Family History on Our Family Calendar

Here's the cover of this year's family calendar--no faces, but I assure you everyone was smiling at our summertime reunion.

Customizing a family calendar offers a great opportunity to capture family history in the making! Today's family activities are, after all, tomorrow's treasured memories.

The genealogy angle is that parents, grandparents, and other beloved relatives who have passed away aren't forgotten because we put many of their faces somewhere in the calendar. When recipients turn the calendar page and see faces they remember or can't quite place, the stories start to flow.

Last year's calendar had a special series of photos with my three nieces resting their heads on a favorite uncle's shoulder. The earliest photo was from 1990s, most recent photo from 2021, a reenactment of the first in the series. Fun! 

This is an easy project when using present layouts on major calendar websites. Our family prefers lots of photos but even a few photos per month will keep those memories alive for the future.

Family Calendar Fun for the Holidays

This is the third year I'm creating a photo-filled calendar for my extended family. For the 2009 calendar, nearly all the photos were taken in 2008. This year I'm including a few photos of "ancestors" as well. 

In all, each year's calendar has at least 90 photos; this year's total will reach 100. What a wonderful way to remember special family celebrations all year long and laugh again at funny photos of kids (of today and yesterday) in Halloween costumes, etc. Best of all, the calendar lists everybody's birthday and other special occasions, helping me remember when to send a card or call. 

Many commercial websites offer personalized photo calendars for sale. My best advice: Gather photos all year long so you can upload, arrange, and print in time for gifting to family. Updated 2022. 2023: Also note the discounts and sales available for various photo products. You're saving family history for the future!