Christmas Greetings from Katherine

I posted this on my Facebook Page today but then decided that it is worthy of a blog post.

Delivered to Carey Bay

In my mailbox today. Thanks to genimate Katherine R. Willson for the beautiful homemade Christmas card that arrived downunder today. As a labour of love Katherine creates over 400 handmade cards which she mails to genies all around the world. I am thrilled to have received one of these artworks.

If you don't know Katherine, a professional genealogist from Michigan, she is one of the powerhouses behind The Virtual Genealogy Association, https://virtualgenealogy.org/, of which I am a proud member. Katherine also produces the free list of Genealogical and Historical Groups on Facebook, https://moonswings.files.wordpress.com/…/genealogy-on-faceb….

You can read more about Katherine on her website, https://socialmediagenealogy.com/.

Trove Tuesday - Fifties Carols

I have recently been to several end of year celebrations featuring Christmas music these ranged from a traditional Anglican Festival of Lessons and Carols to an outdoor community singalong under the stars and a preschool Christmas concert. On my trips to the shops I have also been assaulted by Christmas music whenever I visit.

As a child I remember singing carols at school, hearing Christmas music on the radio and listening to Bing Crosby singing about a White Christmas on our record player but I cannot remember ever attending a function devoted to Christmas Music. Of course we sang a few carols at Midnight Mass. I turned to Trove to see what was going on when I was a youngster in the 1950s.

It was pleasing to find that carols were being sung in public all over the nation.

1950 - Emerald, Victoria

1950 'ST. LUKE'S CHURCH OF ENGLAND', Record (Emerald Hill, Vic. : 1881 - 1954), 16 December, p. 5. , viewed 12 Dec 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article164501056

1951 - Tasmania

1951 'CHRISTMAS CAROLS', North-Eastern Advertiser (Scottsdale, Tas. : 1909 - 1954), 14 December, p. 7. , viewed 12 Dec 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article149413982

1952 - Port Augusta, S.A.

1952 'Port Augusta Carols December 21', The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954), 3 December, p. 5. , viewed 12 Dec 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47516398

1953 - Queensland

1953 'CAROLS BY MOONLIGHT', Pittsworth Sentinel (Qld. : 1919 - 1954), 3 November, p. 3. , viewed 12 Dec 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article198512847

1954 - Maitland, NSW

1954 'Maitland 'Carols' On December 17', Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954), 22 October, p. 10. , viewed 12 Dec 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article134094984

I also discovered that Carols were being sung in the Domain in Sydney in 1950.

1950 'Carols By Candlelight', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 15 December, p. 7. , viewed 12 Dec 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18191555

Christmas Chronicle

As November draws to a close Mr GeniAus asked me what I am going to do about Christmas cards and the annual epistle this year. I thought that I'd prune down the Christmas card list and forget about accompanying letter.

Then my son who is a doctor called me. He is very serious about respecting the confidentiality of his patients but, if the patient says to say hello to your parents, then he tells us. And so the phone call went "Guess who I saw today?" and my response was "I don't know". The next clue was that it was a lady who loves getting our annual Christmas letter. Another clue and I said "Was it Barbara?".

This elderly friend of my late mother-in-law told my son how much she enjoyed getting our newsletter and keeping up with the news of my husband (whom she has known for 50+ years) and his family. Other recipients of our letters over the years have expressed similar sentiments.

So the answer is "Yes Barbara, there is a Santa Letter". I just have to write it

A search of my blog archives reveals that I have written on this subject several times. I am resharing two of those posts below.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2010

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories 2010 - December 4 - Christmas Cards

Enclosed with my Christmas cards for the last ten years or so has been a family Christmas letter in which I summarise the hatches, matches, dispatches, trials and triumphs of immediate family members. I have heard people scoff at these annual epistles by calling them "brag bulletins" and other derogatory names. To these people I say "Bah, Humbug".

When I look back at my collection of Christmas Letters I find that I have a neat summary of important family events for the last decade. If I continue the practice for another couple of decades I will have a rich resource to pass on to future generations who may not be simply interested in the dry Birth, Death and Marriage facts in my family tree but in our activities.

