Tag Archives: Christmas

Gift Idea #12 – Ancestral Greeting Card

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How about using an old family photo with your family by using it in a Christmas card. I’ve never been too good about sending out traditional holiday cards every year but I think that I’ll add an e-card to this years family directory and send it out for Christmas. I could also use it on the calendar I’m making to give to my family this year. It only seems fitting to use the image I have of Mary Taylor this year with all the things I’ve done to learn more about her. I think I’ll include a very short bio on the back of the card. I’ll post it here when I get it done over the next few days.

There are lots of resources both local and on the internet to help you put together a custom card featuring one of your ancestors. I find another blog post on Making an Ancestral Greeting Card here.

 

 

Gift Idea #11 – Family Cookbook

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What could be better than a cookbook full of all of your family‘s favorite recipes? This is another project that is on my to-do list for some future date.

A family cookbook could be a simple project such as a binder with just a few recipes to start or even a recipe box. These two ideas have the advantage the ability to start small and add to them in the future. The could even be started with the intention that when the collection of recipes is large enough to put them into a printed book.

On the other end of the scale would be a beautifully bound book with photos of the recipes and the stories behind these family favorites. Or do an enhanced ebook with videos about the recipes and their stories. Which ever direction you decide to take this project it is bound to bring up treasured memories and give new opportunities to make new memories all centered around families and good food.

Here are a few links for sites that can help you get a family cookbook put together.

Make a Family Cookbook

Cookbook Software

G&R Publishing

Heritage Cookbook

Family Cookbook Binders

Family Cookbooks

 

 

 

 

Gift Idea #10 – Family Time Capsule

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I think putting together a time capsule for your family would be a fun gift. I want to do one for my 50th birthday and I’m planning to do it at the end of the year. I was amazed at how much information there is on the internet on how to do a time capsule. Some are very simple and doable and some are very extensive and serious in making sure everything is well-preserved. So this project is very adaptable to you and your families needs and desires. This could easily become a yearly family tradition. What you put in the time capsule is up to you. It could be things from today or things that connect you and your family to the past.

Creating a Family Time Capsule

How to Make a Family Time Capsule

Making a Family Time Capsule

Family Time Caspule

Setting up a Time Capsule

 

 

 

Gift Idea #9 – Write a Song

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If you have the desire and/or the talent writing a song about your family or an ancestor would be a powerful gift to give your loved ones. Music is so amazing in its ability to tell a story, share emotions and connect people. I love music but I’ve never tried to write a song. I hope that one day I will be inspired to take on a project like that.

Below are two videos about a woman who, after searching and finding her great grandmother Emma, is inspired to write a beautiful song about her experience. The first video is only about 5 minutes long and the second one, an episode of BYUtv’s The Generations Project, follows her in more detail on her journey. It ends with her singing the song she wrote to honor Emma.

Searching for Emma

The Generations Project – Maile

Gift Idea #8 – Family Directory

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My family has had a directory for many years now. My mom was in charge of keeping it up to date until her eye sight got too bad, then my aunt took over. About a year ago the task was passed on to me. If your family doesn’t have an official directory it would be a great gift to put all the contact information for your family in one spot.

There are lots of ways to handle this. My mom and aunt used a word processor and periodically printed out copies to share. This works but it can be hard to keep the formatting consistent. I think a spread sheet might work better. When I took over the job I decided to transfer all the information to Microsoft Outlook and use the tools under contacts to manage all the information. The family knows to let me know if there are changes. If someone needs an up to date list for a wedding or such I can give them the latest information. Once a year in January, I email out the family directory in a pdf format and as an exported data file from Outlook. This way it isn’t too hard to keep things organized and accurate.

A printed out in a half sheet booklet form would also be a great way to share it with family. If you really wanted to get fancy it would be fun to collect photos from each family or person to include in the directory. I’m sure there are ways to put together and manage a family directory that I haven’t though of yet, If you have a suggestion let me know and I’ll include it here. A directory is a great way to help keep extended family in touch with each other. Isn’t that what family is all about? Making and keeping those bonds and connections strong.

I found this page on eHow for making a family directory that might be helpful:

How to Make a Family Directory

 

50 for 50 #46 – Cutting Down Our Christmas Tree

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Bill getting our tree back to the parking lot – 2012

Today we did one of my favorite Christmas traditions. We drove up into the mountains past Kamas, past Frances and past Woodland, to cut down our own Christmas tree. We have been doing this for something like 20 years so it makes a perfect way to celebrate my 50th year this week.We get up really early in the morning the first weekend in November to get a tree permit and then after Thanksgiving we gather with my sister and her family to get our trees. Some times we have had other family members join us but the two of us have always gone.

