The short answer is: anything that matters to you.
A Legacy Book doesn't have to follow a formula. It doesn't have to be about one person, cover an entire lifetime, or tell stories in any particular order. It just has to mean something to the people who will read it.
Here are some of the ways families have used theirs, and some ideas to spark your own.
A portrait of one person
The most common starting point. A parent, grandparent, or beloved relative whose stories deserve to be preserved. Their childhood, their working life, their relationships, their values, told in their own words, shaped into something their family can keep forever.
A life told in tribute
Sometimes the person is no longer here to tell their own story. A Legacy Book can be written in tribute — drawing on the memories of people who loved them, the stories that have been passed down, the photographs that still sit in boxes. Their voice may be gone, but their story doesn't have to be.
A shared journey — two people, one book
A couple's story, told together. How they met, what they built, what they survived, what they cherish. These books often become the most treasured of all: two voices, one life shared.
A family history
Not just one person, but a whole family's story. Where you came from, the generations that came before, the moments that shaped who you all are. A record that children and grandchildren can return to for the rest of their lives.
A trip or experience that deserves more than photos
Some experiences are too rich to live only in an album. A significant family trip, a milestone celebration, a season of life you want to remember fully. The stories behind the photos, the moments the camera didn't catch, the things people said that you never want to forget.
A chapter of life, not a whole lifetime
A Legacy Book doesn't have to cover everything. Sometimes one chapter is enough; a decade of raising children, the years spent building something, a period of change or challenge that shaped a family in ways worth remembering.
A mix of all of the above
Some of the most beautiful books weave several threads together. A family trip that coincided with a loss. A tribute to a grandmother that also captures a reunion. A parent's story that becomes family history. Life doesn't organise itself into neat categories, and neither does a Legacy Book.
The only question that matters
What do you not want to forget?
Start there. Everything else can be shaped around the answer.