Week Forty-Two: Writing about the Holidays

This time of year everyone is busy with holiday preparation. The Genea-Bloggers have been doubly busy keeping up with all the carnivals, memes, and Saturday night games. So rather than post more journaling prompts that might possibly overwhelm our genea-blogging elves, I'm going to encourage those of you who do NOT have a blog to take a look at some of the writing events in which the Genea-Bloggers are participating, in order to get some ideas on what to journal:

The theme for the 61st Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy was "Traditions" and the theme for the 62nd Edition will be "Three Wishes". Jessica Oswalt is doing something similiar for the 14th Edition of the Carnival of Central and East European Genealogy. What sorts of traditions have endured in your family? What new ones have you started? What do you hope will be passed on? If you could have three things that belonged your ancestors as Christmas or holiday gifts, what would they be?

Do you have a favorite Christmas or holiday photo? Who would you give copies to? This was the idea behind footnoteMaven's yet-to-be-published 8th Edition of the "I Smile for the Camera" Carnival, aptly named "Stocking Stuffer."

The footnoteMaven started a tradition of Blog Caroling last year, in which each blogger wrote his or her favorite carol or holiday song. It's been renewed this year. What a great idea! Write about your favorite carol, its history and author, how it became your favorite, and what memories it revives when you sing or play it.

Tim Abbott of Walking the Berkshires is getting ready to put together the 12th Cabinet of Curiosities. Do you have any odd ornaments, decorations, or heirlooms? How did you happen to inherit or come to own these?

Speaking of decorations, have you left a record of your decorated home (present or past) for future generations? Denise Olsen of Moultrie Creek is hosting the Christmas Tour of Blogs. This would make a wonderful scrapbooking/journaling combination for non-bloggers.

Are you of the Jewish faith? Then visit Schelley or John's blogs for creative ideas to share your celebrations of Hanukah.

And if all these ideas aren't enough to inspire you, then I recommend that you visit either Thomas or Jasia's blog to view the wonderful Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories, which they put together last year. There are 24 prompts to keep you busy writing and scrapping!

Week Thirty-Five: Spring

Spring has finally sprung, despite the fact that Old Man Winter '07-'08 keeps trying to keep his hold on the Northern Hemisphere. For many, Spring is a favorite season, full of flowers, birds, butterflies, and bees. Some have favorite sports that begin in Spring. Others (like myself) are ambivalent toward Spring, because although the days are getting lighter, longer, and warmer, they are marked by mud, pollen allergies, and schizophrenic weather.

*How do you feel about Spring? Is it a favorite season of yours, or a least-favorite? Why?

*What are your favorite Spring activities? Do they include gardening and yardwork? House repairs or touch-ups?

*Do you have favorite Spring flowers or blossoming trees?

*What are your favorite Spring sports, either as a participant or as an observer? While basketball is wrapping up in March Madness, baseball, track and field, tennis, and golf are starting up in schools across the nation.

*Here in Spokane, Spring is welcomed with such community events as Bloomsday Run (one of the largest in the nation) and the Lilac Festival. Does your community have Spring events, and what is the extent of your participation?

*Do you have a regular Spring cleaning time? When is it and what does it include?

*What are your favorite Spring holidays? Easter or Passover, Mother's Day, Earth Day, Memorial Day are a few.

*What are some of your favorite foods that are in season during Spring?

*Ah-choo! What do you like least about Spring?

*Do you have favorite memories of Spring Break from your school or college years?

*What family birthdays, anniversaries, or events are commemorated in the Spring? Are there any significant family history events that occurred during Spring?

Week Thirty-Four: Holy Days of Spring

Sunday, March 23rd, 2008 marks the celebration of Easter for most Christians (Eastern--commonly known as Orthodox--Christians will be celebrating April 27th), and sunset on Saturday, April 19th will be the date Jews will commemorate Passover. These are undoubtedly two of the most well-known spring holy days, although other cultures and religions have their own as well.

*How did your family traditionally celebrate its holy day? Did you attend worship services? Which kind (Good Friday service, Sunrise service, etc.) did you traditionally attend? Did you family approach this holy day with a lot of reverence, or was it secularized?


*What foods did your family eat during the meals celebrating your holy day? What special preparations were involved? As a child, did you help prepare any of the meals or dishes?

*Did you receive or give any gifts or treats as part of the celebration?


*Did you wear special or new clothes?


*What kinds of decorations were created or put out for this holy day?


*What year stands out in your mind when you think back through your life of all the Easter/Passover/other spring holy day celebrations you participated in? Why? What was special/unique/different about that particular one?

*Did you participate in any community events surrounding this holy day (egg hunts, etc.)?


*Do you have any favorite hymns, religious or secular songs, or other music?


*How do you celebrate this holy day now in comparison to when you were a child?

Don't forget to share favorite photographs of you and/or your family celebrating this holy day!

