers, love and support right now. Just know you and your family will be in my prayers. May you feel God’s abounding love now and through the coming year.
Linda,
I am so sorry for your loss. Please know that you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.