Family history website Ancestry has revealed twelve questions to ask your older relatives this Christmas to find out more about their lives.
In a survey of British adults by Ancestry, 10% of respondents said they never asked their elderly relatives about their lives.
However, 46% said they wanted to learn more about their older relatives and 86% said they thought they could learn life lessons from them.
Ancestry has developed the questions in partnership with care home operator Barchester Healthcare and TV presenter Anna Richardson, who recently presented the Channel 4 documentary series Anna Richardson: Love, Loss & Dementia.
Anna Richardson said: “In my personal journey with my father and his dementia, I've come to appreciate the profound significance of preserving my cherished family memories, particularly during the Christmas season.”
The twelve questions are:
- How old were you when you left home and what made you do so?
- What is your very first memory?
- What did your mum and dad do for a living?
- What was your dream job?
- What age do you feel you became your true self?
- What is your greatest personal achievement?
- When did you meet your first love?
- What kind of wedding party did you have?
- When would you describe as being the toughest time for you?
- How would you describe your childhood?
- How would you describe your parents?
- What were your favourite family celebrations?
Laura House, family history expert at Ancestry, said: “With the combination of billions of digitised records, millions of family trees being created every year, plus a growing number of people doing DNA tests, Ancestry helps people preserve their family history for generations to come. This Christmas, we hope to inspire families to document cherished family memories as a way of passing down their history. Our tools make it easy to capture these precious moments, ensuring that our family's legacy continues to live on in the hearts and minds of those who come after us."
