Update on the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

I realize that I was supposed to post the upcoming holiday edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy, but I haven't posted it because I've been busy for over the past week. Additionally, I've only received one submission for this edition, so I've decided to extend the deadline. Submissions will now be due January 3, and I will post the edition on January 5. You can submit your article here. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

I just want to wish everyone a wonderful and merry Christmas! Enjoy!

Don't Forget! Submission Deadline for the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy Will Be Here Soon!

I just want to remind everyone that the deadline for submissions to the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy is December 28. The topic for this edition is on Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year's traditions, and you can submit your entry here. Enjoy!

Blog Caroling 2010: Away in a Manger

FootnoteMaven has again challenged other genea-bloggers to post the lyrics to his or her favorite Christmas Carol. This is the third time that I've decided to join this challenge (here are the links to the first and second times), and this time, I've decided to post the lyrics to another one of my favorite carols, Away in a Manger. (Again, I have to confess that I did not even know all of the lyrics to this song before I posted this song.) Here are the lyrics, courtesy of Christmas Carols:

Away in a Manger

Away in a manger,
No crib for His bed
The little Lord Jesus
Laid down His sweet head

The stars in the bright sky
Looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus
Asleep on the hay

The cattle are lowing
The poor Baby wakes
But little Lord Jesus
No crying He makes

I love Thee, Lord Jesus
Look down from the sky
And stay by my side,
'Til morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus,
I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever
And love me I pray

Bless all the dear children
In Thy tender care
And take us to heaven
To live with Thee there

I hope you enjoyed this carol like I did. Enjoy!

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories Day Two: Holiday Foods

When I last participated in the Advent Calendar three years ago, the topic for day three was on holiday foods, but this year it is on day two. I always love the food around Christmas, and thus, I can't resist writing another post on this topic.

So, does my family have any traditional dishes that are served at Christmas? While I really can't think of any dishes that are unique to my family, per se, the main dish for dinner in past years has varied between turkey, prime rib, ham or a combination of the two. Many of the side dishes, such as mashed potatoes, salad or stuffing, are dishes that we also eat at Thanksgiving. (The dishes are freshly made for each holiday, of course.) So, I don't think our Christmas dinner is much different from other American families' Christmas dinners, but I could be wrong.

My most favorite part of the Christmas dinner, though, is the desserts. Usually we have different types of cookies (of which I'll write about in a future post) and pies. If the Christmas dinner is held by my parents, we either buy the cookies, make them or a combination of both, although it seems that in that past few years that we have bought the cookies.

As for breakfast on Christmas morning, my family doesn't have a traditional dish. In the past few years my mom has made a couple of different breakfast meals, but I wouldn't consider those dishes to be traditional because we have had different meals for breakfast in the past few years.

In short, my family doesn't have a dish that is unique or traditional when it comes to Christmas meals.

(Note: This post was finally published on December 15, 2010.)

Advent Calender of Christmas Memories Day One: Christmas Trees

When the Advent Calender Memories began three years ago, I wrote a brief article about Christmas trees in my family. In that article I mentioned the types of Christmas trees that my family usually puts up each year.

Traditionally, my grandparents would get a real Christmas tree, but in the past few years, I don't know if they've had a tree since I haven't over at their house during Christmas in the past few years. As for my family, we have always had a fake Christmas tree, and we put the same tree up every year. About ten years ago, we replace that tree with a newer tree, and since then I don't think that tree has been replaced.

Either way, I don't know anymore because I am usually away at school when the tree is put up by my parents. I don't know if the tree has been put up yet, but if it hasn't, I'm sure I'll helping putting up and taking down the tree this year.

Call For Submissions: Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

I just want to let everyone know that I will host the next edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. The topic for this edition will be on Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year's. Submissions can be on anything that has do with those holidays, especially if they are connected to Central or Eastern Europe (like family traditions, for example). I am not going to define the topic any further, so I am leaving the interpretation to up to you, the submitter and reader. The deadline for submissions will be on December 28, and I will post the edition on December 30. Submissions can be submitted here. Enjoy!

