What is a Keepsake Box?
A keepsake box, sometimes called a memory box, is a place to store things that remind you of a special person, a special time, a special event, in your life. There are birthday keepsake boxes, wedding and anniversary keepsake boxes, keepsake boxes for graduations and baby keepsake boxes to remember the birth of children and grandchildren.
The word ‘keepsake’ originally comes from ‘namesake’, and it is defined as “anything kept or given to be kept, for the sake of the giver”. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines keepsake as “something kept or given to be kept as a memento”.
All manner of things can be kept in a keepsake box. Most often, people put in photographs that document the special occasion or person. There can also be documents like birth and death certificates, cards to remember the day, small souvenirs of the day. Anything that helps to remember that special occasion or day is put into the keepsake box and kept for the sake of the person or thing that is remembered.
Why use a keepsake box?
Keepsake boxes are how we keep memories alive. Memories of special people; loved ones, friends. Memories of special moments, events, occasions. Memories of times in our lives that meant something to us. By collecting mementos and items that remind you of those people and those times, we ensure that they will never be forgotten.
On a practical level, a keepsake box is where your collection of items and mementos can be held, in one place, without fear of losing bits and pieces. It functions as an album of sorts, a holder of everything that reminds you of that special time, place or person. On any given day, it is easy to open the box and look through all the items and remember.
Oftentimes, notes can be added to the keepsake box, captions to photographs, to remind you of the special day or person. In this way, you are documenting history and personalising the memory for the future.
What types of keepsake boxes can you use?
Keepsake boxes can be purchased or made. These boxes can be any shape and size and they are made of a variety of materials. Keepsake boxes are very special to each person and so the choice of which type of keepsake box is an extremely personal one. Really any type of container can be used as a keepsake box depending on the size, shape and type of keepsake box you want.
There are three popular types of keepsake boxes:
1. Wooden keepsake boxes
Popular because they are durable and resilient. Wooden keepsake boxes come in all shapes and sizes and they stand the test of time. They can also be locked.
2. Glass keepsake boxes
More popular for the storage of small, intimate items of remembrance; jewellery, baby teeth, the first lock of cut hair, are the kinds of things one might use a glass keepsake box for.
3. Personalised keepsake boxes
These are the most popular. This is because you can make the box reflect the memory that it is protecting. Even when people purchase a keepsake box, there is always the option to personalise the box through the use of images, stickers and labels. This makes the box more special and makes the memory being preserved more personal.
What can a keepsake box be used for?
Keepsake boxes are used to mark and remember any special event in our lives. People create baby keepsake boxes and baptism keepsake boxes for births and christenings, wedding keepsake boxes to memorialise wedding days and honeymoons, in memory keepsake boxes to remember loved ones who have passed away and even baby tooth keepsake box to remember all those tooth fairy visits.
Keepsake boxes can also be given as gifts. It is common for parents to keep a keepsake box to pass to their children later in life. Wedding keepsake boxes could be gifted to parents and other family members and baptism keepsake boxes could be kept for each child to own later.
Where can you get a keepsake box from?
Keepsake boxes can be purchased from Etsy and Amazon, as well as large department stores. Oftentimes, people buy plain boxes from stationery stores and personalise them for their particular use. Keepsake boxes come in all shapes and sizes, all colours and made from a variety of materials. Some people make their own boxes using wood or cardboard.
How to choose a Keepsake box
Choosing a keepsake box is very personal. The choice of which keepsake box will depend on the nature of the event, person, occasion being remembered and the volume of items and mementos to be stored in the keepsake box. You also want the keepsake box to be durable and stand the test of time. If you move around a lot, you will want a keepsake box that is strong and unbreakable. You may want one with a lock.
My keepsake box for my two little boys had to be big enough to fit all the cards and pictures and flowers and hand and feet prints, and also the white woollen blanket. Everything in one place. I bought a big box and I painted it my favourite colour, covered it with flowers and hearts. I open their keepsake box often and take a quiet walk down memory lane, remembering them and remembering our time together. That keepsake box is so special to me. All the things that remind me of them together in one place, kept for the sake of the giver.