5 Tips on How to Include Family History into Your Christmas Day

On Thanksgiving this year,  my husband and I spent Thanksgiving dinner with my parents. We cooked together, laughed together, and put up blinds in my parents living room together. (Okay, my husband did that.) But one of the highlights of the day was when my father's sister surprised us and stopped by for a few hours while her husband and children went hiking in the rain. We had a lovely time chatting and snacking like we always do, but the best part was when I pulled out two boxes we had just received from my Grandma, my aunt's father's wife. You see, my grandpa (Poppy) passed away in 2010. It was very hard on all of us! His wife, my beloved 2nd grandma, had many of his things until last month, when she mailed them to us. What a gift! So I pulled them out for my Aunt, and we all began rummaging through the photographs, letters, and keepsakes. We delighted and shed tears in seeing baby photos, former homes, and childhood photographs of my grandparents. It was fun. It was pure. It was memorable. It was sacred. 

So if Thanksgiving was a perfect time to rekindle the family memories, Christmas has got to be even better. It is the most wonderful time of the year, and why is that? Oh, it's it’s the gifts, lights, songs, decorations, parties, and everything combined. But what it should always come down to is family. The best gift you can give this Christmas is the gift of family time and creating family memories. That Thanksgiving day was a treasure to relive and learn about family memories, but it also created a family memory. 

So to help you strengthen your family and intertwine some family history into your family traditions this year, here are 5 tips:  
Stories. Stories. Stories. What are your family stories during the holidays? Do you have a grandmother’s journal? At least talk about your christmas memories to your children. Write out a little paragraph about a family history story and place it at each table setting or tie it to the tree and have each person pick one before opening their gift. Have little children act out the stories. 

Bring out the photos and camera. Sit down with your family after dinner and look through family photos. Use family photos from past Christmases to decorate your table. Create a family slide show. Take new family photos!

Celebrate your heritage. What traditions did your grandparents have on Christmas? Does your family come from France? Have your children leave their shoes at the bed and fill them with candy from Pere Noel.

Eat your family history. Use family recipes for Christmas dinner. If you have a foreign heritage (Scottish, Japanese, Irish), what do they eat on Christmas? Make it!

Give a gift. Create a scrapbook of family memories, photos, and stories to give to Grandpa and Grandmpa. Give your mother or cousin an Ancestry.com account or another subscription. Create a family jar for all loose change to go into so you can save up for a family history trip. Most importantly, put away the cellphones and the ipads, and give the gift of being present. 

The ideas are endless! Just remember, family history not only helps us learn about our ancestors, but to learn about each other. Give the gift of family time!

I hope you all have a wonderful and love filled Christmas this year! 

Hannah

Grammy - Evidence of Love

Today is my beloved, late grandmother's birthday.

The other day I was looking through my grandmother’s 4 journals. My “Grammy” was my father’s mother, and a treasured matriarch to the whole family. She and her husband, “Poppy” were very precious to me as they were/are to all of their children and grandchildren.

 Grammy passed away suddenly, shortly after I turned 8 years old. I still remember that day vividly. It was heart-breaking to all of us, yet we all took comfort in the love and legacy she left for each of us. Everyone who knew her loved her, and she loved them. They knew she loved them, as she made them feel like the most important person in her life at that moment. This is evident by the fact that there were over 900 people at her funeral. I saw it the other day, as I read through countless number of “Thank You” cards stuffed into each of her journals. Each one talked about her love, influence, service, and impact.

Grammy and Poppy at my baptism.
Just a couple of weeks before she passed.

I then found a little note that had my name on it. It said, “Hannah – loves to sing praises to Heavenly Father. Helps other people. Shows love to her family & friends and animals.”

I wept.

She knew me so well to the point that she knew my special love for animals and took the time to mention it. This means so much to me, as I want to be just like her.

At her funeral holding her favorite yellow flowers.

Family was the most important thing in the world to my grandmother. She took time and care to know everyone she came in contact with and to look for the best in them. 

I feel her love every time I think of her, because even though I can’t remember her voice or remember everything she did for me, my bond with her is as strong as it was when I was 8 years old. How does one create such a loving bond with a child, family member, friend that it lasts so long despite all the memories disappearing?

The famous picture of Grammy and my brother dancing. 

I am so grateful that my grandmother kept such detailed journals (so detailed she lists the types of flowers at the church service!) Journals are very special things. Not only do they provide a one-of-a-kind and personal view into someone’s life and heart, but it is an evidence of love. 

So take a little advice from my beloved Grammy. Share some love. Leave your family with a journal, a note, a card, and more importantly a legacy. It will impact your family and future generations forever. I promise. 

Grammy & Me. I wear that pioneer dress today. 

Join Me!

I haven't written on this blog for sometime now. But I have recently shifted some things around in my life and hope to blog more about my feelings towards family history, tips, adventures, and the strength it has in bringing people together.

This past week I created a personal Facebook page for my business "Hannah Z Allan Genealogy Services". I have been trying to create a website for months now, but it's just too time consuming and really doesn't do what I want. I realized that Facebook would be a better medium to share what I am doing, places I'm speaking, and more importantly share my enthusiasm for family history. My hope is that through my page and my work, others will find the joy in searching for their ancestors and fall in love with their family.

The attack on family is increasing and affecting every individual and every aspect of society. I care so deeply about families and want to share my passion through my talents and skills. It is my true belief that through family history and drawing close to our ancestors, we will be strengthened and changed individuals and families. I have seen it over and over again and hope to keep helping others do the same.

So here's my way of making a difference!

Happy Researching!

Hannah