Each year during the holiday season, I learn a little bit more about my family. That is actually one of my favorite things about the holidays – seeing all of my family and getting to know them a little better each time I see them. While the information that I usually learn is not something that would appear on a pedigree chart, it is important information, nonetheless.
I learn things about the relatives that I talk to, as well as those that are no longer alive. My aunts and uncles tell stories from their childhood, and they often take out old photo albums for us to enjoy along with the stories. I even get to look back in time and see pictures of some of my early holiday moments. Some of them make me cringe and others make me smile. My parents did a good job of dressing my sister and me up very nicely for the holidays when we were little. We always had such darling dresses and cute little shoes and coats. As time passed and we began to choose our own clothes, the pictures get a little more interesting. Those pictures are from the late 1980’s and early 1990’s and while supposedly what we were wearing was in style at the time, it still makes me laugh to think that I dressed that way.
My favorite pictures are the pictures of my father and his five siblings. There were three boys and three girls, and they were all very cute. I can pick my father out of the bunch because of his smile. It is the same smile that I see when I look at him today. I look forward to seeing more old photos this year, and I am really looking forward to creating new photos too. My son is thirteen months old now, and I think that everyone is going to have a lot of fun playing with him and seeing his reactions to all things Christmas.
Are your camera batteries charged to capture new holiday memories? Do you know where your old photo albums are? Why not bring a few to your next holiday gathering – there’s nothing like old photos to get great conversations started.