Genealogy Research Opportunities During Christmas and Hanukkah The holiday season is the perfect time to reconnect with family—and with your family history! Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, or simply cherishing winter gatherings, this season brings stories, traditions, and memories to the forefront. Christmas and Hanukkah offer many unique opportunities to capture oral histories and family stories due to the presence of attendees of all ages. Elders may share memories, family lore, or details about ancestors that never made it into official records. These informal conversations often lead to breakthroughs or corrections in family trees. These gatherings usually provide ideal opportunities to digitize and document all aspects of the events and records for a digital family archive. The following suggestions have a proven track record for success in making Christmas and Hanukkah two of the most beneficial holiday events for genealogical research opportunities. - Traditions Reveal Cultural and Ancestral Clues: Holiday customs—recipes, prayers, decorations,
songs, and rituals—can hint at ethnic origins, migration paths, or religious heritage. Christmas
traditions like specific regional dishes or Hanukkah customs such as heirloom menorahs can
uncover deeper family connections.
- Setting up a prominent area for Family Story Area: One technique that has always been
successful at many of these gatherings is to compare Christmas or Hanukkah traditions across generations. This could lead to the opportunity to record oral histories and save them via audio
or video devices. As part of this activity, be sure to ask open ended questions to encourage more
detailed answers. I have multiple study guides on this topic that I can send you free electronically upon request. This will also present the opportunities to share your research and verify details or spark new conversations.
- Setting up an Heirloom Display Case and Table: This should be in a prominent area indoors away from outside weather elements. Any breakable or fragile items should be inside some type of cabinet if at all possible. Photographs should be in albums. This type of display area would allow attendees to examine items such as family photograph albums, ornaments (Christmas or Jewish), old Bibles, letters, or inherited Christmas/Hanukkah items. These can help uncover names, dates, places, and context that support your research. In the case of photographs, if they have never been previously identified, this is a perfect opportunity for the elders to help identify faces and locations.
For Jewish Families, here are some specific genealogical research oriented opportunities that
Hanukkah presents. - Take the time to record migration and ancestral stories. Hanukkah gatherings often spark
reflection on resilience and family journeys. Use this time to ask questions about ancestral towns
(shtetls or cities), and reasons for migration (e.g., economic opportunity, persecution, war). Be
sure to pay attention to and document and/or record stories tied to grandparents or
great-grandparents.
- Pay special attention to Judaica, ritual objects, and related items used during Hanukkah that many families customarily pass down through generations. These would include Menorahs. Dreidels, Prayer books (siddurim), and family recipes for latkes or sufganiyot. Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity to photograph or document these objects and capture their histories.
- Explore historical Jewish records either before the event (which is the most preferable strategy) or afterwards. Some examples that often produce the most beneficial results include the
JewishGen website https://www.jewishgen.org/, locating immigration manifests or naturalization records, translating old Hebrew or Yiddish documents, etc. Taking advantage of this opportunity will assist you in building or refining your Jewish family tree. For more information on the topic of Jewish Genealogical Research, I have compiled a free study guide that you can request an electronic copy via my email address shown at the conclusion of this article.
- Host a Family Heritage Event. Invite the attendees to share memories of Hanukkah in their
childhood, bring old photos, map ancestral migrations, and if they have been tested, discuss
DNA results.
Interfaith families with both Jewish and Christian heritage have the opportunity to explore two cultural
histories at the same time. Here are some proven strategies to follow that will honor both cultural
histories. - Focus on creating dual-holiday family history activities. After lighting Hanukkah candles or during Christmas gatherings, invite relatives to share stories from both sides of the family. Take the time and initiative to highlight cultural traditions (foods, songs, rituals) from each heritage, and
encourage having a display areas for family photograph albums, ornaments, old Bibles, letters, or
inherited Hanukkah items.
- Encourage documentation and discussion of family traditions from both lineages. This would
include Jewish rituals (menorah lighting, blessings, foods, heirlooms), and Christian Christmas
customs (church attendance, special dishes, ornaments, nativity sets), Taking the time to discuss
and note origins and variations helps preserve cultural identity on both sides.
- Digitize and organize a cross-cultural archive of memorabilia. This could include important
Hebrew or Yiddish documents, Church records, marriage, immigration, or military documents from both sides, and photographs from holidays across generations. Be sure to create digital folders for each lineage to maintain clarity.
- Take the time to explore both genealogical cultures. Beneficial strategies to accomplish this goal
would include searching the JewishGen website https://www.jewishgen.org/, Ancestry,
FamilySearch, or regional archives in Europe and heavily Jewish areas in the United States.
Practice translating documents in Hebrew, Yiddish, Polish, Russian, German, or other languages. Investigate both Jewish and Christian naming patterns, and take the time to map migrations on
each side of the family.
- Create a shared “Family Heritage Display” . This project could include photos, stories, recipes,
and objects from both traditions. Consider creating a scrapbook, poster, digital slideshow or a
printed family history booklet.
- Honor each tradition equally. If your family celebrates both holidays, consider sharing a
Christmas story and a Jewish family story each year and preserving both religious histories for
future generations.
For more information on this topic, please visit the following sources listed below. I hope all of you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving, Christmas and/or Hanukkah.
Lisson, Lisa. Holiday Heritage Hunt: 12 Days of Fascinating Genealogical Treasures. 2024 Ancestry.com Blog. Illuminating Family History: Discovering Your Family’s Hanukkah Traditions. 2023 Aupaircare.org. Celebrate Hanukkah with Your Family: Creative Hanukkah Activities for Kids. 2025 Bryan L. Mulcahy Reference _ Genealogy Librarian Fort Myers Regional Library bmulcahy@leegov.com11/21/2025 |
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