TV for Genealogists: Coming soon...!

I am SO looking forward to this one!

TV For Genealogists: Find My Family

Who's been watching "Find My Family?"  Probably most of us genea-bloggers have, I suppose.  Being a huge fan of "The Locator," I had mixed emotions about this new show... I loved the idea of it, but I hated that it seemed to be ripping off another program.

Of course, I've watched.  How could I resist?  I love to see just how the show goes about finding people.  I feel for the people who just want to know their roots and connect to someone who is their own flesh and blood.  I love that the show acknowledges that adoption isn't just a happy ending--and adoption is wonderful, don't get me wrong--but also a big part of the adoptee's self-identity.  I love that it acknowledges the sacrifice a woman makes when she knows that she can't give her child what he or she deserves and gives up a child for adoption, because that sacrifice is huge.  It should be celebrated, and that means acknowledging the pain involved.

But as much as I feel for these people, I guess I don't feel for them as much as the hosts of the program do.  OMG.  Tim Green is always crying and simpering and seems more moved by the whole thing than the actual people involved.  After a while, it just seems insincere.  Maybe he's affected like this because he himself is an adoptee (or so it appears on the ABC website), but Tim, dial it down!

I don't know if I'll keep watching (is it still on the schedule?)... I'm a couch potato, so I probably will.  However, to those of you who have just discovered this show and love it, switch over to WE and check out "The Locator."

Genea-Resolutions

(Those last few Advent Calendar posts just didn't happen.  Sometimes living life in the present just has to take precedence over recording memories, and I was too busy enjoying Christmas with family and friends.  I'll save those last few topics for next December!)

Now 2010 is almost upon us, and I'm thinking about resolutions.  I have a long list for life in general, but there are a few things I want to accomplish in my genealogy projects, too.

1. Get the Moody County, SD, GenWeb site up and running again.  A couple of months ago the whole system was attacked by a hacker, and everything was lost.  I had only just begun to redo the site, but it was discouraging to be back to square one.  I need to regroup and start again.
2. Uncover Peter Scriver's roots.  Peter was my great-great-grandfather, and another researcher has some great clues as to his origins.  I need to verify these and discover more.  This leads to...
3. Write a rough draft of the Scriver Family History, starting with a series of posts on this blog.  It's time to share something, at least with the few people in the family who seem interested.  The Scriver family is my #1 focus this year.
4. Learn more about my husband's Jones roots.  I'm intrigued by the information I've learned from one of his distant cousins.  She gave me a fantastic head start.  Now I want to learn more.  The Jones family is my #2 focus this year.
   
5. Get involved in the local genealogical society.  I want to start attending the monthly meetings and go to some regional events this year.

Advent Calendar: Religious Services

Did your family attend religious services during the Christmas season? What were the customs and traditions involved?

My parents haven't attended church regularly since my brother was born twenty-five years ago. They have their own reasons that I won't go into, but my husband and I belong to an ELCA Lutheran church and try to attend regularly--though we don't make it as often as we really should. In the last couple of months we've made the decision to change from one church to another, and we've felt so much more comfortable and welcome. I'm looking forward to attending a Christmas service there.

We usually go to church on Christmas Eve, on the way to my husband's parents' home. I especially love the Christmas carols and the candlelight. This year, however, my husband has to work a half day and we're hosting both sides of our family on Christmas Eve. I don't know that we'll be able to get away for church that day without abandoning my mom to all the cooking... ;-) ... Tempting as that is, we'll probably just go to church on Christmas morning instead.

Advent Calendar: Christmas Shopping

How did your family handle Christmas Shopping? Did anyone finish early or did anyone start on Christmas Eve?

Last year was the first time I went out shopping on Black Friday, but I wasn't very dedicated about it. I slept until a reasonable hour and then went out to see what was left in the stores. This year I was all-out crazy, standing in line at a Toys R Us at midnight and arriving at Target at 5:00 AM. I scored a few deals for my efforts--enough to make it worthwhile, I guess.

I do remember several Dec. 23 (and even a Dec. 24th?) shopping trip to the mall with my dad, who did not think to finish such things early and needed a daughter along to help with his selection.

I always try to get the Christmas shopping done early, but it never seems to work out that way. I admire those people who do it little by little, throughout the year, but I've never understood how that works. I have enough trouble figuring out what people might like and not already have in November and December, without forecasting those needs and wants months before! So it turns into a mad rush in the last couple of weeks before Christmas.

I'm happy to report that I'm ALL DONE for this year, aside from having a couple of photos printed and put into frames. I'm so glad for that, because I don't want to go anywhere near that traffic this weekend!

Find more Advent Calendar posts at Geneabloggers!