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