How to Gather Family Thanksgiving Stories

Thanksgiving is the time for families to come together, put differences aside and celebrate the good things in life. It is a time to share memories and to remember loved ones. It is a great opportunity to gather family Thanksgiving stories with everyone in one place. Read on to learn how to gather family Thanksgiving stories.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Acquire a recording device. Determine if you want your memories shared on video or with audio. To be able to easily edit and produce CDs or DVDs for your family, digital recording devices will be most effective.

2. Announce your project ahead of time. By letting everyone know your plan for the day, they will be more apt to have memories and recollections at hand and be prepared to share them.

3. Record your relatives' stories. On the day of your Thanksgiving feast, record your relatives' memories. Locate a quiet area away from the crowd and be prepared to ask questions to prompt them to share more. Ask them to share other details about their memories. The smells, colors and sounds are all important to the story.

4. Record random clips of sound or video for inclusion. To complete the CD or DVD, the sights and/or sounds from your Thanksgiving feast should be represented. At various points through the day, record your relatives in candid moments.

5. Edit the interviews. Cut out your questions so that it is just your relative talking. Attempt to omit any "ums" or "ahs" throughout their interviews. If they misspoke during their interview, try to edit this out, as well.

6. Weave your interviews together. By using the random clips as transitional pieces, put your edited interviews in an order that makes sense according to the subject matter.

7. Reproduce the finished product. Burn additional DVDs or CDs for everyone who was present at your Thanksgiving feast. Burn additional DVDs or CDs for other family members. These can be used for gifts or just be given as a memory.