One of the most rewarding ways to use your outdoor living space is to gather your family members for a reunion. Perhaps it’s a small group that gets together annually, or a large one whose far-flung members attend every two or five or even 10 years. Whether large or small, a reunion is a wonderful opportunity to knit families closer together through shared stories.

In the much-underrated 1990 film Avalon, a Russian immigrant to 1940s America relates the disintegration of his family ties. In his young manhood, his children gathered at the feet of older relatives during family gatherings and listened to tales of their heritage and history. As television took hold of society in the late ’50s, children and adults alike opted for the entertainment of television personalities, instead of the stories of their roots.

But just as the art of listening to stories has gone by the wayside, so has the art of telling them. Here’s how to re-start a tradition of storytelling at your family reunion.

Advise all who will be attending that there will be an opportunity to tell some stories about the family, and let them know you’d love to hear them share something. Especially encourage older ones to think about their children when they were young, their own childhood, or even stories they may remember from their parents. With only a little effort, you can be hearing about things that happened over a century ago.

Have some questions prepared to start the ball rolling. “Where did your family go on vacation when your children were small?” “How did you and Grandpa meet?” “What’s the funniest thing one of your children ever did?” “How did you manage through tough times?”

Encourage storytellers to use descriptions that will engage all of the senses. Was the thunder rolling in the distance just before the downpour when Grandma and Grandpa bumped into each other running for cover? Did the scent of the lilacs in Aunt Ellen’s garden waft in through her kitchen window? Was there a cool breeze on the beach near the family vacation campsite? Did the sun sparkle off the snow on the mid-winter drive to Uncle Max’s? Was the strawberry jam your mom made the sweetest you ever tasted? Use touch, smell and taste as well as sight and sound to bring the scene to life for listeners.

The best stories have a point. “That’s when I first learned how important it is to be on time.” “If it hadn’t rained that day, we might never have met, and most of you would never have been born!” It doesn’t have to be profound, but be prepared to help your tellers wrap up their stories with a short statement of its significance.

Get the younger ones involved too — perhaps you can encourage them to be official family historians who will record the stories. If there’s a group, give them papers and drawing materials and ask them to make pictures of the scenes they will hear unfold. You can have the older ones label the drawings and then gather them together with ribbon. Each family can take home their personal family album.

If there are old photographs that support an account, or a time period, mount these in archive quality materials and display them in a shady spot or pass them around while the story is being told. Use other mementos as well. Your great-grandfather’s railroad watch that he wore to work every day for 45 years, or a playbill from your first date will help bring life to the accounts of those special times. So gather your loved ones on your porch or patio and make some memories while you start a storytelling tradition

About The Author
Debbie Rodgers, the haven maven, owns and operates Paradise Porch, and is dedicated to helping people create outdoor living spaces that nurture and enrich them. Her latest how-to guide “Attracting Butterflies to Your Home and Garden” is now available on her web site. Visit her at www.paradiseporch.com and get a free report on “Eight easy ways to create privacy in your outdoor space”.

Time-Honored, Updated Tradition
Sending out photo birth announcements doesn’t have to cost you an arm and leg these days. There’s a great selection of pre-made templates and paper bonds currently available that can help you easily design your baby’s photo birth announcements. Similar to the traditional types that were used to introduce our own nativity, but updated with highly-creative patterns and layouts, it’s really as simple as 1-2-3 to print announcements from the comfort and convenience of your own home. Most kits even include matching envelopes and are so stylish in design that they can actually be framed and sent to friends and family and serve double duty as not only a photo birth announcement, but a gift from the heart as well.

Wearable Photo Birth Announcements
Yep, we said wearable – as in jewelry that is. Did you know that you can actually have your baby’s photo turned into a birth announcement charm that can be added to a bracelet or worn on a chain? What a creative way for not only you, but friends and family to show off the newest little addition to your clan. Perfect for grandmothers, aunts, godmothers, and close friends, a birth photo announcement charm is the perfect keepsake for those special people in your baby’s life. The back of the photo charm can be engraved with your baby’s name and birth date and is not only one of the newest unique ways to celebrate your precious one’s birth, but something that can be worn and cherished throughout time.

Birth Photo Announcement Memento Boxes
A memento box embellished with your baby’s birth announcement photo is one more creative way to introduce your little one to friends and family. Stylish and functional, a photo birth announcement memento box is great for a desk or dressing table and can be the perfect keepsake to hold precious items as it also provides a smile every time it’s looked upon and utilized by its recipient.

More Creative Photo Birth Announcement Ideas
Everyday items like a cute key fob or magnet that incorporates a baby’s picture are just a couple more unique and useful means of sending out photo birth announcements.

Prices for these types of announcements vary depending upon which option you choose, but most are very economical and provide a wonderful means of creating something that will not only celebrate the birth of your new baby, but also serve as a unique keepsake that will be treasured for years to come.