(As a side note, I am also accepting offers for hosting future 2011 editions as well. Currently, all month are open. If you are interested in hosting an edition, please contact me at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!)

25th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

Welcome to the 25th edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. The belated edition has finally arrived! The theme for the December (and now, January, as well) edition was on Hanukkah and Christmas traditions. Here are the articles for this edition:

First off, we have an article from Zenon of PolishOrigins. In "Christmas Eve - Wigilia," the Polish tradition of Wigilia is described.

Last, but not least, we have an article from Greta Koehl of Greta's Genealogy Blog. In "Advent Calendar Day 24: Christmas Eve - Holy Supper," she describes her family's Christmas Eve dinner tradition.

Well, that is it for this edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. The topic for the next edition will be a carousel. Submissions for the topic will be due on February 18th, and the edition will be published on February 20th. You can submit your articles here. Enjoy!

Another Belated Saturday Night Fun - The Best Genealogy Gift

I am late again in posting my response for this past Saturday's Saturday Night Fun, but I'm going to participate anyway. For this Saturday Night Fun, Randy has challenged other genealogy bloggers to write about their best genealogy Christmas gift. So, what was the best genealogy gift I got?

Well, the gift was a history book, The History of Michigan Law edited by Paul Finkelman and Martin J. Hershock (Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press, 2006). As you can tell, from the title, the book is on the history of Michigan's laws, although the articles in the book look primarily at important aspects of Michigan law and looks at the law from a social history standpoint. Okay, so the book isn't exactly a genealogy gift, but the articles in the book might assist a genealogist doing research in Michigan. If a research has knowledge of the history of a local area's laws, that researcher may be able to determine if there are any records that might provide potential leads. I haven't had too much time to look at the book, but there appears to be several articles that might be useful in my future research.

(Note, 27 February 2010: I have finally finished this Saturday Night Fun post. I also completed another backlogged Saturday Night Fun post earlier this year, and you can read it here. Enjoy!)

Don't Forget! Submissions Due Tomorrow!

I just want to remind everyone that submissions are due tomorrow for the upcoming edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European genealogy. The topic is on Christmas and Hanukkah traditions. If you need more time, please contact me at: jess_history at yahoo dot com. You can submit your articles here.

Also, if you are interested in hosting a future edition of this carnival, you can contact me at the email address above. The months open are:

• January
• February
• March
  
• April
• May
• June
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December

If you are interested in hosting the month of January, please let me know at the above e-mail as soon as possible. Thanks!

Merry Christmas!

I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Enjoy!

19th Editions of the Smile For The Camera Carnival Posted!

The 19th edition of the Smile For the Camera Carnival has been posted, and you can read it here. (I've been busy lately, and I did know about the posting. I'm sorry for the delay.) The topic for the next edition will be on

"'Valentine.' Love is in the air, so celebrate with Smile by sharing a photograph of a Valentine; be that person or paper. The interpretation of Valentine is yours. Admission is free with every photograph! Your submission may include as many or as few words as you feel are necessary to describe your treasured photograph. Those words may be in the form of an expressive comment, a quote, a journal entry, a poem (your own or a favorite), a scrapbook page, or a heartfelt article. The choice is yours!"

The entry will be due on February 10th. Enjoy!

Carnival Deadline Extended!

I've decided to extend the deadline for submissions to the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. Submissions are now due on December 28th, and the edition will be published on December 30th. You can submit your article here. Enjoy!

86th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 86th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on

"New Year's Resolutions! This year is almost over and a new decade is knocking on the door. This is the perfect time to make your New Year resolutions, goals, aims, declarations, intentions, aspirations, objectives, plans, targets, schemes, wishes, or whatever you want to call them! Figure out how you're going to approach your family history research next year, write it up, and share it with us in the COG. The deadline for submissions is January 1, 2010."

Enjoy!

Don't Forget: Submissions Are Due Today!

I just want to remind everyone that submissions are due for this upcoming edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. So far I only have one entry. The topic is on Christmas and Hanukkah traditions. If you need more time, please let me know by e-mail: jess_history at yahoo dot com.

