12 questions that beat "how's work?" at that holiday gathering

Bonus holiday gift: 12 prompts that turn your family into storytellers for the 12 days before Christmas

Welcome back to Chronicle Makers. I’m Denyse, and I help family historians research smarter, write their stories, and use AI to do both faster. Every post here is designed to move you forward on your family history journey.

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My family used to think my genealogy thing was a little... weird.

The questions about great-grandparents. The excited texts about court records. The way I’d stare at old photos like they held state secrets.

Polite nods. “That’s nice.” And an immediately topic change.

Then I figured something out.

Stop researching for them. Start WITH them.

What I started doing: I stopped treating family history like a solo project and started treating December gatherings like the research opportunity they actually are.

The stories I was hunting for in archives? Sitting right there between the mashed potatoes and pie.

The personality details I was guessing at from records? Available from people who actually knew these ancestors.

The gap between “doing genealogy” and “boring my family with genealogy”? It closed the moment they became the storytellers.

That’s where these prompts come in.

Most of us show up to holiday gatherings with the same tired questions: How’s work? Kids doing okay? Weather’s been crazy, right?

Meanwhile, the clock is ticking on stories that won’t be here next year.

Not because of anything dramatic. Just because memories fade. Details blur. The person who remembers great-grandma’s first Christmas in America forgets a little more each December.

So this year, I created 12 storytelling prompts that turn your family into active participants in preserving what matters.

Here’s what’s in this Friday’s Premium Prompt Pack:

Research prompts that skip the awkward questions

Immigration Christmas: Find out what your ancestor’s first Christmas in a new country actually felt like. Not the Disney version. The real one - the homesickness, the improvisation, the ways they tried to recreate home with whatever they could find.

December Birthday Stories: Because being born in December means your birthday story IS a holiday story. And those stories reveal how families handled money, attention, and making someone feel special when everything competes with Christmas.

Gift-Giving Economics: What did presents actually cost in 1935? What could your great-grandfather afford on a factory salary? What do his gift choices tell you about what he valued?

Writing prompts that make objects talk

The Ornament’s Tale: That ornament that’s been on your tree for three generations? Write its story from its perspective. Watch it witness your family’s Christmases across decades.

Holiday Letter Time Capsule: Write the Christmas letter your 1940s ancestor would have sent if the tradition existed then. Bring their voice and their year to life.

First Christmas as Parents: Every parent remembers that first holiday with a new baby. Exhaustion, wonder, hopes, fears. Your ancestors felt it too.

Story gathering prompts that spark the good conversations

Holiday Disaster Stories: The burned turkeys. The fallen trees. The gift catastrophes. These are the stories everyone WANTS to tell once someone actually asks.

Childhood Belief Moments: When did they figure out the truth about Santa? How? Who told them? Did they have to keep the secret for younger siblings? Pure gold.

New Year’s Resolutions Through Time: Track someone’s resolutions across decades. The ones they kept, the ones they abandoned by January 4th, the ones that actually changed their life.

Creative prompts that surprise everyone

Holiday Playlist Curator: Build a Spotify playlist of songs that were actually playing during your ancestor’s Christmases. Hear the holidays through their ears.

Weather Report Time Travel: Find out what the weather was actually like for their Christmas in 1952. Because a blizzard or heat wave completely changes a holiday memory.

Ancestor’s Shopping List: Create their actual December shopping list with period prices. See what they could afford and what their choices reveal.

Here’s what happens when you use these

Your aunt stops giving polite answers and starts telling real stories.

Your dad remembers details he hadn’t thought about in forty years.

Your cousin who “isn’t into genealogy” suddenly wants copies of everything.

The kids stop scrolling their phones because the family disaster stories are actually more entertaining than Tik Tok.

And you? You’re gathering material for stories your family will actually want to read. Not because you’re skilled at citations. Because you asked questions that sparked memories worth preserving.

The urgency no one wants to think about

Every December, someone isn’t at the table who was there last year.

Every conversation is the last chance to ask about something before the person who knows forgets.

Every holiday gathering is both celebration and countdown.

That’s not morbid. That’s just true.

The stories are here now. The people who remember are here now. The details that make ancestors feel like real people instead of names on trees - available right now, between dinner and dessert.

These prompts give you permission to capture what matters while there’s still time.

Get the prompts (bonus for the holidays)

All 12 prompts are waiting for you in the 🎄Holiday Storytelling Prompts.

Each one includes:

• The exact prompt to copy and paste into AI

• Coaching and support for you in the writing process

• What information to gather first

• What you’ll get back from AI

Come use them with us. Join the free Chronicle Makers community on Skool where we’re working through these prompts together throughout December. Share what’s working, get ideas from other family historians, troubleshoot what isn’t clicking, and celebrate the stories you’re capturing.

Because genealogy stops being weird the moment your family realizes they’re part of the story you’re writing.

Happy Chronicling!

—Denyse

P.S. You’re invited to the Chronicle Makers community on Skool - it’s free, and we’re all in there sharing our holiday storytelling wins (and disasters) in real time.