Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Christmas Dinner Conversations...and a crafty gift!

Dinner conversations can get a little out of hand at times.  I know there are many nights when I think to myself... how in the world did we get from "How was your Social Studies test?" to this....
During the holidays, we have more guests around our table than any other time of the year. We need for our conversations to be respectful and uplifting...but still entertaining.

A few years ago, a good friend gave me a little tin filled with questions. We put it on our table, where it stays every year throughout the holiday season. After the New Year, it gets packed up with the Christmas decorations until the next year.
Over the years, we have added more questions to the Conversation Jar. They range from questions like "How do you define JOY?" and "What is you favorite Christmas carol?" to "If you could invite a celebrity to be your dinner quest, who would you invite?"

Everyone looks forward to passing around the conversaton jar. Sometimes everyone answers the same question. Other times, each person answers a different question.
This year, I decided to make a Conversation Jar for our good friends. It turned out super cute. Next, I'm gonna make another one for us!
I used a mason jar, some vintage looking holiday scrapbook paper, modge podge and ribbon.  I typed the questions and printed them on the back of the paper.. Cut them out and folded them in half.... Stuffed them in the jar... Covered the lid with more scrapbook paper... sealed it with modge podge to make it look "finished" ...and added a ribbon, of course!

 

Here are some of the questions in our conversation jar....
What do you like to day dream about?
What makes you feel frustrated?
Tell about someone in your family with an unusual name.
Tell about a place that was special to you as a child.
If you could go back in time, what time period would you choose to visit?
Who was your favorite teacher or coach?
All expenses paid, where would you go on a free vacation?
Tell about your …or someone else’s most embarrassing moment.
Tell about a time when you couldn’t stop laughing.
Tell about your dream home.
Describe your life at age 70.
Tell about the “gang” who hung around with as a child.
If you had to spend $500,000 with nothing to show for it…what are 2 things you would do?
Tell about your best friend in elementary school.
If you won a 3 minute shopping spree at Wal-Mart, what would your buggy have it in at the finish line?  (you must keep the stuff. No re-selling allowed!)
If you were graduating from High School this spring, what  career path would you choose?
How do you define JOY?
If you could have 75% off 1 item in Target for the rest of your life, What item would you choose?
What 3 items would you put in a time capsule to be opened in the year 2125?
Tell about an answered prayer.
What do you think about when you can’t fall asleep?
What kind of store would you like to own and operate?
What cartoon would you like to be a character in?
If you were invisible, where would you go?
What is something you always wanted, but never got?
If you could choose one person as your dinner guest, who would it be?
What do you need more of right now? (not time or money)
What 2 words describe you today?
What is your favorite time of the day?
What is something that you…that seems to some people to be a waste of time? 
If you could spend $100 on the person sitting to your right, what would you buy for them?
What is your favorite Christmas ornament?
What is one of your favorite Christmas traditions?
What is one of your favorite things to eat at Christmas?
Tell about a favorite Christmas present from a previous year!(given or received)


Here's hoping your dinner conversations are cheerful and entertaining too!

 

8 comments:

  1. A great idea Jen. We bought something like this a long time ago but the questions weren't very good. I like the idea of making your own. This might be a new tradition for us. Have a great holiday.
    Dana

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  2. I think this is a great idea, especially for the older kids who don't really want to interact with their families. Very cute too.

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  3. What a great gift idea! We have a Christmas question book that we leave sitting out in December and tend to get to it on Christmas Eve. LOVE the idea of asking the questions at the dinner table!
    If I don't get to comment before Sunday, I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!

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  4. I love this idea, and the fact that you made one as a gift as well. What a fun and meaningful tradition to have in your family. I want to make one of these as well. Merry Christmas!

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  5. wow, jen, this idea is FABULOUS!!! we have very dear friends with whom we rotate x'mas dinner on the 23rd each year and they would LOVE something like this ... I may even steal some of your questions for it, too ... I have 48 hours left ... tick tock!! So glad I hopped over, I'm getting straight to work!! Merry Christmas!!

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  6. love this!!! and i'm so going to do this!!!

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  7. What a cute idea, I love this. I'm going to do this with my family on a regular basis. We end up playing the same game at dinner time every night. It's fun, but starting to get old. We do the movie game. Someone is the judge and picks a movie and then the rest of us come up with what we think is the best line from the movie. The judge picks the winner and then that person picks the next movie. I don't know how that started, but we've been doing it for years.

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  8. Jennifer,

    I LOVE this idea! I was catching up on your blog and when I read this, I thought "what a wonderful thing to do with the kids". I am definitely gonna try this with my family!

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