As we approach the centenary of the armistice that brought an end to World War I, it made us realise how many of the real stories from the war are already lost.  Diaries have been found by some families telling the story of what is was really like to be involved, but if those people were here now, what questions would be asking them over our dinner?  Sadly, in this case, it is too late.

Our study has shown that the vast majority of us spend little or no time talking to older relatives, or even our parents about their lives, so could years of family stories be lost forever to future generations?

Many of our family stories, traditions and secrets could be lost forever, according to the results of the research which shows that the majority of us have never spoken to our parents and older relatives about their pasts.

The study saw three quarters of respondents admit they spend little or no time talking to older relatives about their lives and the family stories of their parents.

More than half of us do not talk to our parents or grandparents about our family heritage, while close to 30% have ever even talked to their mother, and 40% to their father about their own lives.

Close to 40% don't know how their parents met, 48% don't know when they met and 86% of respondents whose dad proposed to their mum don't know where or when it happened, while over 60% don't know what their parents' hobbies were as children.

Over 40% don't know where their maternal grandmother or paternal grandfather were born, a quarter don't know what their grandfather did for a job, and almost a third don't know their grandmother's full name.

However, it seems the intentions are there. 90% of us agree it's important to know about the stories from our relatives' lives to capture this information before it is lost forever, but we just don't seem to be following this through.  The results also show that the older you get, the stronger these feelings get too.

Sadly more than 70% of those surveyed by from you to me told us they have had a relative of close friend pass away who they wished they had asked more questions to about their life.

So ... how well do you know your family and its past? And what can you do to learn more before it's too late.

We all have stories to share and our range of gift journal for the people close to you contain inspiring questions and prompts to help to explore and share special moments and memories, capturing handwritten stories from every step of life to be treasured forever.

Don't wait until it is too late ... give one of these clever gifts to your family for Christmas this year and get to them better. We get calls from our customers telling us that the completed journals are the first thing they would grab in a house fire ... truly priceless.

Available for all the family and friends for £17.99 or in different designs.

You can even create personalised versions to make your gift truly personal.

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If you would like more detail on our research or would like to use it in your blog, magazine or show, please contact us.