Waxing nostalgic about the years gone by is a simple pleasure for adults.

Often it’s not until looking back on those cramped family road trips and long afternoons spent constructing a fortress out of sticks that we realize how lucky we are to have such memories.

Share a few and discover how many of your best childhood memories made the list.


 

10. Glorious candy

Remember the marvels of opening your very own box of candy? All of those colors and shapes! Regardless of which decade you grew up in, the candy of your youth is the best candy ever. Unlike other remembrances, this is one you can relive. Visiting nostalgic and retro candy shops is like stepping into a dream. Order a box of your old favorites for wedding treats of party favors for a little taste of then right now.


9. Story time

It’s hard to think of favorite children’s books without including Judy Blume, Anne of Green Gables, The Hardy Boys or classics like The Secret Garden and Little Women on the endless list. Kids’ books have and will always help to shape young minds and hearts.


8. Home Alone

How good were those precious hours between school and dinner time, before the parents came home from work? When feasting on empty calories – a handful of chips and a few cookies – was all the fuel you needed for a productive afternoon of jumping on the bed and roller skating around the living room. Good times.


7. Helping

Whether it was going along to the hardware store or weeding and mulching the garden, helping out always brought that “Look what I can do” satisfaction. Remember when learning to do “real” things like raking the leaves or planting a row of seeds was a thrill? Today child-size tools and educational games aim to give children that same taste of independence.


6. Living the magic

Stories didn’t end just because the book or cartoon did. Entire afternoons were well spent jumping off the swings like a pirate or flying around the backyard in fairy wings because playing and pretending was the name of the game for any young imagination. You could create a whole saga around a doll house or sail the world in a boat made of cushions and blankets.


5. First scare

Some of the best childhood memories were also the most intense and sometimes scary. This may be the first time you were allowed ride an upside down roller coaster, visit a haunted house or stay up late to watch a horror movie. Hopefully that first scare made you laugh a little and feel quite brave after.


4. Crafty days

A handy box of craft supplies turned rainy days into explosions of creativity. From macaroni decorated boxes to milk carton cartoon reels, no item in the kitchen was safe from idle hands. Then there was the thrill of presenting your creation and claiming center stage on the fridge or mantle.


3. Exploring the world

How about when tireless curiosity made you want to explore the world? You may recall the first time you looked into a telescope and recognized a constellation of spotted a meteor flying through the sky on a clear night. Or maybe it was opening that first science kit, scanning the dirt for metal treasures, or collecting strange plant specimens along the river that sparked a lifelong love of science.

2. Visiting family

From long drives to your grandparents’ house to holiday parties with traditional foods that felt like they were a part of who you are, family deserves a starring role on the roundup of best childhood memories. We form new traditions as we age, but the warmth of those past festive gatherings never fades.

1. One you can smell

They say that smell is the strongest of our senses. It also conjures the most vivid memories. For a real trip to the past, go sniff an evergreen tree to re-visit past holidays or bake your grandma’s famous ginger snaps. An open fire will bring back camping trips or winter nights watching dad throw on another log.


by Catalogs.com Info Guru Aurora LaJambre