October
Honor your ancestors. November 1 and 2 is the Mexican holiday of Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. This holiday celebrates the lives of friends and family who have died by remembering and honoring them. One of the traditions to remember those who have died is to set up a home alter called an ofrenda. The ofrenda consists of photos, memorabilia, and favorite foods of the departed. Leading up to Día de los Muertos, during the month of October, honor your ancestors by setting up an ofrenda in your home. This could be as simple as displaying your ancestor’s picture or you can expand it to include their favorite candies and other items you remember them by.
For children, watch Disney/Pixar’s Coco as an introduction to Día de los Muertos and discuss what jobs their ancestors had. Maybe your ancestors made shoes or became a famous singer who was crushed by a bell.
September
Share an activity from a previous month with a neighbor or friend. Take an activity from the previous months and share what you have learned about your family with a neighbor. Remember that you can get a leaf from any temple and family history consultant for any past activities completed.
August
Record and share a story. Use the Memories app or familysearch.org/memories to record a story in audio or typed format. This could be a story from your childhood, how you met your spouse, what life was like during the pandemic, a story behind a recipe, or anything else from your life. Once you have the story recorded, share it with someone. Share your story with younger children and see how your experiences differ.
July
Find and share a story of a pioneer ancestor. Search in FamilySearch for an ancestor who may have crossed the plains, traveled from another country, or pioneered in a way of their own. If you need a helping start, navigate to familysearch.org/campaign/pioneers to see the pioneers on your family tree.
June
Add a memory to your family tree. Memories help us become more connected with our ancestors and can leave impressions for generations to come. A memory can be a picture, an audio recording, a scan of a document, or a typed story. Go to familysearch.org/memories or download the FamilySearch Memories app on your mobile phone. When adding a memory, make sure to tag the person in your family tree so others can easily find it. For younger children, record their voice and save it to their record. Do the same thing next year to hear how their voice has changed.
May
Navigate your web browser to familysearch.org/blog. The FamilySearch Blog regularly adds updates on new features, new records, and family history discovery tips. Take a look at some blog posts that interest you and share them with your family. You can find posts about how to best preserve photos, meaningful activities to do for Mother’s Day, recipes from different countries, find your way to UK royalty, and much more.
April
Invite someone to the Saratoga Springs Temple Open House. The open house for the new Saratoga Springs temple is happening now through July 8. Invite a neighbor, friend, or relative to attend the open house with you. Reservations are recommended and can be obtained here.
March
Tie your family together like strings on a kite. Open FamilySearch and add living relatives including siblings, children, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. You will do this with the Create New Person option in your family tree. For younger children, take their picture and add it as their picture on your family tree.
February
Open your Valentine’s heart and connect to those you love. If you are single, open FamilySearch and see if you are connected to your parents, grandparents, and beyond. If you are married, see if you are connected to your spouse. When you are really connected to your spouse, you will be able to see their family tree alongside your own. If you need any assistance connecting to your spouse, reach out to a member of the Temple and Family History Committee. For younger children, take the time to explain a story of love that you have about one of your relatives.
January
Login to FamilySearch.org. FamilySearch uses the same account you use for Church websites. If you need assistance setting up an account, contact a member of the Temple and Family History committee. Anyone aged 8 and above can have an account. For younger children, there is still a chance for them to participate in each month’s goal. For the month of January, after you log in, take a look around the webpage with them and see what you can find. See a member of the Temple and Family History committee for a leaf for our tree.
As an added bonus, once logged into FamilySearch, register for RootsTech by clicking the link to Learn More on the homepage. RootsTech is a family history conference with hundreds of classes to help you connect to your ancestors. The virtual conference is on-demand starting on March 2nd. See a member of the Temple and Family History committee for a leaf for our tree.