Don’t Buy More ‘Stuff’: Family History Preservation Company Houstory Launches Holiday Campaign

Family history preservation company Houstory has kick-started a new marketing campaign, just in time for the holidays. Its name: “No More Stuff/Preserve. Conserve.” The company hopes the campaign will help people rethink their relationship with the things they buy and own.

“I’m sure you know a person (probably more than one) who genuinely appears to have everything they need,” said Mike Hiestand, Houstory founder. “Both sets of my pre-Boomer parents fall into this category. Often, when you ask what they need from Santa, they honestly, sincerely and kindly tell you ‘nothing.’ Because the truth is, we all reach a point — some much sooner than others — where we really don’t need more stuff. But do we listen? No.”

Instead, he said, we buy them something they really don’t need, or even want.

“Buying gifts is simply one of the ways our culture seeks to express love and other feelings during the holiday season,” Hiestand said. “So, rather than fight that natural desire, we think we have a perfect, outside-the-box — and brand new — gift idea for 2012 that balances the two sides perfectly. Rather than buying them more ‘stuff,’ give them something that will help them honor the things they already have.”

The Heirloom Registry acts something like a permanent license plate for your stuff, Hiestand said. Anyone with access to an item’s unique “license” ¬— its Heirloom Registry number — can simply go The Heirloom Registry Web site, enter the number and pull up any information about the item that a previous owner wanted to share.

The registration number is affixed to an item using custom-made durable stickers, brass and metal plates or other methods sold through the company’s Web site.

Hiestand continued: “Show you care by helping your parents or other relatives identify and share the stories of the things already in their lives that are genuinely meaningful to them (and probably to you as well), such as a family quilt; the dining room table that has been the center of family gatherings for generations; the cheap, funny looking lamp that your dad loves and your mom hates; family photos; a toy train; Bibles and scrapbooks — basically anything that might fall into the general category of a “family heirloom,” whose background and story make it more than just regular old stuff.”

By preserving these stories, he said, owners are also conserving the natural resources that went into making the items because they are identified as valuable belongings not to be tossed into the trash. For more on the campaign and to get involved, visit the Houstory Hearth Blog at http://blog.houstory.com, or follow Houstory's Facebook page.

NOTE: This article was taken from a press release by Houstory.