I remember the first year we got a permit to cut down our own tree, it was so cold and the wind was blowing and we hiked up a really steep hill through deep snow. When I remember that year, it amazes me that we ever did it again. It has never been that cold since. Plus a few year later they built a parking area that makes it easier.

Bill buried in snow – 2000

Some years we have no snow. Some years we have several feet of snow. A few years are extra memorable. One year Bill fell into a pocket in the snow over a ravine and was buried up to his head. Another year someone made a huge snowball and we took family photos on and around it.The Christmas we spent in Brooklyn, New York it worked out for us to come back and get a Christmas tree to take back with us. It was nice to have a bit of Utah with us in New York.

Bill, Shadow, Ginger, Danny, Kim, Jacob, Noreen & Eric – 2003

This year there was almost no snow at the parking lot but as we got up into the trees there was still several inches from the big storm we had a couple of weeks ago. It was extra warm today so we only needed sweat shirts or light jackets. After getting our trees we gather in the parking lot for backed potatoes and with hot chocolate and treats. We all enjoyed a lovely afternoon in the mountains that for me signals the real start of the Christmas season.

Gift Idea #7 – Children’s Story Book

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If you have followed my blog you know how excited I am about the illustrated children’s story book we are working on about my great-great-grandmother, Mary Taylor. Even though we won’t have this project finished for Christmas it would make a great gift. (Our deadline is actually for my mom’s 90th birthday in March.) With the Mary book I try to imagine it being used as a bed time story for Mary’s many descendants.

Do you have a family story that would lend itself to a story with illustrations? The pictures could be simple drawings or you could set up a photo shoot and have “actors” dress up to illustrate the story. The text doesn’t have to be complicated or long, the illustrations will help tell the story. Publishing could be as simple as printing it on your computer and/or taking it to your local copy center to make copies and have it bound. Of course a print on demand service such as Blurb or Lulu would also work. I think this project would be a perfect way to share one of your family stories with the next generation. Plus I think that even the older members of your family will take the time to read a short illustrated story when they would never take the time to read a long family history book.

Gift Idea #5 – Collection of Family Photos

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Most families have someone who is the keeper of the photos. Somehow that task has fallen to me. So last Christmas I gathered up the images I have. Scanned the ones that hadn’t been scanned. Then cleaned them up and label them consistently. I just did the ones connected with my mom’s parents from their childhood through their deaths. I cut DVD‘s for my mom’s siblings. For all of my cousins I sent a link to the SmugMug gallery that I set up with the same photos. That way they can get access to and download them as desired. This is a great project because it gives everyone access to those precious photos plus it distributes copies in more places to make sure they are preserved in case of disaster. An added bonus is that now they don’t have to come to me when they want a photo.

My advice on a project like this?

  • Pick a time frame. Don’t feel like you have to do it all. Make it something doable. You can always add to it later.
  • Pick a logical naming convention.
  • Make sure you scan them at 300 dpi or higher. If it is a really small photo I like to do 600 dpi or more so that it can be blown up larger than the original.
  • For long-term storage tiff is a better format than jpeg, because jpeg is a lossy compression and over time with opening and saving and opening and saving you lose data. But most people are more comfortable with jpegs. So you could scan as tiffs and then save a copy to jpeg for sharing with your family.
  • Find an easy way to distribute them among your family.

 

Gift Idea #4 – Personalized Planner

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Last year I made one of Blurb.com‘s weekly planners for a friend. It turned out really nice with a photo for each month and the front and back covers. This year they have even more options and with their BookSmart tool it is an afternoon or evening project. There are other planners out there that you can customize with photos but in my searching I didn’t find one that will let you add important dates.

Of course you can design your own planner from top to bottom in Adobe InDesign but that isn’t an afternoon project and BookSmart gives a surprising amount of control. Which ever route you take I think it would be fun to put together a family planner with historic photos and important dates from the past. Click on the image below to a Blurberati Blog post about their weekly planner.

Gift Idea #3 – Infographic

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When we think of doing a history of someone it usually feels like an overwhelming project that we just don’t have time for, especially when it comes to the holiday season. So I suggest taking on a bite sized project of an infographic about an ancestor or family member to give as a gift. Infographics are a way to communicate some of the more important information about something in a quick to understand way. You can put it into a frame or turn it into a tradition and pick a new person each year and give each person a binder or scrapbook to collect all the info-graphics in. I did a post about the infographic I did for my mom for Mother’s Day. It will help you get started. You will need to gather some information about the person and a few photos or other images. Clip art can also be helpful. Just have some fun and see how this project can come together.

Mother’s Day Project for Iris

I found this example of a family infographic today. It is pretty cool because it is customizable and comes in three colors schemes and five sizes. If you want a family infographic but don’t want to tackle the design yourself this is a great option.

“by the numbers” by Kristen Smith at minted.com