I must admit to not fully reading some of the Christmas letters I get as they are just too long. I love hearing of the doings of other families but prefer an "executive summary" rather than a novel. I edit, edit and edit again and make sure that my letter is no more than an A4 page in a font size that is readable.

As it's now 4th December I must away, reflect on the past year and write my Christmas Chronicle".

This post was written for the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2011

Christmas Newsletters - Trash or Treasure?

As we will be overseas before Christmas I am thinking of what I can do so that when I return, on December 23rd, I will be prepared for the Yuletide festivities. I write an annual Christmas letter (never more than one A4 page) so I can make a start on that. Elderly aunts and old neighbours tell me that they enjoy reading it each year

I just spotted this post in an online forum "Does anybody get those annoying Christmas letters EVERY YEAR EVERY DETAIL of the families history???...I dont even read them anymore I just trash them."


Trash them? As the writer unwittingly said they contain details of a family's history.They are precious resources for future generations Sure people brag about how clever their kids are but they also convey news of hatches, matches and dispatches and other family milestones. There is no way I would trash these epistles that give a potted (but often skewed towards the positive) history of a family's events during that year.


For those newsletters that come from  family I record the details of births, deaths and marriages that I glean from them into my genealogy database. I then file them in my family history files in the author's file. I have over ten years of newsletters from one cousin's family that when read sequentially tell a beautiful story, warts and all. She is not into genealogy but one day her descendants may be; there may be nowhere else that this story is recorded for these youngsters. I am pleased that I can curate this collection for the future.

Do you send out a Christmas letter? Do you enjoy reading them? Are they trash or treasure?

Trove Tuesday - Trifling Certificates

This past week has seen me with a case of Writers' Cramp as I have prepared our Christmas cards ready for posting.  Of course that got me thinking about Christmas cards in Australia so I popped over to Trove to see what I could find.

"Christmas Cards

Christmas cards are a modern institution. The first genuine Christmas card was sent in 1844, and it is believed the sender was W. E. Dobson, R.A. He had a friend from whom, he had received certain courtesies of which he desired to show some especial appreciation. The time was Christmas. So, after some thought, he made a sketch symbolising the spirit of the festive season and posted it to his friend. The sketch was done on a piece of Bristol board about twice the size of the modern letter-card. ' It depicted a family group toasting absent friend among appropriate sur \"roundings.From this small beginning the idea, now so largely utilised, and constituting such a vast industry, was developed." Source: 1938 'Christmas Cards.', Kalgoorlie Miner (WA : 1895 - 1950), 6 December, p. 3, viewed 10 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article87495932

1882

"Christmas Cards.

THE Christmas cards grow more and more beautiful every year. We have received some from Messrs. Dunn and Collins, which, for richness of execution and design, excel anything ever before seen. They are elaborate works of art." Source: 1882 'Christmas Cards.', Melbourne Punch (Vic. : 1855 - 1900), 26 October, p. 8, viewed 10 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article174557875

1883

1883 'CHRISTMAS CARDS.', Illustrated Sydney News(NSW : 1881 - 1894), 24 November, p. 7, viewed 10 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64035093
1913

"PERSONAL CHRISTMAS CARDS. That is your name and address with any greeting you desire neatly printed on each card. This makes your Christmas greeting a direct personal message to your friend or relation. It is the latest mode of sending a greeting and the cost is very trifling. Samples at the "Gaz- ettes" General Printing Office, will be cheerfully shown, for the English mail orders must be executed at once.-Advt." Source: 1913 'PERSONAL CHRISTMAS CARDS.', West Gippsland Gazette (Warragul, Vic. : 1898 - 1930) , 11 November, p. 2 Edition: MORNING., viewed 10 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article68666267

1934

1934 'CHRISTMAS CARDS.', Catholic Freeman's Journal(Sydney, NSW : 1933 - 1942), 13 December, p. 10, viewed 10 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article146411750

1940

1940 'CHRISTMAS CARDS.', The Macleay Chronicle(Kempsey, NSW : 1899 - 1952), 16 October, p. 4, viewed 10 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article173124799

1954

1952 'Christmas Cards.', The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), 20 December, p. 4, viewed 10 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27127852