Family gatherings make the holiday season a great time to talk with elder family members about family heritage and history. We've all seen the lists of recommended questions about birth, deaths, people and places that we should ask our family members before it's too late. But there is so much MORE to family history than just names, dates, and places. What about our memories of people, places, and traditions of the past? They are just as, if not more, important to our families' histories as the stuff we add to a pedigree chart.
I recommend getting the younger family members involved in talking with older family members about their childhood Christmas memories. Below is a list of Christmas-related questions that kids can ask other family members. Not only that, but I recommend that the kids themselves record their answers to these questions, letting their memories also become meaningful records in our family history files.
I recommend getting the younger family members involved in talking with older family members about their childhood Christmas memories. Below is a list of Christmas-related questions that kids can ask other family members. Not only that, but I recommend that the kids themselves record their answers to these questions, letting their memories also become meaningful records in our family history files.
Childhood Christmas Questions
How did your family decorate their house for Christmas? What did your Christmas tree look like and what did you decorate it with?
At whose house did you celebrate Christmas with your extended family? Who was there? Describe what the house looked like.
Did you attend church with your family on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? If so, which church did you attend? Describe what the service was like.
What games did your family like to play together at Christmas gatherings?
What was your favorite Christmas gift you received as a child?
What gifts did you NOT like getting for Christmas?
Was there a gift you really, really wanted but did not get? If so, what was it?
What was your favorite holiday food served by your family? What was your least favorite holiday food?
Do you remember Christmas shopping with your family? Which stores did you go to? Describe the store decorations, if you remember them.
What kinds of Christmas presents do you remember giving to your parents and/or siblings?
What kinds of smells do you remember from Christmastime experiences?
What other special holiday traditions do you remember from your childhood? Baking days? Crafts? Special songs or prayers? Watching holiday movies or plays or reading holiday stories?
How did your family decorate their house for Christmas? What did your Christmas tree look like and what did you decorate it with?
At whose house did you celebrate Christmas with your extended family? Who was there? Describe what the house looked like.
Did you attend church with your family on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? If so, which church did you attend? Describe what the service was like.
What games did your family like to play together at Christmas gatherings?
What was your favorite Christmas gift you received as a child?
What gifts did you NOT like getting for Christmas?
Was there a gift you really, really wanted but did not get? If so, what was it?
What was your favorite holiday food served by your family? What was your least favorite holiday food?
Do you remember Christmas shopping with your family? Which stores did you go to? Describe the store decorations, if you remember them.
What kinds of Christmas presents do you remember giving to your parents and/or siblings?
What kinds of smells do you remember from Christmastime experiences?
What other special holiday traditions do you remember from your childhood? Baking days? Crafts? Special songs or prayers? Watching holiday movies or plays or reading holiday stories?
I'm sure there are more holiday-related questions you can think of that may be more specific to your family, but this list is a good start to get people thinking and talking about childhood Christmases of the past. When children hear their elders talk about their own childhoods, a special connection between the generations is formed, because the kids then realize that these grown-ups were once kids who had a lot of the same experiences that they are having.
©2016 Emily Kowalski Schroeder
©2016 Emily Kowalski Schroeder
