I found the following article, "One Couple's Christmas Ritual", in a magazine back in the fall of 1995. I cut it out, and decoupaged it to the inside of the lid of the gift box that I made, and I'll now describe the article below:

"For the past six years, my husband and I have turned an old tin box into a very special gift. Each Christmas one of us adds a treasure to the box -- something to commemorate a shared experience from the past year. Then we wrap the box and put it under the tree for the other to open.

Last year it was my husband's turn. Inside the box I found the paintbrush we had used to touch up the porch on our new home, with some white paint still in the bristles. On the handle, he had drawn a little picture of a house, with the year and 'I love you' written beside it.

Some items from the past years: a key to the '72 Volkswagon van we'd cruised the California coast in; a horse chestnut from the climbing tree next to my husband's parents' house; a vial of the perfume I wear that drives him crazy; the Groucho Marx glasses my husband wore to the costume party on the night we met...

After the box is opened each year, my husband puts on the glasses and I dab on some of the perfume. Then we go through the other little trinkets, laughing and reminiscing about our life together."

I couldn't resist putting together a similar box for Todd and my's first Christmas together. At the time, I was living in Philadelphia and he was living in Oklahoma, so it was something fun to keep my mind off being apart.

I found an unfinished wooden box with a lid, the size of a shoe box, at a local craft store. I stained the wood a light green, and lined the inside of the box with a multi-colored striped velvet fabric (red, green, and gold). I took a gold decorative ribbon and lined the seams. On the outside of the lid, I attached wooden letters that I painted red and green. They spelled out "Pollmans, est. 1996". For a lid knob, I found a wooden sleigh, that I painted red with gold blades. I also found little decals that I decoupaged on. The decals read "Made With Love" (placed on the side), and "Handcrafted With Love By..." (placed on the bottom of the box). I also put our upcoming wedding date and the date I made the box on the inside of the lid, with the decoupaged article above.

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