Preserving Your Holiday Traditions

In the previous post, we explored holiday family traditions. This time, we are discussing ways to preserve those holiday family traditions. Whether they are in physical or oral form, there are ways to make sure that they are saved and documented for current and future generations. Your family will thank you for taking the time to preserve those special artifacts and memories!

Let’s start with the physical holiday items/artifacts that you may have in your family. These can be ornaments, documents, photos, etc. Each family will have different artifacts, but they can be preserved in similar ways. Often, this means taking these steps: separating, flattening, removing staples/paperclips, putting in folders/sleeves, and storing in a cool, dark, dry area. You may want to go as far as purchasing archival supplies to house the materials. Interested in learning more about preserving your cherished holiday artifact? Check out Family Tree Magazine’s “How to Preserve Holiday Heirlooms” for more information.

Now, let’s talk about the holiday family traditions that may only exist in familial memories. Taking the time to write about these is one way to preserve them. You can do this online, on paper, or on your computer. The important thing is to get them in a fixed form of some sort so that they are not lost to time. Another option for capturing these memories is through recordings, like oral history interviews. These interviews can be formal or informal conversations with your relatives. Asking about their holidays growing up as well as current traditions can be great ways to start the conversation. You can also just talk into a microphone or recorder by yourself and capture your memories. Maybe you can even sing a holiday song or two?

When it comes to preserving these memories, it is best to have multiple copies. As the old adage goes, lots of copies keep stuff safe (aka LOCKSS). You will also want to have at least 3 copies, stored in 2 different ways, with 1 copy off-site (at a relative’s house, the bank, etc.). This is often called the 3-2-1 rule.

Good luck preserving these traditions! May this holiday season produce more special memories to document and save for future generations.