We’re all doing it – “making a list, checking it twice….” Names of loved ones are noted so we will not forget anyone. Tasks are enumerated so we will not forget anything.
Preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ reminds us of the sacred gifts that we have been given: our Savior, His gospel, and our lives. In similitude of Our Father’s gifts to those He loves, we give gifts to those we love. It is a joyful tradition that transcends race, ethnicity and culture.
It’s that time of year to remember those we love.
It’s that time of year to focus on family and friends.
It’s that time of year to reflect on what matters most.
As Christmas Day nears and preparations intensify, we may pause and think of a loved one who has passed on. However, those moments are fleeting: there’s simply too much to do in the present to think about the past.
But if it were not for those in our past, there would be no one in our present. Indeed, there would not even be us! Second only to our Heavenly Father’s gifts, our ancestors gave us the one most precious: mortal life.
Yet our ancestors are not found on our Christmas lists. They are the forgotten of the season. But this need not be. We can write down their names and give them the gifts that matter most.
The gift of remembering can be as simple as preparing and sharing a favorite recipe of Grandma’s, telling a story about Grandpa, or nestling an old family portrait on the Christmas dinner buffet table.
Uploading a photograph of a deceased ancestor to FamilySearch Family Tree allows us to focus solely on that individual. With a picture on his/her individual page, we know that descendants will be able to put a face with a name, look into his/her eyes, and thus feel a special connection.
We can spend a few minutes reflecting on an ancestor’s life and writing a paragraph or two, which can then be uploaded to his/her Memories page on FamilySearch Family Tree. Perhaps we have found an obituary, a story in the newspaper, a letter or a diary entry that we can transcribe and upload. These snippets of life put “meat on the bones” and reveal our ancestor’s personality, talents, occupation or characteristics.
My ancestral gift this Christmas will be to transcribe this “society page” article in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle of April 5, 1946, and attach it to the Memories page of all those who are mentioned in it. These people include my grandmother, my mother, several aunts and collateral line relatives. I was ecstatic to find this gem that captured a special family moment in time, and I want to be sure it will be preserved for all generations.
For me, the spirit of Christmas is remembering Jesus Christ, focusing on His life, and reflecting on His mission and teachings. It is also giving these three gifts to my loved ones, both mortal and immortal. In some future day, I will join my ancestors to celebrate Christmas in heaven. I hope that I will not then be among the forgotten of the season.
Carol Kostakos Petranek is a Co-Director of the Washington DC Family History Center, a FamilySearch Volunteer Coordinator, and a Citizen Archivist at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
