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Opening the Christmas Memory Box

Image: rawpixel Winter-like temperatures finally reached Texas this weekend, and we're currently hovering in the 30s. The cold turns my mind towards the Christmas holidays and fond memories of when our kids, Anne and James, were young.  How excited they were...giddy with anticipation of the holidays. As parents, Jim and I loved introducing the kids to various traditions that we grew up with, as well as all the beautiful symbols and signs of the holidays that surrounded us everywhere we went. What a fun and wonderful time to be a parent and to be able to share the loveliness of the season with them! I have so many wonderful memories of the kids and the holidays. Here's a few that I cherish. Annie, about 1995. At the time of my first memory, we were living in Winona, Minnesota, in a little house on East 7th Street. It was about 1995. When Jim and I were first married, my mother gifted us with a Nativity set that we faithfully put up at the holidays. The set found its place on on...
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BEGINNINGS

Sunrise, 28 Dec. 2020. Photo by N Gilbride Casey


By Nancy Gilbride Casey

I must admit, I do like turning the page on a new year. Everything seems fresh to me, and the possibilities are enticing. It doesn't hurt that I'm writing this with sunshine streaming through my window, which always puts me in a positive frame of mind.

"Beginnings" is the first theme of the 2021 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge by blogger/podcaster Amy Johnson Crow. I participated in this challenge last year for a bit, but in the midst of the pandemic, my writing fell by the wayside. Weightier thoughts occupied my mind: 

"Will my family stay safe?" 

"How do I go back to work with all those kids?" (I work at a high school.) 

"What happens if one of us gets sick with COVID?" 

I am certain I am not alone in this; many of my genealogy writing pals suffered the same fate, and just getting though the day-to-day of life was an accomplishment in itself on any given day.

That's why a little challenge I saw on Facebook so appealed to me to start off the New Year: 

Post on social media one document, photograph, heirloom, etc., for each day of January, following the various suggested themes—a birth record, a death record, a treasured heirloom, etc. 

Perfect! This I can do. 

Writing a post on social media feels a lot less stressful than writing a blog post for some reason. Most posts are meant to be brief, usually just a paragraph or two. I have so much research, so many photos, documents, etc., which I've accumulated through researching family history, this is the perfect way to get back into the swing of things, without breaking too much of a sweat.

So far, I've chosen and written about the first 4 items, and have ideas for several others...so far so good. Some posts have even generated some discussion, a delightful development.

Coincidentally, the first theme was the ultimate "beginning," a birth record. I chose the birth/baptismal record of my great grandmother Anna Tatar Simonik, born in 1883 in Slovakia. In case you're not on Facebook, I will also be adding these posts to this blog.

As in 2020, I believe any accomplishment in 2021—big or small—is important. 

So, here's to beginnings, yours and mine. All the best to you and yours in the New Year.

Until next time...

 

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