My daughter would kill me if she knew these stories were on the web.

Prior to going away to school, I explained to my daughter, “I’ll pay for your college, but you’ll have to earn your spending money each summer.” That would come to about $1,500. The summer before she was to leave was fast slipping away and she had earned no money. “Lauren,” I said with wisdom in my voice, “you will be leaving for school shortly and have raised no spending money, you need to get started.” Exasperated she replied, “Dad I’ve got our senior party this weekend, my friends are getting together before we split up next week and I rush for sorority in two weeks.” “I know sweetie, but the fact still remains you have earned no spending money.” To which she sorrowfully whined, “Dad, all I know is that I’m doing all that I can.”

While off at school, my daughter called me on her way to the mall. Suddenly, I heard the tires screech , Lauren scream and then silence; I frantically called Lauren, Lauren, but no answer. After what seemed an eternity, I heard her say, “Dad I just ran into the back of the guy in front of me.” “Are you all right I asked? Make sure you call the police.” “Dad, it’s all right,” she said, sounding a little frustrated, “It was not my fault.” “Yes Lauren,” I said with a little frustration of my own, “anytime you hit someone from behind it’s your fault, call the police.” “No dad it was not my fault,” she said argued, “ It was his fault, he was driving too close in front of me.”

At college my daughter worked at the Banana Republic clothing store. While visiting her one afternoon and on our way to eat, she mentioned that Banana Republic was opening another store across from her school. “That’s three stores in a close area,” I said, “Isn’t that to many?” “No,” she said rather philosophically, “the others are in outside malls, this one is to be in a covered mall.” “What does that have to do with anything?” I asked. Impatiently she replied, ”Haven’t you ever heard the saying, “Save Your Money For A Rainey Day?” “What?” I asked. “Dad, Save Your Money For A Rainey Day, so you can shop in doors, Duh!”

How to make family time memories your child's greatest treasure.

Remember that special holiday memory, that Christmas back in 1981 when your grandmother took your sister and you to visit relatives back in the mountains. Their simple but loving ways made an impression on you that has affected your life for good. Or, how about the time you visited your Dad on board his navy ship for Christmas dinner. You’ll never forget it as long as you live. Sometimes when you're feeling a wee bit blue you can drag up one of those special memories and before you know it your imagination has you planning something just as unique and memorable with your family for the next holiday. The most important thing we have on earth is our relationships. Things don’t bring happiness, ask Hollywood, relationships bring happiness. Nurture them and life will be full filling, neglect them and you will regret it. Start now panning your next holiday memory and share it here for everyone else to enjoy.

MEMORY IDEA 1 • RUDOLPH’S RIDDLE
May I share our last Christmas and how we made a memory that will give warm thoughts for years to come? My wife and I invited our daughter and her family over to spend the night and celebrate Christmas the next morning. They had no idea that I had purchased small gifts that represented how I thought of each of them. For example I chose colorful wool leg warmers for my daughter and other gifts for my son n law and wife. I wrapped each in the same size box with identical paper and ribbons to help disguise their content. Next I created a riddle consisting of three clues to the gifts contents. A few rules applied to this game. 1. You had to guess the content exactly. You could not say socks you had to identify them as wool leg warmers. The clues provided for this. 2. No one could open their gift until everyone had solved their riddle and guessed their gift. 3. You could not help each other in solving the content until you first solved your own. Whoever solved their riddle first could then help the remaining ones to solve theirs. This took about an hour for everyone to discover his or her gift and helped us all to savor the moment, sealing the memory. Everyone must stay in their pajamas until the game is complete. Too often gifts are opened too quickly leaving us feeling a little empty. Everyone had a great time dong this and talked about it later.

MEMORY IDEA 2 • BLITZEN BINGO
We all met at my sister’s house Christmas afternoon. Each family was instructed to bring 2 wrapped gifts totaling not more than $30. The cost of the gift is not important. Prior to this each family had been trying to buy each of the other family members a gift. This became expensive and dreadful. Memory Idea #2 is another way to savor the time of gift giving and make a memory for later heart warming discussions. My niece had purchased an inexpensive bingo game. Each person got a bingo card and the first one to bingo got his or her choice of one wrapped gift. That person then became the bingo announcer. We played bingo until all the gifts were distributed which took about an hour. We loved it.

MEMORY IDEA 3 • SANTA SCRABBLE
This idea is perhaps the easiest of all three to prepare. Its basis is a guessing game. The difficulty of guessing the gift inside will depend on how many names you attach to the gift. For example, you can call the gift wool leg warmers, or leg warmers, or socks. Take whatever name you may give the gift and write it out in separate letters then place the mixed up letters inside a small envelope and attach to the gift. Always, the first person to solve their gift’s name can then help the others solve their names. Three names give the game just enough difficulty to be fun. If you have young children involved simply use one name.

HOLIDAYS
January 1 New Year's Day
January 21 Martin Luther King Jr. Day 
February 2 Groundhog Day
February 3 Super Bowl Sunday 
February 6 Ash Wednesday 
February 14 Valentine's Day
February 18 Presidents Day 
March 16 Palm Sunday 
March 17 St. Patrick's Day
March 21 Good Friday 
March 23 Easter Sunday 
March 24 Easter Monday 
April 1 April Fool's Day
April 20 First day of Passover 
April 21 Patriot's Day
April 22 Earth Day
April 27 Last Day of Passover 
May 5 Cinco De Mayo 
May 11 Mother's Day (2nd Sunday of May)
May 26 Memorial Day (last Monday of May, traditionally May 30)
June 14 Flag Day
June 15 Father's Day (3rd Sunday of June)
June 20 Summer Solstice (based on sun)
July 4 Independence Day
September 1 Labor Day (first Monday of September)
October 9 Yom Kippur (Jewish, moveable, 9 days after first day of Rosh Hashanah), Leif Erikson Day
October 13 Columbus Day (2nd Monday of October, traditionally Oct. 12)
October 14 First day of Sukkot (Jewish; moveable, 14 days after Rosh Hashanaah)
October 20 Last Day of Sukkot (Jewish)
October 22 Simchat Torah (Jewish; moveable, 22 days after Rosh Hashanah)
October 30 Mischief Night
October 31 Halloween
November 1 All Saints Day
November 4 Election Day (Tuesday after the first Monday of November)
November 11 Veterans Day
November 27 Thanksgiving (4th Thursday of November)
November 28 Black Friday (Friday after Thanksgiving Day)
December 7 Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
December 21 Winter Solstice (based on sun)
December 22 First day of Hannukkah (moveable, based on Jewish calendar)
December 24 Christmas Eve 
December 25 Christmas Day 
December 26 First day of Kwanzaa (Kwanzaa is celebrated until January 1, 2009)
December 29 Last day of Hannukkah ( moveable, based on Jewish Calendar)
December 31 New Year's Eve

It is always more enjoyable to give than to receive and I will always remember this past Christmas. Hopefully, the giving of gifts will cause you to think of our wonderful gift Jesus Christ who loves you and I so much he gave his own life that we might have life more abundantly.

I have chosen Christmas to write about, but your memory making holiday could be any of the many holidays we celebrate. Please write me and tell me of your :Holiday Memory maker idea and I will post it for others to read.