Christmas time is such a beautiful time for making new memories and remembering the old. Because the holidays center so much around family, we can also focus our hearts on family who have gone before us. One way we have found of remembering is to put five generations of family pictures on our Christmas tree.  

Small picture frames that hold 2” x 3” pictures are easily found in craft stores and online shopping. Since the frames I bought were black, I strung them up outside and spray painted them the color I wanted. To get pictures to fit the frames, you can make a collage of four 2” x 3” pictures in a 4” x 6” format. Save, upload and print them at your local photo vendor and cut them to the size of your frames. Add a ribbon or ornament hook and place them on the tree. It is so nice to see our present and past family members each night when we turn the tree lights on. To lengthen the festivities, we make a winter tree of it after Christmas and leave the family pictures up to enjoy for another month.

There are so many ways to make family history part of your holiday tradition. This is just one way, but a few others can be found on the Family History Guide:

Giving the Gift of Family History

Crafting Christmas Memories with the Past and Present in Mind

Family History Christmas Gift Ideas

May your Christmas season be filled with the joy of new memories and the “happy golden days of yore.”

– Janet Helland, Stake Temple and Family History Consultant