I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving. Did you collect information from your relatives to create a health history?
We’ve now entered the race to Christmas…but should it be a race? Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent, a time of waiting and expectation that leads us to Christmas. Our family traditions include hanging up the Advent Calendar, bringing out the Advent wreath and lighting an additional candle each of the four Sundays until Christmas, sharing meals and attending special church services and lots of baking! Last night we attended Advent Lessons and Carols. The Lessons tell the story from Creation to the Annunciation and each of the Lessons is followed by a carol, sung by the congregation or the choir. It’s one of my favorite services of the year. There is also a Christmas version which started at Kings College, Cambridge in 1918 and is broadcast by the BBC at 3 pm (10:00 am EST or 7:00 am PST) every Christmas Eve. If you have the chance, read the Dean’s moving "Reflection on Carols and War."
Have you written about your family traditions for the holiday season? I’ve frequently written about the importance of sharing the stories about your ancestors, but someday, you’ll be someone’s ancestor. What a gift to leave your memories and stories. In 2010 some of the genealogy bloggers began an Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories. Rather than re-writing, below are links to the three blogs I wrote in 2019 listing some of my Christmas memories. They include a list the prompts for each day. In case you don’t want to hunt for the prompts, I've listed the ones that were in the first Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories below. (If you’re looking for prompts for blogs throughout the year, check out Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks).
December 1 - The Christmas Tree
December 2 - Holiday Foods
December 3 - Christmas Tree Ornaments
December 4 - Christmas Cards
December 5 - Outdoor Decorations
December 6 - Santa Claus
December 7 - Holiday Parties
December 8 - Christmas Cookies
December 9 - Decorations
December 10 - Christmas Gifts
December 11 - Other Traditions
December 12 - Charitable/Volunteer Work
December 10 - Christmas Gifts
December 11 - Other Traditions
December 12 - Charitable/Volunteer Work
December 13 - Holiday Travel
December 14 - Fruitcake – Friend or Foe?
December 15 - The Holiday Happenings!
December 16 - Christmas at School
December 17 - Grab Bag Blogging Christmas (your choice)
December 18 - Christmas Stockings
December 19 - Christmas Shopping
December 20 - Religious Services
December 21 - Christmas Music
December 22 - Christmas and Deceased Relatives
December 23 - Christmas Sweetheart Memories
December 24 - Christmas Eve
Feel free to change any of the prompts to something special to your family. I re-read the blogs each year and get very nostalgic. As we have moved from Connecticut to Florida and our children are spread out from Maine to DC, we travel north each year (our children are adamant…you’re retired, you travel) and meet back in Connecticut to celebrate with family. Perhaps 2025 is the year I finally get around to publishing the book to give to our children. You never can tell, maybe it will encourage them to have some interest in genealogy!
Happy Hunting!
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