It’s that time of year for fM’s Annual Tradition of Blog Caroling. She will post the carols on December 22, 2017.I have many Christmas Carols that bring smiles to my face, make me want to sing in my off Key voice and even get up and dance (if only in my mind.) My all-time favorite carol is “The Little Drummer Boy.”
 
“The Little Drummer Boy” carol has many version from various artist. While I love them all, my favorite is the one I first heard in my youth, sung by the Trapp Family Singers. It was on their Christmas with the Trapp Family Singers. It was called “The Carol of the Drum.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwBSy3dVAKo
 
The reason I enjoy this carol more than most is because it is about a small child from a poor family, (I always thought he was a farmer,) that gave the only thing he could give. The love of song and playing his drum. Our family made do with what we had. We made our own Christmas gifts and tree ornaments, and sang songs while doing so.
When visiting and baking at my Great Aunt Carrie’s house the songs we sang were accompanied by, my father on harmonica, my uncle on a washboard, my cousins playing spoons. Not your usual musical instruments. Sadly no one in the family learned how to play them to carry the tradition on to the next generation. Every time I hear “The Little Drummer Boy,” those memories of family invade my senses. I can smell the baked goods, hear the words being sung, feel the music vibrate my heart and feel the love surrounding our family.
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Enjoy.

If you would like to read about the history of “The Little Drummer Boy” carol, go to the Wikipedia page link. May it bring you Comfort and Joy as you read and listen to the music.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Drummer_Boy


 
Merry Christmas and Happy healthy New Year to all.

Ask yourself the following questions. Before you answer the first question, it is important that you write down the first thing that comes to mind. Don't think about your answer, just write about that first flash of memory. I was surprised when I did this exercise by what my immediate response was.

"What is your earliest Christmas memory?" Fire!! Grab the Baby.

"How old do you think you were at the time of your memory?" 3 years old

Now tell your story.


Is it a real memory or not? That is my question to myself. I see a fire blazing around the window. Not a fire in the stove or a fireplace. I remember seeing my mother running carrying a bundle wrapped in a blanket. I hear crying, shouting, much activity. it is like I am watching it from a distance. I sense confusion, sadness and grief. Why am I not talking, just standing and watching. 

I hear relief in the adult voices. The feeling of being hugged, almost smothered. Many people outside without their coats, some without shoes. I do not remember ever having this memory before. It just came to me when I asked the question, "What is your earliest Christmas memory?" I don't know why I think this is a real memory about Christmas. I feel it actually happened. I was too young to remember when the first fire of our family home happened. I look back on the stories told by my parent about the different fires we had in our homes over the years, yet I couldn't tell you when they happened.

I do remember a gift wrapped brown Scottish terrier stuff dog, half opened in my arms. I had Brownie, his name, until my teens. My last memory of the stuff dog was his missing eye and a black burn mark on his tail. Maybe this was my first Christmas memory, after all. When I went away to nursing school, Brownie, was left at home for my younger siblings to play of and cuddle. My brother was a toddler at the time I went away.  

Was this my first Christmas memory or not? I do not have any one to verify that it is. I remember Brownie. I remember the fire. Was it at Christmas time or another time is not clear. I find it interesting that it was the first image that came to my mind when I asked my self what is my earliest Christmas memory. 



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Ancestry announcement on 8 Dec 2015 made this old dog stop and take notice. 

They made the business decision to stop supporting Family Tree maker after 31 Dec 2014. Giving us until 31 Jan 2017 to make other arrangements.

I'm I surprised by this announcement? Yes. What did I do. I immediately personal messaged our Genealogy guru, Dear Myrtle the news. Spent the night thinking about my alternatives to FTM2014 family tree. A program I have been using since 2002. A program I am comfortable using. A program I will miss. This Old Dog is going to learn new tricks. Ancestry just advanced my learning process.

When I woke up this morning, I had no worries. This past year at the advice of many in the know, I have been slowly learning about other tree programs, Legacy, Roots Magic and on line trees such as Family Search, Heritage Family Tree to name a few. It is time for me to take the bull by the horns and learn how to use them.

I had already started adding my family tree to Legacy, Family Search and Heritage. I ordered Roots Magic a while back, but hadn't started to use it. Now I must start learning and transferring data without delay. Why had I started using them before? The Main reason was to have a BACKUP for my family tree.

Backups are the number one MUST DO in genealogy. I'm calm and ready to learn a new way to save and add to my family tree.

Goals:

1. Listen to Dear Myrtle's Wacky Wednesday discussion about Ancestry decision.
2. Evaluate where I want to put my Family Tree (Review software here)
3. After the hectic holiday time is over proceed to save and add to my tree in the program or programs I decided on.
4. Watch Legacy Webinars with Geoff 
5. Continue following Facebook and Google + communities for updates and suggestions. Like Legacy Family Tree, Legacy User Group, 
6. Read blog post from other genealogists like Lisa Louise Cooke's Genealogy Gems, Randy Seaver's Genea-Musing and others that might be posted over the next few days.

​The key is to stay positive and open minded to change.

​Yes, you can teach "Old Dogs" new tricks. Sometimes it is a slow process. Sometime Old Dogs are forced to learn faster than they planned.

I am ready to learn. Thank you Ancestry for the push to learn new things. We all grow when we keep our minds open for new adventures.

​Check the clickable links in my post for more information on the few programs i mentioned in this post.

This website contains elements old and new. Click on each Caption above for a drop down menu to more post.

I welcome all who venture to my website seeking tidbits of history, genealogy and sometimes a bit of fun.

Old: 

Where in the State is Mom Website no longer supported by Comcast.
The town trivia can be found here along with some of the photographs.

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New:

Ancestors- includes surnames from both my maternal and paternal lines as I find them.

Those Who Served- includes my ancestors, cousin lines and Memorial found to all who served in the different wars or conflicts throughout the years.

Memories- will include Memories from the past and present.

​Town Trivia- Currently includes Town Trivia from all New Hampshire Town, Cities and Incorporated Places. Check Back for town trivia from other New England states.

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Slide Shows- includes those that were on the "Where in the States is Mom" website, my New England Travels and new travels to come.