Did your grandfather recently pass away and you don’t know what to do with his personal belongings? Is it time to put away all the gifts you got when you were a child?
Before you let go of anything, it’s important to start preserving memories first. Even when those items are gone, you should still have a way to look back and recall all the good times you had with those people.
We’ve got 10 tips for preserving memories listed below. Read our guide below to figure out which method works best for you:
1. Memento Box
The most basic method of preserving memories is to keep a memento box. You’ve seen these in movies all the time, where characters come across a box containing photos, pendants, and other important belongings. You can make one too to preserve the memories of people you love.
Collect the items they treasured most. Don’t forget to add the items people often associate with them too. Clean these and carefully put them in the box. Make sure to store the box somewhere where water and too much humidity won’t destroy the contents.
2. Digitize What You Can
It’s likely you already have a ton of digital photos of your family. However, what do you do with the physical items that hold sentimental value but are too broken, too big, or unnecessary to keep?
The solution is to take photos of them.
Take a photo of your grandmother’s wedding dress. Take a photo of your grandfather’s World War II memorabilia.
Are there enough photos but they’re all physical copies? Scan them and add these to your digital collection.
3. Photobooks
What do you do with all those photos? We’ve got a few ideas but let’s start with one of the most creative options: publishing a photobook. There are a ton of companies now that offer photobook publishing. All you need to do is pick a template, provide some text, and send the photos.
The company will then create a book with those pictures. Photobooks last longer than physical photo albums since the pictures are part of the pages. As long as you store those photobooks properly, they should last decades.
4. Download into Cloud Storage
You can also put everything into cloud storage. This goes beyond digital photos. If you have videos or voice recordings, make sure to add those too. Scour through your phone for all the media you have with the people important to you.
Learn how to save Twitter videos or Facebook videos of the people you want to immortalize. This becomes important when there’s only one copy of a video and it isn’t from your account. Add their videos to the cloud too.
5. Keep a Blog
Putting everything into a photobook or on cloud storage helps in the long run but they lack context. You might not remember the events surrounding a photo or video five years from now. These photos and videos are only as good as the memories surrounding them.
To add context, why not make a blog? You can start with a free blog, using popular blogging platforms like WordPress or Wix.
With each blog post, you can create a detailed story for each photo, video, or voice clip. Did you take a photo of your mom’s wedding ring before she passed away? Make a blog post telling its history and significance and then add the photo so people can see it.
6. Scrapbook
What do you do with the items after you took their picture? You might need to get rid of some of them but for those you keep, you could store them in a memento box or create a scrapbook.
This is a more traditional method of keeping mementos but it adds context and style. You can arrange the items on each page according to a theme or event, for example.
7. Restore and Display
If you have relics and antiques owned by your grandparents, you might need to restore them before doing anything else. It’s important to hire a professional to restore old photos or antique jewelry instead of utilizing DIY methods.
When restored, you can put them up on display. Get a display case and put these up around your home. You could also dedicate a room specifically for displaying these old mementos of your loved ones.
8. Storage Facility
When you have no other option, no space at home, or if you’re always on the move then rent a storage facility. These are large enough to safely store belongings, photos, and other items that belonged to people you cherish.
Yes, you’ll have to pay rent for these but it’s a great solution when you don’t want to let go of the items.
9. Write a Book
You can also try writing a book, such as an autobiography and history of your life and the people you value. This gives you an even better opportunity to add context to photographs.
Of course, writing a book isn’t easy. If you don’t have the patience for it, you can always hire a ghostwriter. Some people tell the stories to ghostwriters and the latter put those stories into a written format.
Writing a book can also increase the value of the physical memorabilia. If a lot of people buy your book, they might want to buy the items you talked about. While you might not want to let go of everything, this creates an opportunity more profitable than a basic garage sale.
10. Create a Video Game
Take a moment to look at the video game “That Dragon, Cancer.” It’s a video game that serves as a deep dive into the life of the creator’s son, who died from cancer.
Writing a book allows you to share the memories and add context to the items with sentimental value. Creating a video game, on the other hand, allows other people to experience those memories first-hand.
Start Preserving Memories Now!
There are many methods available when it comes to preserving memories. Whether it’s your grandparents, classmates, friends, or others, you have a wide range of options to keep their memories alive. Don’t hesitate to try out any of the ten methods we’ve listed above.
But why stop here? We’ve got more amazing guides and articles to help you get the most out of your activities. Feel free to continue reading our lists right here to get all the tips and tricks you need!
Leave a Reply