I'm not quite sure what I was thinking at the time but I kept my Grandmother's and Mother's birthday books. 
Grandma got this one for Christmas from her sister in 1918. Grandma was 18 at the time. It is a record of more than just birthdays. She put weddings and deaths in her book.
This was also Grandma's. There is no date of when it was purchased but it cost $1.75. She also recorded deaths, weddings and when she knew it, the birth year. There are several familiar names of family and friends in here.
According to the inside cover, my kids and I gave these to my Mom and Grandma in 1989 for Easter. These two are filled with mostly kids, grand kids and great grand kids. All the names in these are very familiar to me.
Grandma got this one for Christmas from her sister in 1918. Grandma was 18 at the time. It is a record of more than just birthdays. She put weddings and deaths in her book.
This was also Grandma's. There is no date of when it was purchased but it cost $1.75. She also recorded deaths, weddings and when she knew it, the birth year. There are several familiar names of family and friends in here.
According to the inside cover, my kids and I gave these to my Mom and Grandma in 1989 for Easter. These two are filled with mostly kids, grand kids and great grand kids. All the names in these are very familiar to me.
This is my birthday book. Like the two above it has very few names and looks very unused and unloved. I have always had great intentions, especially after my Mom died, of sending cards to my nieces and nephews and their kids for their birthdays.
I even have card programs in my computer, plenty of envelopes and I always have a supply of stamps. I have no excuses but I'm sure if put on the spot I could come up with a couple. I certainly don't want to start and then leave someone out! (See I told you!) When I'm gone I would much rather have my birthday book look like my Grandma's well worn book than my unloved, unused book! I'm not sure why I saved these books but I'm glad I did.
I even have card programs in my computer, plenty of envelopes and I always have a supply of stamps. I have no excuses but I'm sure if put on the spot I could come up with a couple. I certainly don't want to start and then leave someone out! (See I told you!) When I'm gone I would much rather have my birthday book look like my Grandma's well worn book than my unloved, unused book! I'm not sure why I saved these books but I'm glad I did.Are you good at sending cards or do you have good intentions like me? Do you have a system that works for you? I'd love to hear about it. Just leave me a comment and tell me your ideas. I would really like to have more than good intentions!
For more Show and Tell posts go over to Kelli's House.
For more Show and Tell posts go over to Kelli's House.
11 comments:
I've never heard of "Birthday Books"!!
What a neat idea...
now I have heard of recording dates in a "Family Bible" which my daughter does.
I'm fairly good at sending at least my parents, grandparent and sisters their birthday cards...but too many children to keep up with ~sigh~
Sometimes I'm good at it and other times I fail. It's something I constantly have to work at. I have no better ideas to share (could use some myself), but I think the Birthday Book is a great idea too!
Have a great weekend! Jean! Your blogging friend, Claudia O.
I have never heard of a birthday book. What a wonderful idea and delightful treasures you have!
Thank you for sharing them.
Gina
Those are some great treasures - and great for anyone in your family who is the family historian/genealogist! I am still sending out cards, I keep a calendar lis, and then the first Sunday of the monh, I sit down and fill them all out, then mail them all or mail them as the dates come along, whichever I think I'll get done. It works pretty well. I get my cards from Current.
1918 - yikes! Those are too cool!
Jennifer
What treasures. I'm glad you kept them.
Susan
I had never heard of birthday books, either. What a treasure trove of family history!
I tend to be hit-or-miss about remembering cards. I used to be the only one regular about it in the extended family. I don't know what happened -- I guess life just got busy.
I put everyone's birthdays on the kitchen calendar at the beginning of the year, but often I forget to get a card out in time to reach them through the mail, then struggle with whether to go ahead and send it late or not send it at all. I know if I were the recipient I would want to receive it even late.
I need to make it a point to look ahead on the calendar for a few weeks and buy the cards I need all at once so they're ready.
One of my spiritual gifts is the gift of ENCOURAGEMENT so I tend to write a lot of cards. I have a
"book" that has pockets in them so you can put cards in them for that months occasions. I even recorded for example the date of my dad's heart attack and Quintuple By-pass surgery and call it his "2nd Chance Day" Every year for soon to be 6 years now, I send him a card or a letter telling him how grateful I am to have had him for one more year and then touch on the memories I have from that year and the things we've done as a family together. I know it means a lot to him. As I write a card or letter for that person, it gives me the opportunity to pray for that person especailly if it's not someone as immediate as my spouse, kids, parents etc.
Connie
Never have heard of a bithday book--and I have had, of course, lots of old relations!! My mom did have scrap books in which she saved cards given to her for children's births, Christma, birthdays, etc--I think my sis still has these and they were so cool and old!!But I do not get up North much and have not seen the old books in some time!!
These books are a family historians dream! I have a
photo of the big snowman in
my town on my sidebar. A traffic
cone for a nose and wooden log
slices for buttons and eyes.
The kid in the photo is 12.
Form our local paper. I thought
you might enjoy it since you like
snowmen a lot!
I have a small red leather birthday book made in England. In it I had each family member sign under their birthdate. For babies and toddlers, one of the parents signs for the child. It is my reference whenever I need to check a birthdate.
Carrie @ Oak Rise Cottage
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