We all know Christmas is coming … though way too fast for many of us. But like it of not, it will be here very soon.  I’d been wanting to write some kind of Christmassy post, but hadn’t decided what to do, until I stumbled upon a post today by Diane Lynn Tibert … and rather than ‘reinvent the wheel’ … I thought I’d share her post with you.

I’m sure as genealogists you’ll all be reading through this list as I was, nodding your head in agreement … because we do all have our own Genealogy Wish List. We just don’t usually write it down.

Anyway, on to the Christmas Wish List …

1. I wish for you to find a wrecking ball in 2012 that knocks down a major brick wall blocking your path to unearthing a piece of information that exposes a branch of your tree that has been kept buried for years. May the opening be large enough to see into several generations.

2. I wish for you to take a trip to a place you’ve never gone and discover a long lost headstone you’ve been seeking for years. May it still stand with a flawless inscription that provides all the vital information, including the deceased’s country of origin and a wee tale of why they came to Australia (or elsewhere in the world). I wish you clear passage to it and an insect bite-free visit.

3. I wish for you to taste a dish rediscovered from your childhood, a recipe your great-grandmother had made for you and passed down through the family.

4. I wish for you a hassle-free year with no technological malfunctions, computer crashes or software glitches. May all your genealogy programs run smoothly and just the way you expected them to operate.

5. I wish for you to open your email, pick up the phone or receive a letter from a distant cousin in a family line you have very little information on. Not only does this cousin have well-documented research, she’s willing to share with you.

6. I wish for you to uncover a photo of an ancestor, one you never knew existed and it’s so old, it’s on tin. May it reveal facts that until then were a mystery.

7. I wish for you to easily find that elusive ancestor, perhaps the one who changed their name, while searching census records.

8. I wish for your ship to come in and you find the name of the vessel and the passenger list detailing your ancestors’ arrival in Australia (or elsewhere). With a little luck, a picture will also be found of the ship to add to your family history.

9. I wish for you to come into possession of a stack of letters. The yellowing envelopes contain love letters between your great-grandparents when during the First World War he was a soldier serving overseas and she was living at home with her parents.

10. I wish for you heavy reading when out-of-the-blue, you discover a mysterious ancestor kept a journal of his trip from the old country to Australia (or elsewhere), detailing the immediate family left behind and those born in his new country.

11. This creative person also liked to sketch and did his best to capture his family and surroundings within the journal pages.

12. I wish for you to be able to track down the missing birth, marriage and death records that have been dodging you in your research.

13. Ultimately, I wish for you good health, happy times and many hours of productive research. From my family tree to yours, may your holidays be merry and bright.

[Please note, I did change the country mentioned in numbers 2, 8, and 10  from ‘Canada’ to Australia. The rest is as Diane wrote it.]

I’m not sure what’s left to say after that, as it really does cover it all? Happy Christmas everyone,  and I do hope you get a chance to work (and progress)  on your family history in 2012.