{"id":1495,"date":"2017-12-19T21:56:49","date_gmt":"2017-12-19T21:56:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thefhguide.com\/blog\/?p=1495"},"modified":"2019-01-16T19:03:14","modified_gmt":"2019-01-16T19:03:14","slug":"christmas-decorating-with-the-past-and-present-in-mind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thefhguide.com\/blog\/christmas-decorating-with-the-past-and-present-in-mind\/","title":{"rendered":"Crafting Christmas Memories with the Past and Present in Mind"},"content":{"rendered":"

The ideas seem endless for adding a bit of nostalgia to your Christmas decorations and get-togethers – and The Family History guide has a fun suggestion to share.\u00a0 Check out the “Objects and Heirlooms” category in the\u00a0Memories Activities<\/a>\u00a0of the children’s page (Family History Activities Tab).\u00a0 Idea\u00a0C3-11 links you to American Ancestors<\/a>\u00a0detailing how to create ancestral tree ornaments\"\"\u00a0– along with this sentiment:<\/p>\n

The holidays are a time to be with family\u2014present\u00a0and<\/em>\u00a0past. Remember your ancestors this year by creating a special keepsake ornament. When made with family members\u2014especially children or grandchildren\u2014you\u2019ll not only create new family memories but also\u00a0share a piece of family history.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are some of your favorite family history-centered Christmas decorations? What ideas do you have to create memories by making keepsake ornaments (along with other decorations and objects) with your\u00a0loved ones? Here are a few more\u00a0 ideas you might find delightfully creative and fun:<\/p>\n

Nancy Maxwell James shares a “sweet little\u00a0\"\"snowflake” tree ornament on her blog\u00a0Sugar Lump Studios.<\/a>\u00a0 <\/em>This would be simple enough\u00a0for children to help with and a perfect way to share stories about the ancestors selected for each ornament while putting them together. Nancy describes herself as being an \u201cold soul\u201d and writes that “many of my pieces use remnants from the past\u2026antique lace, old cabinet photos, metal findings, buttons, and whatever tugs at my heartstrings while creating. I definitely was born in the wrong era\u2026although I wouldn\u2019t give up my pair of blue jeans or computer for the world!… I \"\"have found that creating art heals the soul and touches the lives of people who it surrounds.” When art like Nancy’s includes\u00a0personal photos from the past, those who are blessed to enjoy it most likely find a greater connection to those who have gone on before. Thank you, Nancy!<\/p>\n

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Angie Holden shares\"\" photos and instructions for\u00a0Handmade Gift: Family Tree Ornaments<\/a> in The Country Chic Cottage <\/em>blog.\u00a0 She wanted to honor relatives who\u2019d passed away by using their photos in Christmas ornaments. \u201cI love looking at the ornaments and remembering those individuals each year,\u201d she writes. To make these ornaments,\u00a0 she converted digital photos to black and white and printed them to fit in small metal tart tins and candle trays. Read her blog for instructions and to bask in her creativity. Thanks, Angie!<\/p>\n

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Jenn Erickson’s DIY\u00a0family tree wreath<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0is right by the front door so that guests will know of her love for family history. To create this heritage wreath, she selected two photos\"\" for each surname and made miniature copies to fit small photo frames. .The leaves are the surnames printed onto an old canvas drop cloth and cut out in the right shape. Read more instructions on her website, Jennuine,<\/a>\u00a0where she writes, “If you’re lucky enough to have a collection of old family photos, where do you keep them? \u00a0Have your photographic family treasures been secreted away to a chest, drawer or box? \u00a0If so, here’s a way to bring them out into the light of day for current generations to appreciate<\/div>\n
and enjoy… ” Thanks, Jenn!<\/div>\n
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This\u00a0Family Search Wiki<\/a>\u00a0lists a myriad of ideas for Christmas decorating and gifting.\u00a0 Being a professional seamstress, I like to see what others are doing to preserve clothing from the past – even if it is just a few treasured pieces placed in a frame with a note. Find instructions in this wiki\"\" for a fabric chain for your Christmas tree created from past dresses or other apparel, or check out the instructions to make one from Film in the Fridge<\/a>\u00a0(see photo). This idea would be much easier than the double wedding ring<\/em> quilt my mom made me out of pieces of fabric leftover from the many dresses I had made -from the time she taught me to sew until I met my husband-to-be.\u00a0 Yet, a fabric chain would also bring back memories of the hum of the sewing machine, the smell of new material, my mom unpicking my unwieldy stitching, and the love I felt for her as we sewed side-by-side.\u00a0 I was learning a skill, and my mom was teaching one.\u00a0 She was also teaching the value of relationships, patience, persistence, frugality, how to have pride in a job well-done, and the art of creativity. Most of all, my mom knew that all experiences become history and that making memories to last a lifetime (and beyond) is no small thing! Remembering them during the holidays is no small thing either, and that is one reason to add a bit of nostalgia to Christmas this year!<\/span><\/div>\n
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Merry Christmas!<\/span><\/div>\n
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See these blog posts for more fun ideas:<\/div>\n
Family History Service Ideas<\/a><\/div>\n
Making Family History<\/a><\/div>\n
…Holiday Fun [With Family History Activities]<\/a><\/div>\n
Family History Activities – “I do and I understand”<\/a><\/div>\n
Fun family history activities to create connection<\/a><\/div>\n
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