Hey All! Can you believe another year is about to come to an end? In the blink of an eye, here we are ready to ring in a new year!
How has this past year been for you? For me, it’s been busy, but I have had a lot of fun along the way. Making strides towards some big goals I have set for myself. I’m starting to look towards my goals for 2024 and thought it would be fun to share one of our favorite family traditions to bring in the new year!
Creating Vision Boards! Before you count this activity out, imagine placing your goals and dreams out in front of you instead of keeping them locked up inside. The saying “putting the pen to paper” encourages a pause for thought and allows us think more deeply about life.
Let’s get excited about what 2024 has in store us!
What is Vision Boarding
Simply put vision boarding is manifesting your goals and aspirations in a visual way. But you may be wondering why is this important and why would I want to do this?!
Let me start by telling you why this has become a beloved family tradition. I’m a dreamer but I am proactive about turning my dreams into fruitful realities. A vision board allows me to take all my thoughts and dreams, lay them out in one place for me to create a focused vision.
Doing this as a family we get to create meaningful conversations about life for our family, encouraging out kids to think about their aspirations. It’s not only just about New Year Eve, but also about being able to utilize these conversations throughout the year. Achieving your goals and aspirations, take work, so put them out in front of you where they are more likely to become a reality.
MAke The Evening fun
New Year’s Eve is all about celebration and fun. Turn the whole evening into something that everyone will look forward to. We have kept this as a family only night, but other years the kids have invited friends.
Start out with a fancy or fun dinner. Make something you all will love or include multiple cuisines or DIY stations. Let the creativity flow through your feast. It doesn’t always have to make sense, last year we had quite the combination as we couldn’t agree. We ended up with crab and a build your own chili bar. Everyone got to have something a little different. However, I will say, the chili bar was a hit! We had everything from traditional chili to chili dogs, even Frito Pie.
After dinner we break out the board games! We spend the evening together playing games, laughing, and creating new memories. The days and years go by quickly, it’s time to make the most out of them.
Now it’s time for the fun to start! Get some festive decorations, party horns or hats. Feel festive! Grab your favorite champagne flutes and enjoy some bubbly for the adults! Pop that sparkling cider for the kids. It’s time to get to work!
Get Your Supplies
You can get your supplies at any local craft store, Amazon or even if you are starting last minute Walgreens has never let me down! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Foam Board – I like to use this rather than poster board so your vision board is studier and can later be displayed.
- Magazines – New or Old – use whatever you have!
- Markers/Pens – I like to have a variety. Thin, thick, all the colors, and black.
- Stickers/ Washi tape – Anything that can add some dimension, pattern, and fun to your board.
- Glue or Tape – Which ever you prefer to make everything come together. I personally like these double-sided tape dispensers. Less mess and easy to use!
Let your creativity flow, you don’t have to be limited to what I used above. Add whatever you desire to your board. Vision boards are about mixed media, bringing multiple things together. This is your creation after all, let it represent you!
My first year doing vision boards with the family, I wasn’t sure where to start with shopping for all the items one by one. If that’s you too, here is a great vision board kit. This offers prompt cards, quotes and pictures. Everything you need to get started.
Vision Board Process
Now that we gathered all our items, it’s time to let the creativity flow! Spend an hour creating your board. Cut out photos and items from magazines. Allow your aspirations to come alive before your eyes.
The process itself is a lot of fun. Our living room is filled with love and laughter, but we also have moments of focus and its pure enjoyment getting to see each other in a creative mindset. We like to keep the atmosphere going, whether there is chatter or silence, you know us, there will always be football on!
After the hour is up, it’s presentation time! We draw numbers for presentation order, everyone takes a turn. Listening to each other’s presentations is such a gift, you get a glimpse into what is important to your family. At the end of each presentation, we ask “how can we support you?”
This question is so powerful and important. We know that it takes work to make dreams and aspirations come to life. Asking each other this question, we get to be involved. There is no better feeling than to watch (but also support) your spouse and kids towards their goals. The fun doesn’t stop when you wake up January 1st, it’s just the beginning!
We’ve set the groundwork, having fun on New Years Eve, we then need to continue meaningful conversations with our kids, supporting them in ways they didn’t know they needed. We also get to lead by example, show our kids that even as adults, the dreaming doesn’t end. They get to then be on the sidelines rooting for us too.
Even if you don’t do a vision board this New Years Eve, I highly recommend doing it at some point with your family. Learn and grow together day by day!
Cheers to a New Year Friends! Sending you all the best wishes. I’ll see you back in 2024!
With Love,
AB
Leave a Reply