Week Thirty-Two: Honoring Our Leaders

Here in the United States, we commemorate Presidents Day on the third Monday of February. Most government offices are closed, as well as many schools, businesses, and private organizations. This holiday originated because two of our most famous and beloved presidents were born in the month of February. George Washington, the Father of Our Country, "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen," was born on what was then February 11, 1732 in Westmoreland County, in what was then the Colony of Virginia, British America. During his lifetime, the calendar was corrected when it was discovered that it was eleven days off. His corrected birth date became February 22. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president, known for his poor roots as well as holding the nation together during the American Civil War, was born February 12, 1809 in Hardin County, Kentucky. While he was beloved by many in the Northern States and will be forever honored by the African-American community for his Emancipation Proclamation, he was reviled (and in many places, still scorned) by those in the South.

The following prompts are listed to help you remember how you celebrated the presidents' birthdays in the past, and what you believe about honoring our leaders. If you live in another country, you may choose to answer these prompts from a perspective of honoring your own national leaders and/or celebrating your king or queen's birthday.

*As a child, do you remember celebrating either Lincoln or Washington's birthdays? How did you celebrate them? What do you remember learning about either of these men?

*Did you get a day off of school, have an assembly, or was there a play performed?

*Do you ever remember reading any books or watching any movies about these two leaders?

*In your opinion, who was the greatest leader of our country, and why?

*In your current career, do you get Presidents Day off? Why or why not?

*In many communities, Presidents Day weekend is well-known for sales and special deals. How do you feel about this? Do you like to go shopping on this weekend? Or do you feel this emphasis on commercialism is disrespectful?

*Presidents Day is also a day when veterans and Purple Heart recipients are honored. Are or were there any Purple Heart recipients in your family or ancestry? Have you written about what they did to earn this great award?

Week Thirty-One: St. Valentine's Day

I apologize for getting this out so late. I try to post these on Sunday, or at least have them written up to post first thing Monday morning; but I was working on some deadlines for both home and work most of the weekend.

Love it, tolerate it, or hate it, the Holiday of Love is nearly upon us. Here are some prompts to get you started writing about Valentine's Day holidays past and present:

*What is the first Valentine's Day that you remember? How old were you or what grade were you in?

*Did you have celebrations at school? What were they like? Were there games and refreshments?

*Did you make some sort of individualized Valentine "mailboxes" to hold the greetings you received? Or did the classroom have one big box? How were they (or it) created and decorated?

*Did you buy or make Valentine cards? Did you include goodies such as lollipops, candy message hearts, or Hershey kisses?

*Do you remember the first boy or girl you had a crush on in school? Did you have the nerve to send him or her a Valentine? If so, what was their reaction/response?

*Did your crush send you a Valentine?

*How did you feel about Valentine's Day as a child? Was it fun and exciting, or disappointing and sad? Or were you simply bored with it all?

*As you got older, did you attend any Valentine's Day dances? Tell about your experiences!

*What is the nicest card or gift you have ever received for Valentine's Day? Who sent it to you?

*How do you celebrate Valentine's Day now?

*Do you remember hearing how your parents or grandparents celebrated Valentine's Day?

If you have a written journal, you could decorate it with favorite cards you've received. If you have a blog or computer journal, you could decorate it with scanned copies of your favorite cards.

Week Twenty-One: Your National Holiday

This week marks national holidays for two major countries: Canada, which celebrates Canada Day normally on July 1st, but officially on the 2nd, since the First falls on a Sunday; and the United States, which celebrates Independence Day on July 4th. Here are some prompts for letting your descendants know how you celebrate your national holiday:

*What was tradition in your childhood family for celebrating your national holiday? Did you dress in a national costume or in your national colors? Did you display your national flag? Was your national holiday a one-day celebration, or longer?

*Were there any programs on the radio or television that you listened to/watched as part of this observance? Was there a church or other religious ceremony you attended?

*Were there neighborhood or community events in which you participated? Did they include games, dancing, feasting, fireworks, or music? Was the national anthem sung or played? Was it a festive or somber affair? Were there celebrities, local government officials, or national leaders in attendance?

*Did you have an indoor feast, or a picnic or barbecue outside? What foods were traditionally served?

*How did your childhood celebrations differ from the way you celebrate as an adult? How are they the same?

*What does it mean to you to be a/an ____________ (insert your nationality here)? Do you consider yourself patriotic? What freedoms or privileges do you most cherish? If you are an immigrant, you may wish to write about your immigration experience (when, where and why), how life in your new country compares with your old, and your feelings about your motherland and adopted country.

Here are some great websites to educate you further, or to use to enhance your online journal:

• Fourth of July Celebrations Database
• Celebrate Canada!
• A list of National Holidays
  
• To find more online information about your specific national holiday, enter the name of your country and "national holiday" in quotation marks at Google.
• 3D Flags has animated national flags you can download and use on your website or blog. They have three sizes and three background colors to choose from. They also have U.S. state flags.
• If your national colors are red and white, or red, white, and blue, there are some backgrounds and graphics on my pixel graphics site here, which you can use free-of-charge.
• Sites to download free midi (audio) files of your national anthem can be found here and here, while lyrics can be found here.

My journal about my childhood celebrations can be found here.