The Hanson and Simpson Family Tradition Ensures Lasting Memories

Our tradition started out quite by accident during a recent visit to my grandparent’s house in Deland. My sister had given them a fill-in-the-blank memoir book for Christmas two years ago. The original idea was to have our children’s great-grandparents fill the pages with interesting facts about their lives, so that their grandkids, great-grandkids, and extended family would have a wonderful remembrance of their Grandma Betty and Pappap Jack. When we saw that they hadn’t gotten around to filling out the book yet, we decided to give them a hand. This decision proved to be a lot more fun than we had anticipated. We let each of the kids select their favorite page from the book and then they interviewed their great-grandparents. Now, every time we go for a visit, our children can choose a page in the book and ask their great-grands a question from the page. For example, a question might be, “What were your favorite pets when you were growing up?” or “What kind of games did you play as a kid?” We set up our video camera and tape our children as they ask their great-grandparents a question. It’s a delightful experience to see the two generations interacting, and the real payoff will be a heartwarming video keepsake to enjoy in the years ahead.

– Laurie Hanson, Orlando

Laffy Taffy & French Braids!

When growing up in the Orlando area, Friday nights meant it was time for us to head over to Grandma’s house for
our weekly sleep over. This family tradition was always a fun-fi lled laugh fest for me and my immediate cousins. The highlight of the evening’s activities was for us to take turns making the “Laffy Taffy” and then get a new hairdo called “Upside Down French Braids.” While some of us were up to our elbows in gooey taff y, a rather lengthy, messy production, Grandma would work her magic on the rest of the cousins and weave our hair into her famous upside down French braids. By the end of the night, we would all be giggling, sporting great new hairdos, and eating the best Laffy Taffy around!

– Lynch Family