It’s National Family Stories Month

For many people, this year’s holiday season may carry more sentimentality than year’s past, due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has disrupted lives around the world. You may find that you or your loved ones feel a renewed desire to keep traditions alive and connect with family members on a deeper level. And just in time for Thanksgiving, National Family Stories Month is here!

National Families Stories Month encourages the documentation of family history. In this digital age, where life sometimes feels like it’s moving at the speed of light and most of our individual history is housed within our cell phones, making an official record of our family’s past seems like a novelty. Here are a few tips for getting started on preserving your family’s legacy.

Make A Plan

Do you want to save grandma and grandpa’s favorite memories, or do you want to take a genealogical approach and document each member of the family tree? Being clear on what you’re trying to accomplish will ensure you achieve your desired outcome.

Get Others Involved

Let your family know that you’re looking to spend some time on this over the holidays. Ask them to contribute questions they would like to have answered, stories they would like to keep on record, and pictures they would like to archive.

Keep It Conversational

Keep questions open-ended and allow an opportunity for the memories being shared to take their course. Being too formal with the Q&A could cause you to miss out on insights you’ve never had.

Preserve Your Memories

If you’re documenting your family’s history by maintaining paper sources, like newspaper clippings or hand-written notes, select an archival box to store all documents together. Use archival quality file folders to organize files, and store individual pieces in paper sleeves. If you’re digitally recording an oral history, make sure the sound quality is clear and you save original files to an external hard drive or your cloud storage system.

The greatest adventure story you’ve never heard could be buried under your family tree. Have fun bonding with loved ones this holiday season by basking in their memories and your family’s shared history.

You preserve your family's stories, we'll protect them from bites. Contact your local Mosquito Squad today!