Souvenirs…those little tokens to remind us of where we have been <3

Summer means summer vacations and as I was musing about some we have taken over the years. One of the common factors of traveling is the desire to capture the essence of the area visited and bring some small tokens back with you. 

Proof of this is the proliferation of gifts shops anywhere a potential tourist is going to show up. 

When we were in Maine, these buoys hang in yards and outside businesses. There was a strong pull to purchase one as a Christmas ornament or a small bauble to sit on a shelf somewhere. 

We have bowls of shells and small bottles of sand from a variety of beaches we have visited over the years. I even have a pair of shell earrings I just had to have as a teenager visiting Florida with my parents one year. 

Coasters, jewelry, a kitchen towel…all are ways to capture the feel we had on a trip and bring it home. Often when we get home, the item that seemed so perfect where we have been seems out of place in where we live. 

I read of a great idea once but too late to implement in our home and family. 

Purchase a large decorative glass jar with a lid. Lids are important as they keep the insides dust free. When you return from a vacation, drop a few little reminders in. Maybe a ticket to a game or show you attended, a small keep sake from the area, some coins if you traveled internationally. 

Actually, maybe it isn’t too late for us…what are your thoughts for those souvenirs you may have gathered over the years?