By Elizabeth Carey, www.ballooningnesteggs.com

Arrange a Skype date with a cousin so that your niece or nephew can interview him or her about what life in the family is like from his or her point of view. What do they do in the morning? Where do they eat their meals, and what is for dessert? What do they do on the weekends, in the summer, or at bedtime? Do they have any silly yearly traditions? In a spiral-bound journal or sketchbook, let your niece or nephew write the story and illustrate it using anything from pencils to magazine or newspaper clippings. Mail the notebook to another family member and ask that they too conduct an interview with an extended family member and write the story in the book—then pass it on. Try to include as many far-flung family members as possible. Once everyone’s story is in the family anthology, ask that it be mailed back to you. Make copies, and you’ve got an amazing holiday gift for everyone in your clan.

Photo: twobee
Published: November 27, 2012