Archive for December 21st, 2009

Sherry Stocking Kline
December 21, 2009

Thanks to Thomas MacEntee of Geneabloggers for today’s Advent Calendar Challenge:

Christmas Music

What songs did your family listen to during Christmas? Did you ever go caroling? Did you have a favorite song?

My family always loved music and I grew up listening to carols on the radio first, then 45 rpm records, then a stereo, then a tiny (by then standards) battery operated transistor radio.

Today, there’s music on the stereo, computer, smart phone, and  iPod!   It’s so easy to listen wherever you are.

Mayfield Federated Church

Growing up near the tiny town of Mayfield, Kansas, our church youth group at the Mayfield Federated Church (a Methodist and Presbyterian combined church) always went caroling.

Our group would set out on foot (remember, it’s a tiny town) in the cool, crisp air, and it was always a fun and joyous evening of laughter, singing, and wishing the townspeople, mostly seniors, but often others who had been ill and shut-in, a very Merry Christmas.

Our pastor and his wife usually led the singing and ‘herded’ us from house to house.  There were many of ‘Grandma age’ in our town, and  many of them had grandchildren in the group, so they knew each and every one of us,  were often called Grandma by many who were not their grandchildren, and they were always delighted to see us!

A side benefit we often enjoyed was that several of them were extremely good cookie bakers, and we might be given cookies to enjoy while walking around the town.

After the caroling was done for the evening we’d gather back at the church for cookies and cocoa, and then sometime walk down to the school’s gymnasium for indoor games.

I know the seniors enjoyed the carols, but the fun and fellowship for all of us was priceless.

Sherry Stocking Kline
December 21st, 2009

I love Christmas songs!  There are so many wonderful ones, and there are so many great memories to go with each one!

This lovely version by Nat King Cole has been enhanced by great Christmas photographs!

I’ve never roasted chestnuts by a fire, but it sounds relaxing and fun. I Hope that you and yours have a wonderful Christmas!

Sherry Stocking Kline December 19, 2009

It may be be Sunday (and almost Monday) but I’m behind on my “Saturday Night time for some Genealogy Fun!! ” from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings… Rev up the olde thynking cap and cue up the Mission Impossible music – your mission should you decide to accept it – keeping with the Christmas theme – is: 1) Pick out a genealogy-oriented gift for someone you know, admire, appreciate or love. It could be for a family member, someone in the genealogy community, or a friend or colleague. What would be your genealogy gift to them? [Note: you don’t have to actually gift them, although it would be a nice thing to do!] 2) Tell us about it in a blog post on your own blog, in a comment to this blog post, or in a comment on Facebook to this post or a tweet.

I didn’t mean to be a last minute shopper (again this year) and I had so many plans for Genealogy related gifts that I haven’t (quite) completed them all!

When I can give gifts that people will enjoy receiving that have family history themes, then it’s so very rewarding to me, and that’s the way the family calendar is, it’s fun, and everyone’s birthday is on it.  So enjoyable!

But, I’m scrambling to finish the (see post) 2010 calendar that I’m using my Broderbund Calendar program to make for my mom.  I plan to share this with nephews and nieces, as well as my brother, but so far, I’m still waiting on some photographs from some of them.

I started this about six years ago, I’m guessing, used my Family Tree program to tell me when everyone’s birthday was, then played with my Paint Shop Pro program to make collages out of smaller photos. (After seeing some of the Photoshop creations on some of the blogs, though, I realize I need Photoshop and some remedial training!)

For my great-niece, who is photographing and  journaling the family vacations each year, I’m tempted to get her  a book to help her chronicle each trip

And one gift that I’d planned to give this Christmas I won’t get done because I didn’t plan far enough ahead.  I wanted to make each of my two granddaughter’s a small 8 X 8 (or thereabouts) picture book, and call it “Jordyn Savannah and the People Who Love Her” and “Chloy Celyse and the People Who Love Her”. 

I’ve spent several hours on the computer already sorting photographs, and should have already gone through my 35 mm ones, so it has become a bigger project than I originally planned, but the girls both have birthdays in July, so I’ll make them birthday gifts instead!

There are several option to publish, Heritage Makers or Missy Corley’s Creative Memories site at http://baysideresearch.wordpress.com/, or get Photoshop,  print it myself or have them bound at Kinko’s.

I’ve written up several of my mother’s memories, too, and need to get back to editing and consolidating them into one story, and also asking more questions in some areas.

Mom and I have also been going through old photographs that we missed at other times and are trying to put names on them.  There are quite a few that were given to her some time back that I don’t believe she ever knew who they were.  (note to self – finish putting names and dates on all my own photos!)

My number one genealogy gift for her and I both, though, would be to know who her great-grandfather is, and that would break down my brick wall as well!

Merry Christmas!
Sherry