We did that several years ago. We have home movies of my entire extended family (Dad was one of eight siblings and we have always remained close with my cousins.. and there are many, Irish Catholic ya know and the home movies continue to be a family tradition throughout) on disc set to music and also on thumb drives going all the way back to the 50s. I kept the tapes though too. Still have a working projector and a portable screen. The wife likes to give out copies to the nieces, nephews, cousins and grandkids as they get married. Its good to remember from whom and whence you came.
The wife is fascinated by my family because it is so huge and so close where her family was very small. We have a golf outing every year and last years had 70+ family members show up. Then everyone comes to my property and BBQ and drink and have a bonfire with smores and fireworks. If our ARs werent all at the bottom of the lake from the big boat disaster of aught nine thered be some shootin' too.
My grandmother's side of the family is/was pretty big, but she said back then they didn't really keep in touch once they married and moved on. My family on my mother's side were Irish & Italian, my father's side is English & Scottish. It's like it wasn't important to any of them to keep in touch or even to be close to family. When I was a teenager, I mentioned to my mother that it would be cool to have a family reunion with my grandmother's side of the family, and she told me it would never happen as they don't get along and my grandmother wouldn't want that. Later my grandmother told me that back then it wasn't really done to stay close to family. Maybe because she had 9 siblings, one or two died young (maybe in their 20's). I remember going over to one of my grandmother's sisters houses when I was little but don't remember much about it or of family. And my grandfather, he was never around when my mom was growing up, and I only remember seeing him maybe twice when I was little. My grandmother had to work in a laundromat and raise the kids pretty much alone as he wasn't around much. On father's side, I met his mom one time that I remember, and it was in passing. She came right up to me, making a lot of fuss over me and pinched my cheeks, when she walked away, I asked who that was, and father said it was your grandmother. He hated his mother with a passion. My father's dad, I didn't know or see much either.
I've only known more of my closer family circle, aunts, uncles, 1st (& some 2nd) cousins, but even them I don't speak to on any regular basis. But if visiting the areas where they live, we do visit with each other and have a nice time. I guess when you live far apart and living our lives, we get disconnected.
We did that several years ago. We have home movies of my entire extended family (Dad was one of eight siblings and we have always remained close with my cousins.. and there are many, Irish Catholic ya know and the home movies continue to be a family tradition throughout) on disc set to music and also on thumb drives going all the way back to the 50s. I kept the tapes though too. Still have a working projector and a portable screen. The wife likes to give out copies to the nieces, nephews, cousins and grandkids as they get married. Its good to remember from whom and whence you came.
The wife is fascinated by my family because it is so huge and so close where her family was very small. We have a golf outing every year and last years had 70+ family members show up. Then everyone comes to my property and BBQ and drink and have a bonfire with smores and fireworks. If our ARs werent all at the bottom of the lake from the big boat disaster of aught nine thered be some shootin' too.
That is so awesome! Wish my family was like that.
My grandmother's side of the family is/was pretty big, but she said back then they didn't really keep in touch once they married and moved on. My family on my mother's side were Irish & Italian, my father's side is English & Scottish. It's like it wasn't important to any of them to keep in touch or even to be close to family. When I was a teenager, I mentioned to my mother that it would be cool to have a family reunion with my grandmother's side of the family, and she told me it would never happen as they don't get along and my grandmother wouldn't want that. Later my grandmother told me that back then it wasn't really done to stay close to family. Maybe because she had 9 siblings, one or two died young (maybe in their 20's). I remember going over to one of my grandmother's sisters houses when I was little but don't remember much about it or of family. And my grandfather, he was never around when my mom was growing up, and I only remember seeing him maybe twice when I was little. My grandmother had to work in a laundromat and raise the kids pretty much alone as he wasn't around much. On father's side, I met his mom one time that I remember, and it was in passing. She came right up to me, making a lot of fuss over me and pinched my cheeks, when she walked away, I asked who that was, and father said it was your grandmother. He hated his mother with a passion. My father's dad, I didn't know or see much either.
I've only known more of my closer family circle, aunts, uncles, 1st (& some 2nd) cousins, but even them I don't speak to on any regular basis. But if visiting the areas where they live, we do visit with each other and have a nice time. I guess when you live far apart and living our lives, we get disconnected.