I'm working on a huge genealogy project with my uncle. His parents, my paternal grandparents, recently died, and I cleaned out their house. I'm the one in me generation that is really interested in family history, so I wound up with boxes and boxes of things too potentially or obviously important to toss. There are two things that are really important to me today.
The first is my grandmother's wedding album, in which she recorded the names of her maternal grandparents, which I had never seen before last night, when I turned that page. She also recorded all her wedding gifts, and some of them I recognize as things I now have, not knowing what they were. Two hammered aluminum trays come to mind, and a few cut-glass dishes. But what I wish I had, knowing or not, was the 'summer quilt, gift of the Applegate family'. They were married in June, 1940 - once upon a time, there was a beautiful late-1930's quilt made as a wedding gift to my grandparents. What did it look like? What happened to it? I will probably never know.
The second is a table runner made by my great-grandmother.

It's 15" x 50", and in perfect condition. It's a lovely soft orange, and I plan on backing it with something similar to the towel in the picture, so the work shows well. I have a full-sized table cloth in the same pattern, possibly made by my great-aunt instead, and listed as a wedding gift, but in unbleached linen. In my heart of hearts, I'd love to use the table cloth at dinner this afternoon at my sister's house, along with my grandmother's silver which my sister has, but I don't think I dare put it on the table with four kids, two of them under 4 years old. How did people use their beautiful things in ages past? I know there were just as many gravy drips and juice spills, so was there some secret cleaning knowledge now lost? Did the lovely things just sit in cupboards? I don't think so. Maybe the needleworkers of the past were just braver and less worried about ruining a family heirloom. Maybe I'll bring the tablecloth, and see how brave I get.
What are you using (or not) for this year's feast that connects you with your past?