Also, is anyone interested in hosting a future edition of this carnival in 2010? Please contact me at the e-mail above. Thanks!

Still Looking For Hosts and a Reminder ...

I'm still looking for hosts for future editions of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy for 2010. I do not know yet how many editions I will be able to host, and I at the moment, I am looking for someone who is willing to host either the January or February edition. Please contact me at jess_history at yahoo dot com by December 18th. Thanks!

Also, I just want to remind everyone that submissions for the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy will be due on December 18th, and the topic is on Christmas/Hanukkah traditions. You can submit your entries here. Enjoy!

Saturday Night Fun - Dear Genea-Santa

For this Saturday Night Fun, Randy has challenged other genealogy bloggers to write a letter to the Genea-Santa listing one of our genealogy wishes, and I've decided to participate in this challenge. Here is my letter:

Dear Genea-Santa,

For this Christmas, I would like you to bring evidence that connects my ancestor, Adam Oswalt to the Benjamin Oswalt and William Oswalt living in Michigan. I believe they are brothers, but so far, the only evidence I have is circumstantial. I've tried to balance my genealogy research with my school work, and I think I have succeeded for the most part. I think I was able to help one genealogist with her research, if I remember correctly, but I haven't been able to do much more since I was busy.

Thanks,

Jessica

(As a side note, I've finally finished writing my response to the Halloween version of the Saturday Night Fun, and you can read it here. I still have a couple more responses to past Saturday Night Fun challenges to post as well. I hope to finish those some time in the future. Please, stay tuned, and enjoy!)

85th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 85th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on

"The Other Holiday Happenings! Often times December to mid-January birthdays and anniversaries get over shadowed by the Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year holidays. So we're going to shine a spotlight on those family members and ancestors this time around. Select one or more December to mid-January birthdays and/or anniversaries on your family tree. Write a short tribute to or memory of those birthday guys and gals and write a toast to the anniversary couples. Share it in the COG!

And this edition will have a Part 2 as well (separate blog post)! We can't go into the Christmas holiday without our genealogy wish lists for Genea-Santa!!! So write up a list of what you'd like Genea-Santa to bring you and share it in the COG :-) The deadline for all entries is December 15th. This edition will be hosted by Jasia at Creative Gene."

Enjoy!

24th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy Posted!

The 24th edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy has been posted! (Thank you, Al!) You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on Christmas and Hanukkah traditions. Submissions are due December 18th, and the edition will be posted on the 20th. You can submit your article here. Enjoy!

14th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy - Christmas and Hanukkah Edition!

The fourteenth edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy is now here, and this edition is the Christmas/Hanukkah edition! Originally, I was supposed to post this edition on Tuesday, but I have been busy helping my family prepare for Christmas, so until now I have not had a chance to put this edition to together. For this carnival, we have articles from a couple of different countries, so please sit back and enjoy the carnival. Here are the articles:

First off, we have a few articles from Lisa of 100 Years in America. In Keeping Watch on Badnjak: Christmas Eve (Revisited), she shares Croatian traditions associated with Christmas Eve. In Not the Partridge, but the Falcon: a Little Hungarian Christmas History, she shares the origin of the word for Christmas in Hungarian and pre-Christian Hungarian traditions during the winter season. In Advent: "... the faith of our forefathers makes itself heard in our age ..." and As we approach the beautiful feast of Christmas, she defines the meaning of advent, and shares a list of posts on Croatian and Hungarian Christmas traditions that she wrote last year.

Last but not least, we have an article from Jessica of Jessica's Genejournal. In German Christmas Traditions That I'm Familiar With, she writes about two German Christmas traditions that she is familiar with.

Well, that ends this edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. For the next edition, the topic will be on history books. Write about a history book that you have read or are reading that deals with the history of a Central or Eastern European country or the regions of Central and Eastern Europe. You do not have to have Central or Eastern European ancestors to participate in this edition. Submissions for the next edition will be due on January 23, and the edition will be posted on the 25th. You can submit your article here. Also, if you are interested in hosting a future edition of this carnival, please contact me at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks! Enjoy!