So we are almost out of – what will hopefully be – the last lockdown in the UK and I thought, why not do something together as a family to record this time. Life will all too quickly return to normal once we have a handle on the disease and how to live with it, and memories will fade. So, why not look at making a Time Capsule of 2021 to capture for prosperity what has truly been a strange and exceptional time.
But what do you actually put in a Time Capsule?
Time capsules are really just a reminder of the past. Think of them as a memory box. A mix of all the good and the bad things which, when you open it in years to come, will help you remember just how both amazing and hard the pandemic has been.
Remember the year
Something to date and remember the particular year is great, a newspaper or an internet printout showing headlines of recent news. Even a television guide. That way when you come to open it you will know immediately when you buried it and what was happening around that time. I would opt for a newspaper from April the 12th when most business are allowed to reopen, Samphire Photography included. Or maybe even look at one from the 21st June when we should all be back to some sort of normal! Hurrah!
A rainbow
So many communities came together to clap for deserving people such as the NHS throughout the pandemic. Why not pop in a rainbow to remind us how great we can be when we pull together to help each other.
The items we became dependant on…
When you are making a time capsule for 2021 think about those items which we all came to depend upon during COVID-19 restrictions. A takeaway menu leaflet, a packing slip from Amazon, Netflix subscriptions, Zoom meets. You can even print of a list of these to include to make it easier.
The items we ran out of…
Maybe include some of the items we were all struggling to get hold of at the beginning of the pandemic. Toilet rolls, flour, pasta, rice….the list could go on! I think I would personally pop in some loo roll for sure, the rest of the items I can cope without or work around, but my children must actually eat loo rolls as they seem to disappear as fast as I put them in the bathroom!
A mask
It goes without saying that a mask just has to be included! Who would have thought that after years of watching people in countries in the Far East wearing masks as part of their normal day, as a way to combat illness and smog, we would suddenly all be wearing masks like we had done it our whole lives. What at first seemed a little odd – to be seeing friends and family in masks – soon became the norm. Although, I must admit, I still struggle to identify some of the mums at the school gates in the morning, when I can only see their eyes!
Love them or hate them, face coverings have definitely been one of the most important items during the pandemic.
Remember it with a picture
This last year has meant that social media has become even more important as a means of communication with loved ones. Especially if, like me, your loved ones don’t live close by. So many people have been documenting what their family has been up to over the year. Include some of those lovely images in the Time Capsule. Photographs, above all else, are the best window to your memories.
It’s all about the activities
Life at home can lead to many more sedate activities in lieu of childhood clubs. Home baking, crafts such as painting, learning new skills. Why not pop one of your or your children’s creations into the Time Capsule. For our family it was painting, by the bucketload, closely followed by baking and lino cutting. We even tried out hand at macramé! So I think I can spare a good few (hundred) paintings to pop in there!
Leave something of yourselves
Why not get each family member to pop in something which is really personal to them? This will be a great talking point for when you open it up again in the years ahead. Then finish the box with a picture of all your hand prints, your surnames and the year.
Where to put it all
Now that you have your Time Capsule items you will need to find a container to pop them in. Consider where you are going to store your capsule when selecting a box or tin. If you are going to bury the container in the garden it will need to be metal and waterproof to avoid any moisture getting in and damaging your precious memories. If you are going to keep in it a cupboard somewhere then a cardboard box (here is where all the Amazon orders packaging comes in handy) or a wooden one will be fine. Set yourself a date of when you wish to open it and then just forget about it until the time comes. Then you get to enjoy all those memories all over again, in what by then will be a COVID-free time.
Making a Time Capsule for 2021 by Samphire Photography
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