Journal writing prompts are sometimes hard to come up with. So when I saw this contest sponsored by Target and Twitttermoms, I thought this could also be a journal writing prompt for just about any age student or child (or even adult!).

The contest goes like this. I must answer the question: “What Was the Most Surprising Gift I Ever Received?” and then do a couple other things like link to Twittermoms and Target and tweet about it and so on! I thought it sounded fun, and I immediately thought of this story about the most surprising gift I ever received!

When I first started dating my husband, who I met on Match.com, we went to see the movie Love Actually. That was our first “real” date, just the two of us, and I was very excited that he would take me to see this awesome chic flick. Right around Christmas time, our relationship was sailing along, and we were in the mall shopping. In a music store, I said, “Oh look, here’s the sound track for Love Actually. Remember when we went to see that?”

He pretended he didn’t. As a matter of fact, he acted like he had no idea what I was talking about and finally admitted, “Oh that movie. Yeah, it was all right.” I wanted to strangle him. When we got back to his apartment, he told me to shut my eyes, and he would be right back. So, I did, still fuming a little about his lack or memory.

When he came back, he put a wrapped gift in my hand, and I opened it. What was it? Well, to my surprise, it was the soundtrack CD to Love Actually with the ticket stub from when we went to see it tucked inside the case. I guess he did remember after all! And I remember that was the first time I told him that I loved him. Sappy, huh?

Okay, so if you use this journal writing prompt this holiday season, you probably and hopefully won’t get such a sappy response, but you might get some heartfelt journal entries from your students or your children. Sure, you’ll get the answer that their Wii was the best gift and biggest surprise from a few, but some answers might just surprise you. If you answer this question for yourself, you might just surprise yourself at your memories; and maybe the holiday rush will slow down for a few minutes as we reflect on some of the wonderful ways people in our lives have shown their love around the holiday season.

Other Journal Writing Prompts for the holidays:

1. What is your favorite tradition around the holidays? Who do you do this with?

2. Giving gifts is better than receiving gifts because. . .

3. If I could give a gift to anyone in the world it would be. . . because. . .

4. What are your plans and goals for the New Year?

5. When Joshua woke up Monday morning, he looked out his window, and it had snowed. WOW! It had really snowed, so he decided. . .

Here’s a book all ages can enjoy that can help you think of gift giving in a less consumerism-way:

Have fun!