*We are happy to collaborate with Storyworth and let our readers know about their great concept of turning your family’s treasured stories into books you can cherish forever. Don’t miss the special offer at the end of this post to make your very own Storyworth book.

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Are you still struggling with that one person on your list who is impossible to shop for? Maybe it’s your father, mother, or a grandparent. Every year I search the ends of the Internet for a perfect gift only to come up with a fleece blanket or a candle.

I can’t wait to tell you about Storyworth, a gift—a last-minute gift even–that is so special. A gift that matters.

First let me back up. My kids absolutely love going over to Grandpa’s house because he tells the best stories. Luckily, we live only a short drive away from grandma and grandpa and they get to hear his stories all the time. There’s this one harrowing story Grandpa tells about a bear encounter in West Yellowstone that sends the kids on a roller coaster ride every single time.

“And then the bear put his big paws up on the hood of the car.” The kids scream as Grandpa looms over them with his big hands.

“He shook the car like this…” and Grandpa shakes the couch the kids are sitting on. Their eyes are wide open.

“The bear looked at the peanut butter and jelly sandwich I was eating and licked his lips.” 

“Grandpa, what did you do next?” They are all ears.

“Well, the bear looked at me, and I looked at him. I smiled at the bear and he smiled back at me. And then…{dramatic pause}…the bear took his big paws off the car and walked away.”

“Wow Grandpa! Did that really happen?” Even though they’ve heard it dozens of times before, they still want more. Grandpa’s bear story is so epic, it can be recited verbatim by most of the grandkids. There are stories of sleigh rides, adventurous hunting trips, and of course…fish stories.

When I watch this scene from the next room, I smile. It makes my heart happy to see these two very different generations touch down on one another before flapping their separate ways. I think of my own grandfathers who are now gone. My grandpa Richards told the funniest jokes. He had this one tag line that always made me laugh, “I had an old girlfriend like that once.” You’d be talking in the kitchen about how the bread had mold on it and he’d chime in with, “I had an old girlfriend like that once.”

He’s been gone for 12 years now and his stories are starting to fade. I can’t remember the punch line to many of his jokes and I’d do anything to have them written down.

My grandpa Forbush was a singer. We’d gather around his reclining chair and listen as he sang us songs he learned in the Navy. There was this one called That Fat Gal o’ Mine that we begged to hear over and over again.

She’s warm in the winter,

shady in the Summertime;

That’s what I like about that fat gal of Mine!

Even though I heard that song so many times growing up, it kills me that the lyrics are starting escape me.

Have Your Family Stories Forever

Family is the most important thing in this world. The stories we share, the laughs we join together are the music we dance to. I want my kids to remember the stories their grandpa tells and I want to remember the looks on their faces when that bear puts his big old paws on the car. I need to hear their giggles every time the bear smiles back at Grandpa. These stories need to be written down so we can have them forever.

Like your families, many of ours live in various places across the country. They don’t get to see grandpa that often and they don’t get to hear his stories. What if grandpa’s stories were written down in a book we could all read, no matter where we lived?

Enter StoryWorth. StoryWorth is an online story-sharing site where each week, they send grandpa (or grandma, or dad, or mom) a question you’ve never thought to ask. Grandpa fills it out or records it and everyone in the family can see it! Then the best part, after a year’s worth of stories are recorded, Storyworth turns those personal stories into a beautiful hardcover book that your family can treasure always.

Think of it as instant bedtime stories and as genealogy—a record of your loved ones with fun and interesting stories you’d never hear otherwise. Consider StoryWorth as an investment into your family that will pay off hundredfold years down the road.And for those loved ones who have passed on…it’s not too late! You can make a special StoryWorth book for them with the collected memories of everyone in your family. What an amazing gift!

Special StoryWorth Offer

Last-minute gift giving doesn’t have to lack sentiment. Right now, HowDoesShe readers can get a beautifully bound Storyworth book of your family’s stories at a fantastic discount. It’s so easy to do! Just answer the weekly email prompts and you’ll get a keepsake book of stories that would have otherwise been lost.

GET YOUR SPECIAL StoryWorth OFFER HERE.

Like I said, I’d give anything to have my grandpa Richard’s jokes at arm’s reach. I know I won’t hear my grandpa Forbush’s voice singing those songs again, but I can sing them to my own kids. With StoryWorth, you’ll immortalize old stories and even learn new ones (like what was their first kiss like!). What stories will you share?

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*StoryWorth sponsored this post.