Preserving Gratitude and Stories at Thanksgiving: A Family Legacy

Celebrations of the Thanksgiving holiday might be a great time and place to preserve some of your family’s history and stories. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a stark reminder that life is precious and that life events can hit hard at any time. For the first time since 2019, multi-generational families can gather around the table to share a festive meal together. Thanksgiving dinner sets the perfect scene for conversation, laughter, and most importantly– storytelling.

Breaking bread together is one of the oldest and most fundamental unifying human experiences. In today’s divisive political climate, reaching that unified feeling might be challenging, but keeping our family close is more important than ever. Being with our elders, as the living links to our ancestors help us understand the values we share and our own family’s history.

Recalling memories, reminiscing, and storytelling with our family members is so important. Doing so helps solidify our bonds and give us glimpses into our loved ones’ lives and personalities, from the time before we were born. This presents a golden opportunity to record what will become treasured archives of communication with your elderly loved ones.

Some families also share in the ritual at the dinner table with everyone taking a turn sharing their gratitude(s). We have worked with special families who have on an annual basis, placed a recording device on their table to record conversation for major milestone events: big family vacations/trips, holiday meals, birthday/anniversary celebrations. The hours of recordings become cherished archives, often once the elder has passed on.

How to do it… Technology Tips

Does an audio recording using your mobile phone’s voice memo function suit your family best? A smartphone can unobtrusively sit on the table (helps with the shy folk!), as close as possible to the speaker. You may want to test your microphone range, as it might work best from the middle of the table, if there is not too much surrounding noise. I recommend stopping and restarting the recording between speakers, when possible. It will be easier to share, listen to and even edit recordings if they’re shorter rather than longer.

You could also choose to video record, capturing expressions and gestures – even other family members’ reactions – as loved ones share their stories. Setting up your mobile phone or IPad/tablet on a small tripod (easily available on Amazon.com—some even come with lighting attached), helps avoid camera shake and lets the recorder feel a sense of importance. Once again, try to stop and start between storytellers for easier sharing and better file management (i.e., you can title your files/folders by family member name or story being told).

Lastly, do keep these precious recordings from living solely on your device or in your cloud storage. Sharing these files so other family members can have access is a good habit. Do you have a family WhatsApp chat? A private family Facebook group? Or any other preferred way to share files? Uploading them ensures others have access and they can replay the recordings to enjoy the joy, laughter, or maybe even tears, that were shared.

Starting and recording these legacy-preserving conversations can make our usual Thanksgiving experience and elevate it to one of the most meaningful and unforgettable family celebrations yet. Why wait? Please make 2022 the first story archiving year for your family!

Need help getting the conversation started or directing it? Here are our top five recommended questions to get and keep the conversation going.

• Tell me about your childhood or biggest highlight in your childhood years.
• Tell me about the traditions that have been passed down through our family. How did they get started?
• What are your most vivid memories of school?
• How did you meet your spouse?
• What wisdom or advice would you like to share with future generations?