Cracking Christmas Memories

  • 60
Time
+ -

Benefits
  • Bring Joy
  • Find Calm
+ -

Participants
  • One to One or Group Activity

What you need

  1. Song sheets with Christmas carols or songs
  2. Mistletoe (real or artificial)
  3. Christmas poems
  4. A Christmas stocking (filled with things like walnuts, satsumas and socks)
  5. Christmas crackers
  6. Fake snow
  7. A poinsettia
  8. Sticks or jar of cinnamon and a jar of mixed spice
  9. Pine scent
  10. Mulled wine (non-alcoholic or alcoholic)
  11. Mince pies and chocolates (including some with soft centres)
  12. Christmas cards and pens
  13. Various Christmas decorations (tinsel, baubles, a fairy, a star and ribbons)

Intro

Christmas is a real feast for the senses – from the sweet smell of cinnamon, to the sounds of carol singers, the magical fairy lights, and the taste of mince pies. So what better way to spark conversation and trigger happy memories than with a Christmas sensory party?

It takes quite a lot of organising, but it’s totally worth it. Scale it up for between 4 and 8 people or simply do it as a one-on-one activity between family and friends.

You can adapt our sample session below or create your own. Just allow plenty of time to plan, so the session flows smoothly.

The Activity

  1. Start with an uplifting song like “Jingle Bells” that most people will know (but hand out song sheets or pin lyrics on the walls just in case!)
  2. Pass around a box of decorations and encourage everyone to feel the shapes and textures, and tell you how they’d decorate their home
  3. Do the same thing with pine needles (or a pine scent) and allow each person to enjoy the aroma and any memories it conjures up (sharing these memories if they’d like to)
  4. Read a nice festive poem, like “The Mistletoe by Walter De La Mare” and hand around mistletoe for people to feel while the poem is read
  5. Why not reminisce about Christmas dinner, encouraging everyone to share memories of what they used to cook and eat?
  6. Pull some crackers with each other, then don your paper hat and tell the daft jokes inside
  7. Time for a break? Wheel out the wonderful mulled wine and mince pies
  8. Pass around a stocking for everyone to guess what’s inside
  9. Encourage the group or person to share memories of their favourite presents
  10. Share the vibrant red poinsettia with each person, allowing them to feel the petals and leaves and admire the glorious colour
  11. Hand out some cinnamon or mixed spice, asking each person to share any memories that this scent evokes
  12. Who doesn’t love receiving a Christmas card? Share a few different designs with people and if they’d like to, help them write one for a loved one
  13. Pop your lovely fake snow in a bowl and pass it around, so everyone can feel how cold and soft it is
  14. Time for another poem? This time try “The Band of Carollers” by L.A. France
  15. Christmas caroling is such an evocative tradition! Ask everyone if they remember doing it and which songs they like the most
  16. Try singing the song “We wish you a Merry Christmas” and if everyone’s having fun, crack on with a few other festive tracks
  17. Finish your session the tasty way by passing around a tin of chocolates, then ask everyone to choose their favourite centre
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