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OUR FAMILY: Tammy and Brad Farlow of Wabash, Ind., and our kids, Mary Elizabeth, 16; Anna Marie, 13; and Paul, 9
OUR TRADITION: All summer long we collect photos and souvenirs of our favorite activities. Then, on the day before school starts, we lay a big poster board on the dining room table and make a collage from them. We hang the posters in our den so we can revisit our fun summers all year long.
HOW WE GOT STARTED: Mary Elizabeth was in second grade and felt sad because summer was ending, so we decided to make a collage to cheer her up. The project is a great way for all of us to say goodbye to summer, since working on it often reminds us of funny stories -- such as the time the guinea pigs we were babysitting almost escaped! They're immortalized in a photo on the 2001 collage.
WHAT WE INCLUDE: Anything that's special to us: a photo from a family picnic, a brochure for camp, movie stubs, a postcard, a tag for a 4-H project, or twigs and pebbles from an outing at the park. Sometimes we add drawings or captions.
HOW WE CHOOSE: We collect the souvenirs in a drawer or envelope. When we're ready to make the collage, we spread them all out and each family member picks several items that mean the most to him or her.
MOST UNUSUAL KEEPSAKE: The girls' beloved string-and-bead "hair wraps." They got these during a vacation to Walt Disney World, and they wore them for weeks!
WHY SIMPLE IS SPECIAL: Not all the mementos reflect big vacations or events; some are from everyday moments that were meaningful to us. We've included a snapshot of the kids hanging out eating Popsicles, for example. It's great to see that the collages for the years when we didn't take a trip are just as full of fun.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
Tammy: The collages keep the memories alive.
Mary Elizabeth: We know we'll be together that last day before school, remembering how much fun we had.
Anna Marie: Sometimes I pass by the posters and think, wow, it's really neat that we did all this stuff.
Paul: Because I want summer to go on forever.
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