Want to give someone you love a
meaningful gift this year? A photo book about some aspect of your family
history is sure to be a hit.
Because time is running short, narrow
your focus to something the recipient will enjoy. This doesn’t need to be an
epic, cover-all-bases book. Just find a little piece of your family’s past that
you’d like to preserve and share.
Imagine creating a book about your
mother’s years as a teacher, your grandfather’s wartime service, or the quilts
your grandmother made. How about photos taken at a favorite family vacation
spot through the years?
The
holidays themselves can provide inspiration. Your sisters or daughters might
love a book of their favorite Christmas cookie recipes, with notes about where
they came from. Or dig up those old childhood photos with Santa to surprise
your siblings.
You’ll
find lots of other photo book ideas and how-to directions in my article, “An Open Book,”
in the October/November 2017 issue of Family Tree Magazine. Recently, I’ve noticed that many of the book publishing
sites I mention in the article have announced sales and discounts for holiday
orders.
Is
creating a larger family history book one of your goals for next year? If so, a
narrative book or a multi-generation family history such as the ones produced
by MyCanvas might offer the perfect format. The article covers these options as
well, including a step-by-step tutorial.
If you’re
not already a subscriber, look for Family
Tree Magazine at large bookstores or your local library, or order a print or digital copy. There’s lots of other great content inside I’m sure you’ll
enjoy—like tracing Italian roots, family tree software and websites, finding US
ancestors before 1850 (also written by yours truly), working with a pro, preserving
family Bibles, and a DNA testing strategy.
Now I’m
going to take my own advice and get started on a book for my mother-in-law
while there’s still time left!
--Shelley
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