I don’t know about you, but we had snow for the very first time this week! It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough for my kids to be excited and for my daughter to yell “Yay! Christmas is coming”!

It made my eyes bulge out quickly as I too, realized that the holidays are all just around the corner! I love the holidays, but they can be busy, rushed, chaotic, and not to mention expensive! We often get wrapped up in the fact that we have to buy gifts, cook large meals, travel between relatives homes and hustle in the midst of it all.

November is Family Stories Month, and I’d like to encourage you to slow down during the holiday season this year.  Really appreciate your family being around. Maybe you see them all the time, maybe the only time you’ve talked was over a screen or maybe you haven’t seen them in months.  No matter what the circumstances, take time to really slow down and enjoy the time you have with those who are close to you.

Here are a few ways you can celebrate Family Story Month with your loved ones!

• Write and Swap

Each of you write down a question on a piece of paper then place it in a bowl. Then, mix up the papers in the bowl and pass it around again except this time you each take one piece of paper out! Then you go around the table and read the question out loud then answer it!

• Guess Who

Ask each family member (prior to getting together) to write down one story about their life. Then you have to guess which story belongs to each family member! If you are having a virtual get-together, have everyone email you their answers and you put them onto a document. Email that document out and see how many they get right!!

• My First Phone

Ask each family member to describe their earliest memory of a mobile phone and what the looked like! Ah I wish I could hear all the answers to this one!

There are so many ways to celebrate your stories, and they are SO important! After all, your stories are not just fun to tell, they are your history and they made you who you are today.

At Securing Memories we offer questions like this that would be perfect if you need some inspiration!

We have two sets that seem fitting – one is called “Tell Me Your Story, Once Again” which is a series of 12 free questions about your childhood. The other is the “Coronavirus Time Capsule” which is a collection of questions about what life was like during the pandemic. Either of these could prove to be tons of fun during your family get together.

The best part is, even if you are not face to face, many of these can be done over zoom, face time, or the phone!

The holidays get busy, real fast.  Use this as a chance to spend quality time with your family and create a super fun experience!

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