FROM THE MY LIFE STORY WORKBOOK
A Memory Book for Grandma: the Christmas Gift She Fills In
A homemade, sentimental Christmas gift for the grandma who has everything: a memory book you print at home, with nearly 300 questions about her life.
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Grandmas who have everything usually still have one thing to give: their stories. A memory book turns that into a Christmas gift. She gets something made for her, and the family gets her answers, in her own handwriting.
My Life Story is a printable memory workbook you can put together at home. It has 80 pages and nearly 300 questions in 14 chapters, from her childhood home to the advice she'd give her grandchildren. It comes with a separate printable gift certificate, so you have something to wrap even if you print the book after Christmas.
How to make it a gift tonight
- Get the files. Two PDFs arrive by email within minutes: the workbook and the gift certificate.
- Print the gift certificate. It says "A Gift of Stories", with room for her name, yours and a few words from you. Tuck it into a card.
- Print the workbook, or start with one chapter. Heavier paper (24 lb) feels sturdier. A copy shop can add a coil binding so it lies flat, or use a 3-ring binder at home.
- Fill in the first page together. The dedication page has lines for "Why we want to hear your stories". The grandkids can write that part.
- Make it yours. Let the kids decorate the binder cover, or tape a family photo onto one of the Photos and Keepsakes pages.
Chapter 1 · Where I Come From
Sample questions: her family
Which family stories were told again and again at the table?
What did you call your grandparents, and who came up with those names?
Who in the family do people say you take after, and in what way?
Chapter 2 · My Childhood Home
Her childhood home
What did your childhood kitchen smell like?
You could start with: the smell, a sound, one person who was there.
Where was your favorite hiding place or quiet corner?
Which neighbor do you remember best, and why?
Chapter 6 · The People I Loved
The people she loved
How did you meet the person you shared your life with, or the person who mattered most to you?
You could start with: the place, the weather, what they were wearing.
What small daily habit of theirs do you remember fondly?
Which sibling, cousin or relative were you closest to, and why?
Who has been your biggest supporter?
Chapter 9 · Holidays and Traditions
Holidays and family days
How did your family celebrate birthdays when you were small?
What foods always appeared on the table at holidays?
What did your family do on a quiet Sunday?
Which tradition would you like to see continue?
Chapter 7 · Becoming a Parent
Becoming a grandma
If you became a grandparent, what was that first day like?
Chapter 13 · Advice and Wishes
Advice and wishes
What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
What would you tell a twenty-year-old?
What do you hope for each of your grandchildren, or for the young people you love?
Which skill do you think every person should learn?
What would you like to say about love, in your own words?
So it gets filled in, not put on a shelf
- Start with the easy page. Start Here has 10 easy questions, each with a line or two to answer. Do those first.
- Fill it in together over the holidays. Read a question aloud and write down what she says. Interview Mode in the book shows how.
- One question a visit is plenty. There's no deadline, and a one-line answer still counts.
- She can type instead. The PDF is fillable, so she can type her answers on a computer if handwriting is hard.
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From My Life Story, a printable memory workbook with nearly 300 questions · papersinorder.com/life-story/
