Old family photos are always fun to look at. This holiday season, why not try identifying some of the unfamiliar faces that appear in your family photographs – you know, the ones that various relatives have stashed in shoe boxes in their closets. Looking at the pictures is entertaining in and of itself, but if you or other relatives are able to put names to some of the faces, those old pictures will become a clearer part of the story of your family.
If you are hosting family this holiday season, why not invite your guests to bring those shoe boxes of old pictures with them. Gather up some simple supplies like soft lead pencils (for writing gently on the back of the pictures), magnifying glasses, lined paper for people who wish to take notes, and white cotton gloves so as to help keep the oils from people’s hands off of the pictures. Set up a table or other area where people can gather together and look through the pictures at their leisure. You may even want to have your computer set up nearby, especially if you have a scanner. That way, you and your guests can scan photos that interest them and email them to themselves or send them to others before they go back home with the people that brought them.
With any luck, your guests will find some time to take a peek at some of the pictures that people have brought with them. Perhaps some previously unidentified faces will have names before the gathering is over. There may be some funny pictures in the bunch that could cause even the most serious of your relatives to crack a smile as they remember what was happening when the picture was taken. Looking through the pictures may inspire some relatives to remember family stories that have not been told in years. No matter what happens, those boxes of old photographs will likely inspire some good times and you may even end up with some additional stories and facts for your genealogy research.
Photo by bandini on morguefile.com.