Advent Calendar - December 20, 2007

Christmas and Deceased Relatives

Did your family visit the cemetery at Christmas? How did your family honor deceased family members at Christmas?

Here is a brief summary of contributions from fellow bloggers and links to their individual posts:

At AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors, Miriam gives us Christmas and Deceased Relatives. While she doesn't visit family gravesites during the winter, she makes sure she thinks of grandparents and cousins and the memories of time spent together.

Becky presents Fond Memories... posted at kinexxions. She describes several family members who have passed on, their stories and memories, and how they worked to keep the family together.

In Cemetery Visits at Christmas at Creative Gene, Jasia has vivid memories of visiting family gravesites just before Christmas. She also describes various holiday tributes such as grave blankets and wreaths.

Read about a special Christmas gift from her departed Grandpa Berry as Apple presents Christmas and Deceased Relatives posted at Apple's Tree.

Although there was no family tradition of visiting graves during the holiday, in Aunt Maggie's visits Janet fondly recalls her aunt from up north. Read more about her aunt and the wealth of family information she left behind at Janet the researcher.

Stephen presents Visiting Mom's Grave posted at Steve's Genealogy Blog. He remembers visiting the cemetery that first time to see his mother's grave and the touching epitaph selected by his sister.

In Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi, Terry gives us I Hear the Bells on Christmas Day. He describes a favorite poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and how it sums up complex feelings of melancholy, nostalgia as well as hope around Christmas.

In Christmas and Deceased Realatives by Randy at Genea-Musings, he remembers visiting his grandparents' graves with his mother around Christmas. And when he says the prayer at Christmas Day dinner, he always mentions those that have gone on before.

At Destination: Austin Family, I rebroadcast a post entitled Death Doesn't Take a Holiday (originally posted right after Thanksgiving 2007). I describe how death in a way makes holidays and their memories all the more dear.

Diane offers us Christmas and Deceased Relatives at CanadaGenealogy, or 'Jane's Your Aunt'. While her family didn't have a formal practice of visiting the cemetery around Christmas, with all her memories of her relatives, it sounds like she may very well revive the practice of holiday visits.

Check back tomorrow for more submissions on the next topic: Christmas Music

Photo: This photo is used by permission from Wreaths Across America - a non-profit group that makes sure that veterans' graves are decorated for Christmas. Please give their website a visit.