Present them with a family memoir. A memoir is like a biography or autobiography. It’s a way for family members to get to know their siblings and their ancestors and to pass along stories behind the stories such as why “the plates are cold.”

I had an opportunity to live with my maternal grandmother for a short time just before she passed away. She was anxious to talk and she was probably thinking a lot about her youth. I regret, now, that I wasn’t more attentive to her and asked her more probing questions. I wish I had recorded what she had to say.

The same is true of my mother and of the many members of the rest of my family.

So for Christmas this year, why not give a gift that the whole family can enjoy for generations? Give the gift of memories.

You can do this by having the extended family share their recollections, no matter in what part of the country they reside. There are many ways this could be done. This is only an idea for one, very easy way and might help to get your creative juices flowing.

Have a family teleconference and have it recorded, then transcribed. Using one of the many free conferencing services, the conference itself would be free except for long distance charges incurred by the callers. The recording can even be done free.

Designate a host. It could be a member of the family or it could be an outsider who would be primed with questions to lead the family members in an agreed-upon direction.

For example, have an older sibling of your parent as the authority or guest, then have your cousins and other members of the extended family participate in the teleconference. You might even want to invite an old family friend who could contribute.

Agree upon a topic. It might be what was my mother/father like when you were children? Was my parent easy to get along with? Or pick a particular year or a specific happening, such as holidays, summer vacations, clothes, education, etc.

The topic could even be general and everyone gets to ask questions: What kinds of clothes did you wear? What was a favorite activity? What were favorite meals, drinks, desserts, snacks, picnics? What kind of school did you attend? What kind of toys did you have and what were your favorites? Where did you go for vacation and what was your favorite? What were some of the family traditions for the holidays? Did you play tricks on each other and what was the worst that my parent did?

Once the recording is finished, it is easy and inexpensive to duplicate as many copies as needed. Have the audio transcribed and copies of the audio and transcription can be given to each of the family members. The only costs other than the long-distance phone charges, would be the cost to duplicate the CDs, the cost to transcribe the audio, the cost to print the transcription, and the cost of a host if you use a host. It would be good to include some family photos provided by those who participate.

This same gift idea can be used for other occasions and given to friends, neighbors, co-workers, a gift to expectant parents. Use the idea for weddings, class reunions, family reunions, anniversaries, graduations, significant birthdays. Gather a group together to reminisce about a person who is having a significant birthday (like one of those that ends in a zero or a 5).

Use the idea to plan an event, such as family reunions or holiday dinners.

I once did a transcription for a company which was morphing drastically from its beginnings and some of the original personnel were getting older. In this case, instead of using the telephone, they got together and reminisced about what it had been like to be a part of a “baby” company and to see it grow into a successful giant.

So, it’s the end of August and you don’t usually think of Christmas gifts? Perhaps these ideas will get you to thinking and you can start planning for the family Christmas gift now.

Shenzhen is on the coast about an hours drive from Hong Kong. Before 1985 most of these products were mass produced in Taiwan and Hong Kong where the labor was cheap and ports were easily accessible. Taiwan and Hong Kong were not under the strict communist rule of China. By 1985 Taiwan and Hong Kong had developed into huge exporters and their local labor costs had increased. They started looking for a place nearby to ship materials to for assembly by cheaper workers. At the same time China was moving away from communism and setting up special economic zones. These zones welcomed foreign investment and setup industrial parks to attract them. Consequently, Hong Kong and Taiwanese companies started producing Christmas products in Shenzhen. The growth in exports from Shenzhen over the last 20 years has been huge. About 80% of the factories are owned by Hong Kong companies and the other 20% by companies from Taiwan.

Worker conditions in these factories are poor. The workers toil 12 hours a day six to seven days a week for a monthly salary of $100 to $125. The floors are concrete and little money has been invested into proper work tables, work table height, etc. Many workers are available as they come in from the provinces where they farmed for much less.

Most of these artificial Christmas trees and Christmas wreaths are made from metals and plastics. The plastic material used predominantly is PVC – polyvinyl chloride. When PVC is manufactured it creates and disperses dioxin into the environment which is one of the most toxic man made chemicals. Dioxins enter the food chain through air or water and accumulate in fatty tissues of animals and humans where they can cause cancer, damage the immune system and impair children’s development. Also PVC is often stabilized with lead which is a carcinogen and also associated with neurological damage. Lead is used in PVC because it makes the plastic more flexible which is beneficial in the wires and cords. It is also used to stabilize the color. Over time the lead in the PVC product can disintegrate into lead laced dust.

Most people purchase artificial Christmas trees and wreaths because they make less mess, they’re cheaper over time and convenient. Consumers should be aware of the dangers of the materials used in these products and the environmental damage done when these materials are manufactured as well as the conditions of the workers producing them. Purchasing fresh Maine balsam fir Christmas wreaths is the environmentally friendly choice and it sure smells a lot better than plastic too.