StoryCorps is declaring November 28, 2008 the first annual National Day of Listening.

This holiday season, ask the people around you about their lives — it could be your grandmother, a teacher, or someone from the neighborhood. By listening to their stories, you will be telling them that they matter and they won’t ever be forgotten. It may be the most meaningful time you spend this year.

“StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit that has helped more than 40,000 Americans record their stories. As one of the largest oral history projects of its kind, it is our mission to help people honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening.”

So, if you are looking for a new way to add meaning to a holiday that is quickly being overrun by all of the shopping sales on “Black Friday”, I invite you to consider this. The StoryCorps page at http://www.npr.org has a downloadable kit to help you ask your loved ones to tell their stories.