We finally have the doctrine, the temples, and the technology for families to accomplish this glorious work of salvation. I suggest one way this might be done. Families could hold a “Family Tree Gathering.” This should be a recurring effort. Everyone would bring existing family histories, stories, and photos, including cherished possessions of grandparents and parents. Our young people are excited to learn about the lives of family members—where they came from and how they lived. Many have had their hearts turned to the fathers. They love the stories and photos, and they have the technological expertise to scan and upload these stories and photos to Family Tree and connect source documents with ancestors to preserve these for all time. Of course, the main objective is to determine what ordinances still need to be done and make assignments for the essential temple work.”

Roots and Branches – April 2014
Elder Quentin L. Cook

I came across this conference talk recently and was giddy with excitement. Here is an apostle of the Lord, Elder Cook, “suggesting” we hold a recurring family tree gathering; A.K.A family party! I am always up for a fun family party and time with the people I love the most. So, I wanted to provide some resources and tips to make this simple, smooth, and easy to create in your own home with your family.

Questions to consider while planning:

1. Do you want to gather with your immediate family or is there family near you (or coming for a visit) who would enjoy joining you?
2. Do you want to mail, e-mail, or hand-out invitations? Even your kids will love receiving an invitation! (Check out the bottom of this post for a FREE printable invitation that you can use)
3. Do you want it to be structured or more of an open house feel?
4. Do you want to do food or no food?
5. How can you display some of your photos and family heirlooms?
6. How can you make this personal and meaningful to each of your family members?

Ideas for what to gather:

1. Look through an old memory/keep sake box to find:
   Old year books
   Scrapbooks
   Childhood artwork/projects or papers from school years
   Wedding photos
   Baby books
   Missionary journals
   Pictures
   Letters/ cards             
2. Gather heirlooms from your home or borrow some from family
3. Find family recipes from parents/grandparents or cook a tradition meal from the country where your ancestors lived.
4. Gather photos, family history books, videos, old journals, etc.
5. Print off stories and photos from Family Search
6. Collect any temple cards you might have to share
7. Print and display a family fan chart so people can see what family history work has been done and what is left to do. Link for instructions-https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/printing-fan-chart/

Putting it all together:

Once you have compiled your things, find a way to display them around the room. Have some little blank cards available for people to write down information about the heirlooms they brought.

You might consider making time for people to gather and share some of their own stories or read a story from your ancestors. You could watch family videos together or have them playing in the background while family visits, eats, and looks around. Or plan a favorite family game together.

A suggestion from my own experience doing a family tree gathering is to be careful not to plan too many things. Plan two activities tops. Maybe watch some family videos and have your kids do a skit of a family story, or have a short story sharing time and finish off with a favorite family game together. In my desire to fit in too many things I felt like there wasn’t as much time for people to visit and explore all the heirlooms and family books I had out. Plan some time to just let people sit and look at all the family memories and stories you have gathered. To sit in small groups and share these discoveries together or jump on the laptop and look through Family Search.  

The MOST important thing is to remember to enjoy yourself and let things happen as they happen. I promise that through your efforts to be involved in family history work the spirit will guide and direct this event to help each person feel connected, loved, and inspired. Just sit back and watch the miracles that come from family history work!

Tips for including young kids

• Have them display a few important items in their life right now around the room
• Have some prompts ready to help them share their own stories. For example: What is your favorite memory of grandma/grandpa’s house? What is your favorite family tradition? Tell us a time when you’ve learned an important lesson?
• Share a family story with them beforehand that they can tell at the gathering
• Create coloring pages of ancestors for them to color. Here is an example at Family Locket: https://familylocket.com/ancestor-coloring-page/
• Help your children put together a short play about an ancestor’s story to perform
• Family videos are always a hit with the littles!

Tips for including teens

• Have your kids look through their old journals and find a memory to share
• Assign them to look through Family Search, an old family book, or call a relative and bring a story they can share during the family gathering. Make it a little more exciting and have them think of a creative way to share like a drawing, poster, or simple PowerPoint presentation.
• Cook the food together beforehand and talk about the ancestor who started the recipe
• Tell stories around an outdoor fire pit while you roast marshmallows
• Have a few laptops or tablets out for them to jump on and explore Family Search

Wrapping it up

When everything is done, think of a way to preserve the great stories and memories shared during the family tree gathering so your children can visit them again and again. I added the stories, pictures, and fan chart to a 3-ring binder. I included a few pictures of the event I took, including pictures of the family heirlooms (remember to label these!). I also wrote out the family recipes we used and typed out some stories my parents had shared from their childhood to include. You may want to consider recording some of the stories shared on your phone to help you type them up later.

I loved doing a family gathering with my family! I was so surprised to find my mom had all these fun German recipes her grandma made that we got to try.

Watching old family videos brought back so many great memories from my childhood that we got to laugh about together. We got to hear about my father’s first spiritual experience as a child and read through my mom’s childhood report cards (apparently she was a talker 😊). We shared a story of my 3^rd great-grandpa who was friends with Joseph Smith and helped save him from an angry mob (how cool is that!). I was even surprised to find one of my old dolls and childhood sticker book collection. My kids were fascinated by the stickers and all the cartoon characters popular when I was a kid. I am just so excited to do another one in a few months and keep up this tradition of GATHERING.

I would love to have you try your own Family Tree Gathering. Below we have a FREE printable invitation that you can use for your gathering. It is available as a full page printable or a double-sided 1/4 page printable. We would love to hear your successes and great ideas. Comment here on the blog or on our Instagram account @seasonforfamily to share your own Family Tree Gathering ideas!

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