This article originally appeared in the December 2023 issue of HomeLife Magazine.
For the past few decades, my parents have been very intentional about getting our family history and stories written down. As they testify first-hand to God’s faithfulness through the generations, it’s beautiful to hear them declare to their thirty grandchildren, “Through both celebration and tragedies, He is the same yesterday, today and forever.” What a gift to get these stories preserved now because without them, they’re soon lost.
With Christmas nearly here and family gathered, let’s take this opportunity to capture some fun and meaningful stories. Many of our extended families may not be faith-based, but preserving written memories is still a beautiful legacy, so why not create a “Christmas Connection” family newsletter while you’re together?
This tradition involves turning your family into a news crew, and it’s especially fun with a crowd. Assign everyone in your family a task to be responsible for throughout the day. The older children can serve as photographers and reporters, while the adults can be the interviewees. You could even buy fake microphones for the little ones; they’ll have a blast hamming it up.
Depending on your extended family, the questions will vary, but include a variety of fun and serious ones.
For example:
- If you could have the attention of the whole world for thirty seconds, what would you say?
- Tell about a lesson you learned the hard way and how you’re thankful for what it taught you.
- Tell about a memorable event in your life.
- What was your first job?
Because this will become a new favorite family tradition, each year choose one of the eldest members of the family and make their life history the main feature. The youngest children can help by creating the “art” section of the gazette.
The goal is to complete all the interviews in one day and have a techie compose it on the computer before family guests depart. Read it over late-night coffee. Of course, no true editing is allowed, or it will feel like work. Let the children’s sentence structure stay as is; it makes it much more memorable. Be sure and send extra copies to those family members who couldn’t make it. For the minimal effort it takes to organize this family newsletter, your family will be rewarded with laughter and new insights into your family’s legacy for years to come.
