When your family gathers together for the holidays this year, bring out your memory boxes!
Organizing old family memories, treasures, photos, and memorabilia is time-consuming and hard emotional work. Why not involve the whole family this year and conquer a few boxes at the same time?
- Pull out all the photos.
Grab a few boxes of photos and let your family enjoy them, unorganized and all. Enjoy sharing stories and reminiscing about old times.
Use a photo-safe pen for family members to label who is in the picture on the back.
Let your family pitch duplicates, blurry pictures, pictures of landscapes, and other unnecessary photos.
Ask a teenager to scan the best photos and share them with the family.
Let your family members take the photos home!
- Record the stories.
You can make a video or audio recording of your family’s memories, but I like good old-fashioned oral traditions as well.
Share stories, let the grandchildren overhear, and laugh until you cry.
Hearing the stories of your family’s history is powerful.
- Pull out childhood memories from the attic and storage room with your adult children.
Bring up a few boxes of your adult child’s childhood memories to reminisce and go through in the family room. Share the memories and either declutter the items or send them home with your child.
If you are the child… go grab a few of those boxes on your next visit home.
- Play old home movies on the TV.
Fire up the old VHS or movie reel player and enjoy watching past holidays, babies take their first steps and ride their bikes.
Memories are meant to be shared and enjoyed. Enjoy yours with your families this holiday!
Need additional support organizing your memories? Check out our Saving Your Story Photo Organization Program.
