For many of us, our fondest memories are of the family gathered around a table during the holidays, sharing stories. Oral storytelling is meaningful, but it’s so easy to lose the details and the traditions around the stories as time goes on. Often, we rely on the older generations to share these stories: the matriarch of the family or a dear great-grandfather. When we lose them, we often lose their stories. This post shares five ways you can capture family stories told by older generations and breathe new life into them for future generations.
1. Preserve the stories on video or audio.
While it may seem obvious to record your loved one sharing their stories, it’s easy to overlook in the midst of a family visit. The next time you gather around the holiday table, or when Grandma and Grandpa come over to spend time with the grandkids, pull out your phone or video camera and capture that moment on audio or video. Every moment you have with your loved ones is a great opportunity to capture family stories. It’s easy to capture these stories using Thingealogy — simply record your loved one speaking on your smartphone and upload audio recordings along with photos to collections organized by event or story.
2. Maintain the stories behind family traditions.
Every family has favorite traditions for birthdays, big events, holidays, and other special times. When you maintain these traditions, future generations can enjoy them and share meaningful memories. Encourage your kids to continue these traditions with their kids. And when new members join your family, be sure to include them and share how important these traditions have been to your family.
3. Document the stories of family recipes.
Do your loved ones have a favorite family dish that always appears during the holidays or at certain times of the year? So many of these recipes have meaningful stories behind them. Pull the recipes together for these dishes and create a special recipe book to share with your family. Grandma’s “secret” recipes will be preserved for future generations, and you can remember her as you make these recipes for years to come. Using Thingealogy, you can easily document and organize recipe instructions and their photos.
4. Build a story quilt.
If your family is crafty, a special way to weave the fabric of your story is to do so literally, in the form of a quilt. Take pieces of cloth from special occasions in your family’s lives and stitch together into a quilt that tells the story of your family. Make sure to document where each of the pieces came from. Thingealogy makes it easy to photograph and share the story behind each piece of fabric.
5. Create artifact stories.
No doubt there’s a big box of pictures and mementos tucked away in your attic. Pull together pictures, cards, newspaper articles, and any other items that tell loved ones’ stories. Digitize printed photos with services like Gophoto or ScanCafe, and take pictures of articles, ticket stubs, and other items. Using Thingealogy, you can upload photos and tell their stories, then organize them into collections. You can also add links to web pages with additional information.
Finding ways to capture your family stories and keep them alive for future generations is a wonderful way to build a legacy. Your family’s stories serve to create connections between family members and build relationships. And each story has inspiration to share. These stories can be captured in many ways, to be cherished for years to come.
Thingealogy® is a free story-telling app that helps you organize and preserve the memories of your loved ones. Download the app, and try it out for yourself!
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