Time keeps moving forward. My father passed this last October. Mom is unable to live on her own and now lives with us. My brother and sister are preparing the house we grew up in to be sold. Things are changing quickly.
While going through the house my sister found a stack of old VHS tapes. One was a tape labeled "Home Movies". The videos on the tape were shot between 1953 and the mid 1960s. There were videos from early birthdays, family Christmas parties, backyard cookouts, parades, and family members having fun. Each snippet is accompanied by organ music as played by my father.
I vaguely remember when my father created this tapes. Most, if not all, of the videos had been filmed on 8 mm film. Dad was managing a camera department when a new machine came in that transfered old films to the then new video format, VHS. He transfered the films to VHS between customers. It helped him sell the machines, he said, by being able to show customers what it could do. In reality, I think he made the tapes for us, his wife and kids. It was a lot of work especially since he played and recorded his own music by himself just for the tapes.
I also remember that when my dad brought the tape home, we weren't all that interested in watching it. He would tell us how interested the customers were and want to play the tape but I was a teenager at the time. I had more important things to do than watch old scratchy films, even if they were on VHS cassettes now.
My father's gift at the time wasn't appreciated. Last weekend I watched the original VHS tape with my sister Debbie.Then I converted it to DVD so it would be easier to watch and easier to send to other family members. I watched the DVD with my Mom yesterday and with my wife tonight. I sent a copy of the DVD version to my brother so he can watch it with his family on Christmas Eve. There are a lot of memories on those tapes, and a lot of family history. Many in the videos have passed on. Some, like my father, just recently. Thank you Dad for putting those 8 mm films on VHS. Otherwise they would have been lost forever since I don't know anyone with an 8 mm projector these days.
Thank you Dad for taking the time to create the video and music to be handed down to future generations.I hope one of my kids someday will convert it from DVD to whatever the next great format is and tell the stories we tell about it to their kids.
I got a lot of presents and gifts growing up. I only remember a very few of them. This gift my father gave us that was so unappreciated at the time is one that will be remembered for a long time to come. I wish I was able to tell him when he was still here. I wish I was able to sit with him this Christmas and watch the tape with him. He would know how much of what he did is appreciated now.
This Christmas my wish for you is that you appreciate the things you have and have fond remembrances of things past.
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