Christmas music all day everyday. It’s December 2016 and the local radio station I listen to in the car had started playing holiday tunes early in November.
Sometimes in the past month I’d been humming along and other times I’ve tuned out. What caught me by surprise yesterday was where my memories meandered to while hearing one familiar song, Home for the Holidays.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFHLo93kwHQ
That’s what led me to this month’s JOTTINGS TIP:
FOLLOW A TUNE TO THE STORY 🎵📝
When I heard Perry Como crooning out the lyrics about a man from Tennessee (where I grew up, by the way) heading to Pennsylvania for some homemade pumpkin pie, my first thought was well, that’s not my family. We certainly enjoyed our pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving but at Christmas it was apple pie crumble all the way.
Wait a minute…there WAS that fruitcake that Dad ordered every year from the neighbor friend of his who belonged to a men’s club that sold them as a fundraiser with proceeds going to local families’ Christmases. Good cause, and Dad liked the taste even if he was alone in that.
Meandering memory to another annual holiday purchase of Dad’s: bags and bags of whole pecans. Mom’s recipe for my favorite Christmas treat, pecan balls dusted with powdered sugar, required chopped pecans.
One of my earliest memories was sitting on the kitchen floor tapping the red ball into the measuring cup where the blade would safely do its chopping. Remember that kitchen gadget? Even my 2 year old self could contribute to the yumminess that was soon on its way to our family’s bellies!
I arrived at my daughter’s house as the radio was playing the next Christmas carol and WHAT do you suppose was there on the kitchen counter?
A snowflake plate of pecan balls made the night before from HER version of the recipe that’s being passed down to another generation!
I’m sure I passed on Mom’s holiday recipes to her when she was a newlywed, but I bet I’ve never told her these and other stories that go along with them.
Time for jotting down those stories (and other Christmas moments that matter) and to start sharing them so they won’t be forgotten!
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I’d love to support you in following a tune to your family’s stories that are waiting to be captured. They may not have anything to do with the holidays or the actual song that first catches your attention. That just may be what opens up the flow of your memories.
Oh, what fun it is to…follow the meandering and see where you find yourself!
Let’s give it a try and see how that feels…right after we enjoy a few more Christmas tunes and goodies!
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JOYfully jotting,
Katie
Family PhotoStory Curator
Mini-Stories Writing Coach
Your Legacy of Memories Mentor
Capturing Mini-Moments that Matter…
Energizing & Connecting Families for Generations!