This holiday season include a special family tradition in your holiday scrapbook.  Plan ahead, and then take the pictures that you need to capture your special celebrations.  We’ve collected a few ideas that we hope will inspire you.

·         Favorite family recipes:  Include your favorite family recipe in a scrapbook layout along with pictures of the family making or eating this fun favorite.  Your favorite gingerbread men will still be a big hit generations from now if you take the time to preserve them in your memory book this year!

·         Special family traditions:  From sleigh rides to caroling, Christmas tree shopping to decking the halls, special family traditions are worth capturing for future generations.  Be sure to ask yourself the magic questions as you journal these pages - who, what, when, where, why and how!

·         The meaning of the season:  For most of us, the holiday season is full of spiritual meaning and symbolism.  Take the time to record the special feelings that each of your family members has this time of year.  What special ways do you celebrate the religious aspects of the holidays?  Include photos of your favorite nativity or creche, meaningful religious symbols in your home, and special pageants or programs.  Help each family member record the special meaning that these things have for them and include these thoughts in your scrapbook.

This issue’s project is a Memory Jar with a sweet twist!

YOUR MEMORIES ARE A TREASURE!

• Cut memory prompts into strips.  You can find memory prompts on many internet sites, or use our 52 ways to write a memory.
• Fold paper strips, then tuck under the bottom fold of miniature chocolate bars (we used assorted Nestle Treasures).
• 52 treasures fit neatly into a quart jar.  Decorate the jar as desired.

Memorial day has been celebrated since shortly after the Civil War.  It began as a day set aside to decorate the graves of soldiers who had lost their lives during that war.  It was celebrated at the end of May so that flowers would be plentiful.  After World War I all who had lost their lives in any American war were honored on that day.  In our family the day of remembrance and honor extends to all who have gone before us.

As a child, I remember walking with my grandparents through the cemeteries where my ancestors were buried.  It was so beautiful with all of the flowers, and the small flags that marked the graves of those who had died in the service of our country.  I remember listening as Grandma talked about the people whose graves we were decorating with fresh flowers.  I believe that this was one of my earliest introductions to family history.

A few years ago we visited my husband’s mother on Memorial Day weekend, and had the opportunity to visit the graves of his ancestors.  We cleaned the graves, trimmed back the encroaching grass, and were filled with love for all of the sacrifices that were made on our behalf.  Names and dates carved in stone meant so much more to us that day as we did something tangible to show our respect.

The next year we went camping as a family, but took the time to drive a short distance to a little Wyoming valley where many of my mother’s ancestors are laid to rest.  We were fortunate to arrive just as my Grandparents did, and they took my children around and showed them each of the family graves.  Grandpa showed us where his parents were buried, and then took us to a space where he would one day be buried.  He talked about how happy he would be to see all of his loved ones again someday, and be buried here among them.  How comforting his words were when only three months later we stood on that very ground to lay him to rest.  The impact on my children was touching.  They remembered his words, and walked around to some of the graves talking about how happy Grandpa was to see his mom again, and this special grandma that he had told them about, and that dear uncle over there, and especially his daddy who had died when he was only three.  Thanks to my grandfather these people were very real to my children, and they had a beautiful sense of peace about being with people who love us when we pass from this life.

Memorial day is a perfect time to teach our children about their family history.  It’s a wonderful time to teach them respect for those who have sacrificed for our freedom.  When my daughter kneels by the grave of my great-great grandmother, for whom she was named, I know that it is one way she’s able to tie the stories she’s heard to something real and physical.  She knows it’s not just a fairy-tale, and she has the opportunity to show her love in a special way.  I hope that one day my children will look back on this holiday and say to themselves as I do that this was when family history became part of them.

by Chris Kennard

I have the best mom.

No really. I’ve done research. 97% of the respondents to my questioning stated that I have the best mom.

Okay. They actually said “I have the best mom” - (I’ve been listening to NPR and learning the fine art of spin doctoring.)

I have a very vivid memory from my childhood. We were in a store and we were all picking out placemats with our names on them. My mom has a pretty unique name (being from Star Valley), and there were no Darlene placemats to be found. Having six kids in seven years, and all of us being in the store with her, she picked a nom de comer that she probably thought of as a joke - Eve. When I would ask her why, she would grin and tell me it was because she was the mother of all living.

Last year I was pregnant with our fourth baby. I have three boys, so I was thinking that I had to come up with the perfect girl name, since this might be my only chance to have a girl. I really wanted to name her after someone special, so she could grow up with a role model and a tie to her ancestors or the scriptures. I wanted to name her after my mom and Nate’s mom…and come to think of it, Nate’s new mom and my grandma and my grandma’s mom. Unfortunately, they all have different names - and try as I might, I couldn’t get Nate to agree to Darlene Nancy Suzanne Norma Ida. Nor could I make anything from the combination. Thinking of my mom and remembering the placemat, I joked to my husband that we could name her Eve, because she was the daughter of all living. Nate, being wise and all knowing (he took a poll on that, everyone agreed), liked the name. It grew on me, and we decided on Eve.

Elijah Adam was born about 5 months later. That’s not the point.

While I was pregnant and thought it was Eve, I remembered something that Sister Hinckley does for all of her granddaughters - she has a picture of them and their mom and her and her mom and her grandma - a visual reminder of the strong and wonderful lineage that they were part of. I wanted to do that for Eve.

