Submitted by Leona Baker of the Historical Society of Salisbury Township

It's December; what better theme than gifting for this time of giving? The Historical Society of Salisbury Township has been blessed with many gifts. But how many of us have neglected to give the gift of history to our descendants?

A TV ad remarks, "The only thing we never have enough of is time." That seems to be so true these days. We snap a photo, but what it depicts and why we snapped it is not recorded. The material stays on our phone without further recognition. There will be nothing to tell our great-grandchildren what that photo means.

Admittedly, this is not new. How many of us have unmarked photos from the 1800s? Relatives, yes, but who? I always feel sad for those in old photos. They represent a once-living person and now they are cast away because no one knows who they are. I have many unmarked sepias myself. Have you ever said, "I wish I had asked Mother that when she was alive"? Or "My grandfather would have known the answer to that."

Now may be the time to label those many photos or start a conversation with great aunt Elizabeth about what she played with when she was a little girl 90 years ago. Or ask Uncle Hiram how he got that scar on his forehead when he was a kid.

Teach your great-grands the names of their grandparents, more than just Mam and Pop-Pop. Don't forget to relate how your great-grandfather had to walk to the grocery store to use the telephone. In their day, grandparents actually put an envelope with a handwritten message inside into a metal mailbox. For just 35 cents, it got to California in three days. Talk about how you walked to school in all kinds of weather.

Take the time to clearly label the oak chest your great-grandfather made for his bride or the handmade nap rug your mother made for you for kindergarten. On a personal note: An oak side table stored in my attic almost got thrown out until someone turned it upside down and discovered my grandmother had made it. I learned that she made the table at the beginning of World War II when, as a fifth-grade teacher, she had to master shop mechanics so she could replace the shop teacher when he entered the armed services. That table now sits in my living room, a proud reminder that women in the 1940s stepped up to the plate when the men went to war.

The Historical Society of Salisbury Township has diaries, family books and school photos, many of which are included in the new book "How They Learned Their ABCs," which is about those long-closed one-room public schools in the township. Remember the jukebox? The society has one from the Gap Diner. Perhaps you listened to a jukebox and danced to the tunes of the '40s and '50s. Entertain your family this holiday. Demonstrate the jitterbug. That should get the party rolling.

No matter what path you take down memory lane, take your family with you. How you and your ancestors lived will never come around again.