Christmas at our house is a merging of two families. Four generations from my side, and from my husband’s side, come together to eat, drink, laugh, watch the little kids delight in their presents, then eat some more before we play Bad Santa – taking turns to unwrap a gift, or steal someone else’s. Thankfully, the tears have been fewer since the teens became adults.

Amid all the sweating over present wrapping, feast cooking, and manic house tidying this day demands, it seems to be over in a fleeting moment. Only leftover ham and mountains of crumpled wrapping paper remain (and underneath, that one Bad Santa gift no-one wanted…).

But there are always the stories that get passed on each Christmas. Last year, it took two engineers, a plumber, a landscaper, a retired farmer and a couple of journalists – who are no good at puzzles – two hours in the blazing sun to rig up a pergola… only to discover it was missing three poles.

Over time, the pergola story will grow taller with each retelling – taking twice as many hands, twice as long.

Then there are the multitude of stories that may not survive the test of time: Nana’s exquisite wrapping skills, Dad slipping double the brandy into Mum’s trifle recipe, the aunty who notoriously turns up late with the minted potatoes every Christmas – but it’s always worth the wait.

Yet those memories will hold more value than the latest three-stripe sneakers, an annoying digital pet or a gourmet chocolate bouquet. They’re the treasured snapshots you want your grandkids, and their grandkids, to hear about – that only live on if we keep telling them.

That’s why this Christmas is the perfect moment to give a gift that preserves your parents’ stories.

Time is of the essence. With all the Reflections interviews we’ve done with New Zealanders over the past year, no one has ever said, “We did this too early.”

But many have said, “I wish we’d done this sooner.”

It’s not that families don’t want to act. We assume we have all the time in the world to do these things. But life gets busy, and suddenly, our parents’ health can change in an instant. Their memories begin to fade.

Christmas gives us the chance to change that.

A Reflections interview is much more than just a recording. It’s a way for families to immortalise their parents’ childhood adventures, career triumphs and challenges, life lessons, and the moments of courage, joy and humour that have shaped them. A lifetime of memories – told in their voice, in their words.

These stories aren’t just nostalgia; they’re connection. And in a world that’s moving so fast, they’re a way to slow down, absorb and appreciate your shared history.

It’s also a way of telling your parents they’re still needed; still significant. And they’ll be giving their children and grandchildren a part of themselves that will never disappear.

One family who gifted their parents a Reflections interview as a thank you for all they’d done for them will sit down together this Christmas Day and watch their video for the first time. It will likely become a family tradition – treasured even more once their parents are no longer here to share the stories themselves.

A Reflections interview is more than a gift – it’s a legacy. Many Christmases from now, your family will sit down, watch your parents and grandparents reminisce, laugh and even cry on screen, and be grateful you captured this time capsule of their lives.

Here’s the beautiful part: You don’t need to organise anything complicated right now. You simply give them a Reflections Gift Card on Christmas Day.

So if this Christmas brings you together with the people you love, it could be the perfect moment to present them with a Reflections interview and preserve their stories for generations to come. It will probably be the most memorable gift you ever give.

Meri Kirihimete

Suzanne‍