I used to work in the quilting industry. It was always fun to be a part of the heightened flurry of activity that began about this time of year as our customers hurried to complete quilts and other handmade gifts for loved ones in time for the holidays. As a genealogist, I have that same desire to share what I am passionate about with those around me in meaningful ways. The upcoming holiday season provides the opportunity to do just that. What family history related gifts will you be giving this year? Here are a few quick and easy gift ideas for you to consider:
Share Your Expertise
Do you know someone that would enjoy learning more about their family history? What can you do to help them?
Help them organize their family history information and capture stories and memories about their first 4 generations using the My Family: Stories That Bring Us Together booklet.
Teach them how to capture stories and photos, and record and preserve audio files in the FamilySearch Memories app
Teach someone how to add details to their family’s story and explore possible ancestor matches by completing “Tasks” (attaching records) in the FamilySearch Family Tree mobile app.
*To learn more about using the FamilySearch Mobile apps, read my Family History on the Go Series.
*For ideas about how to teach people to use the apps, read 5 Ways to Do Family History in 5 Minutes here.
Give the Gift of Time
Strengthen relationships with your own family, or help another family to do so using FamilySearch’s In-Home Activities page. This page includes activities that involve the entire family, like learning about your name, having a family history trivia night, eating what ancestors ate, walking where ancestors walked, and many more. The activities are designed to help people discover, gather, and connect with their family–past and present.
Invite a friend to take a family history class with you. It’s always fun to share the experience of learning more about something you both enjoy.
Share Family Recipes
Do you have recipes that have been handed down from a parent or grandparent? Consider hosting a family dinner. Prepare the recipes, share the story of these recipes, and then present copies of the recipes to family members. To share with extended family, consider printing and sending the recipes as Christmas cards or sharing them on Facebook. Don’t forget to upload them to FamilySearch! Canva is a great online design tool that has some ready-made recipe card templates to make this process quick and easy.
Create and Frame Prints
Scan a photo or document that is significant to your family’s history and frame it.
Make a print of a meaningful family history quote or old family saying using Canva, then frame it.
As a special gift for you, download a free 8″ x 10″ copy of this quote here.
Share Through Social Media
Consider sharing family history photos and short stories on social media throughout the month of December. Posts that include a fun picture and just a few words will engage your family members in learning a little more about their ancestors. Again, Canva is a great tool for creating these posts. You can create them in advance and schedule them using a tool like Later to avoid stressing yourself out over this during December’s holiday rush.
Need help deciding what to post? Here are a few ideas:
– Photos and stories related to holiday traditions
– Ancestors with December birthdays (get an ancestor birthday calendar from FamilySearch here)
– Search #genealogyphotoaday on Instagram to see some fun prompts.
Have Fun!
If you decide to give the gift of family history this year, make sure to have fun with it! Give yourself plenty of time to prepare, be realistic about what your schedule will allow you to complete, and choose projects that you will enjoy creating.
I hope you have a happy family history-filled holiday season!
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