When I think of my mom, grandma and great-grandma, I think of love, patience, kindness and a great sense of humor. I need to be reminded of those attributes every day, and have a visual reminder that it’s possible I might have inherited some of the patience I need. They made it through some trying times, and I can too. Best of all, each of them has an incredible sense of humor, and that’s definitely inherited (I’ve just got to find mine).

This mothers day, think of your moms. All of them. Take some time to record for posterity the attributes that made them special, and if you are as inspired by Sister Hinkley’s idea as I was take time to put together a visual reminder of your heritage of great mothers.

by Chris Kennard

Have I ever told you about my sister Elisse? She’s a can-do type of gal. If she wants something - watch out, she’ll get it. If she wants to do something, it’s as good as done. All she has to do is make up her mind - once she’s certain, hide and watch.

That was why we had a Nancy Valleau fashion show at our last family reunion. Elisse and I were going through her stuff in a storage shed when we ran across some classy clothes of Nancy’s, Elisse’s mom (Elisse is technically my sister-in-law). Most of these clothes were from Nancy’s teenage years, and almost all of them were made by Nancy. We pulled them out and laughed and pretended to model them when Elisse got the brilliant idea of taking them to the family reunion. She cleared it with Dad, enlisted the help of her very slender sisters (Nancy was about a size three), and we were off! We had the most fun fashion show ever. Getting to know Nancy through her clothes was amazing. Better yet was the fun I had with my sisters.

If you’re responsible for a family reunion activity this year, try to find some vintage clothing. Even if it isn’t theirs, see if you can match the style they would have worn. Kids love to play act - come up with some stories and appropriate clothing and let them act out your ancestors voyage to America, how Grandma and Grandpa met, treks in covered wagons, or other fun stories.

Elisse did a killer job modeling Nancy’s red-plaid bellbottom maternity fashions. Her can-do attitude is only surpassed by her moxy - I’m not sure anyone else would have gone that far!

Hats off to family reunions! Or would that be hats on?

Journaling in scrapbooks can be as simple as names and dates written below your pictures.  With a little bit of effort, however, your holiday scrapbook can become a treasure trove of family memories.

Before you put together your holiday pages this year, take a moment to really think about what the holidays mean to your family.  Make an outline for each holiday and then plan at least a few scrapbook pages including the following areas:

• PREPARATIONS - What does your family do to make this holiday special?  Do you prepare months in advance, or throw things together at the last minute?  How is each family member involved in the preparation and celebration of the holiday?  Who does the dishes, and who prepares the meals?  Who decorates?
• BELIEFS - Does the holiday hold any religious meaning for you?  Do any of your traditions express your beliefs?
• TRADITIONS - What are the favorite traditions associated with this holiday, and how did they start?  Do you make any special foods?  What makes your celebration different from others?  What makes the holiday fun (is it fun for everyone)?  Did you miss out on a tradition this year that your family usually enjoys, and why?
• TRIVIA - Are there any funny little quirks that don’t usually get included in your memoirs?  Does someone like their turkey dry, or does Grandma continue to make a huge pan of candied yams even though she is the only one that eats them?  Is there a feud that keeps things interesting at family celebrations?
• LEGACY - Imagine reading a holiday description written by your great grandmother.  What would you like to know about special days in her home?  Try to look at your own book with new eyes, and include a few of these things for future generations who will look to your scrapbook as a history of your family.
• CHILDREN - Involve the kids.  Take a few minutes to find out what each of your children likes best about the holiday.  If they are able to write, having their favorite holiday memories written in their own handwriting will be a priceless addition to your memory book.

The Family Times

Assign each child a family member and have them find out about that person.  Let them make up a “newspaper” with the articles that they write on each family member.  They can draw pictures to illustrate, or you can provide copies of pictures that the children can use (this is a great way to use up extra photographs).  To involve younger children, make reporting teams and let them work together with an older child.  Questions can range from “What’s your favorite color, food, etc.” to “What are you most thankful for?”

This activity is especially fun at large family gatherings where the children can work together with cousins.  A copy of the family newspaper could be made available to each family for their own memory books. 

The Timeline Game

Prepare family pictures or copies, and assign a number to each one.*  Have each member of the family put the pictures in order of when they happened by writing numbers in order on a piece of paper or timeline.  The person whose timeline is closest to the correct answer wins!!! 

*Ancestor pictures could be used for adults, or more recent pictures for younger children! 

Family History Halloween

One family that we know helps their children choose a costume from an interesting era, and then learns about a family member who lived then.  What a wonderful opportunity to help children relate to their ancestors!

by Barbara Williams

Each year we feel a need to reconnect with family and friends.  Many of the cards we receive include a newsletter to update us.  If you write a yearly newsletter, we recommend that you save a copy of it in your family history journal or scrapbook.  Here are five ideas that will make catching up with your family more fun and interesting!

• Make a crossword puzzle.  The clues can be an accomplishment, hobby or personality trait of each family member, and the answer is that person’s name.
• Make a Christmas quilt.  Use a line drawing, and let each person in the family include their own message in “their” space.  Click here for examples of line drawings that you may use, or create your own.
• Write your own Christmas poem.  One family member wrote a creative Christmas poem, with a two line stanza for each child in the family.  If you are poetically challenged, take a famous poem and change the words to fit your family!
• Write a letter of thanksgiving.  Let your newsletter focus on what the family is thankful for this year.  This is a perfect family project for the Thanksgiving holiday, and while you may not end up with a timeline of the year, the people reading your newsletter (now and in future generations) will have a chance to get to know each member of your family better. 
• Write your family newspaper. Use a newspaper format, and write like a journalist.  Include catchy headlines and illustrations.