Christmas is a great time to talk to older family members about their lives and memories. Make sure you have a pen and paper handy, or your phone with a recording option. Learn their stories before it’s too late.
Think ahead, what questions can I ask? What will engage the younger generation? Here are a couple I’ve experimented with:
What jobs did you have during the holidays?
I asked Dad about what jobs he’d done when he was young. Dad reeled off a list of weird farming jobs that no longer exist (or not in the same way) and the grandchildren were fascinated and asked for more details. Mum then volunteered that she was a tailoress in Toorak Village and went to modelling school - the granddaughters knew about the sewing but couldn’t get enough of her stories about the modelling.
What Christmas traditions did you have when you were young?
I asked Mum about her childhood Christmases. She told us all about how they would travel by train to her grandparents farm, and in wartime sit on soldier’s knees because there weren’t enough seats. She would watch her Nanna plucking the turkey in the scullery. The way they roasted the potatoes in all that fat just horrified the grandchildren now working in the medical field. But questions ensued about why there were coins in the Christmas pudding, and other foods that were on the table.
Other questions you could ask that might spark inter-generational interest are:
Tell us about where you went to school? What subjects were your favourite?
What sports or hobbies did you have?
Do you have any recipes passed down to you? Do you make them still?
Who was the oldest relative you remember meeting?
Were you ever mentioned in a newspaper? What about?
What were some of the early cars that you or your father had?
And best of all, it helps steer the conversation away from all those depressing topics no-one wants to discuss at Christmas.
What will you learn this Christmas?
Jackie van Bergen