Thanksgiving's "Facebook Wall"

One of my favorite commercials shows an elderly lady with her "Facebook wall" covered with printed photographs. She obviously doesn't "get" technology. And at one point says she's going to "unfriend" another lady who tells her "that's not how it really works."

While it's a funny example of how technology can be misunderstood, this commercial also makes me wonder about our "paperless" future. Instead of pouring over photo albums, like I used to do with my grandmother, our family records are being replaced with digital images on computers and smart phones. This method does quickly streamline and organize photos, but there's still something special about sharing our recorded history with printed photos.

Thanksgiving can be the perfect time to connect families through actual photographs. One of my nieces thought of a brilliant plan to make this happen! She's gathering printed photos from each family in the Baker clan. This should be a lot of photos from this large family, which includes my husband's mother, five siblings, their spouses, and 13 grandchildren (a Baker's dozen!) My niece plans to display a collage of these family photos on Thanksgiving day.
Gathering at our family's large cabin in the woods is a happy - and loud - holiday tradition. And this year, we'll enjoy reminiscing and laughing at past good times at the family's camp. We've all watched the property grow from a circle of tents to a large cabin surrounded by a pond, garden and orchard. And this Thanksgiving, we can also see how our children have grown and changed at this special retreat.
It's an easy tradition that you can also create. All you need is a few photos stuck on a fake "Facebook wall." Then enjoy the fun of sharing actual family photos over the Thanksgiving holidays!