I love the idea of giving an Ancestry.com Gift Membership this holiday season. I started doing genealogy about a year ago. And though I don’t have much time to devote to the activity, I feel compelled to nurture my family tree whenever I can.

Who would enjoy this gift?

Give an Ancestry.com Gift Membership to:

• An Individual. Great idea for someone interested in family, in need of a new hobby, or who likes to use the computer.
• A Teenager. Kids are better at computers than adults, and genealogy can be interesting and addictive. It’s better than video games! An activity like this could bring the whole family together.
• A Family. This would make a great family gift from you or from your entire family. (“From our extended family to yours”)
• Blended Family. All of our families are blended in one way or another. Start researching the family tree and see how alike we all are.
• Newlyweds. What a fun way for the new couple to merge tree branches and start a family tree of their own.
• New Parents. Researching our family tree took on new meaning when I put my children at the beginning. This would make a great baby shower gift.
• Someone in Mourning. Researching family lines might help him deal with the future by connecting to the past.

This gift would also be a wonderful sentiment on Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, or Grandparents Day.

Make the Gift Membership Fun

My ideas for making a genealogy gift membership more personal:

• Christmas Tree. Attach the gift membership to a mini-Christmas tree. Tie it on with a bow or make it into an ornament.
• Tree for the yard. Attach the gift membership to a tree that is ready to plant. They can grow both trees at the same time.
• Garden tools. They can use both tools for cultivating.
• Seed packet. Smaller than a tree, easier to mail. Deliver a gift membership for growing a family tree plus seeds to grow a real tree or plant.
• Family picture. Doing genealogy is about connecting families and finding out who you are. Deliver a gift membership with a picture of your family or their family. Or find a picture frame that says, “Family.” (I’ve seen several).
• Miracle Grow. Using Ancestry.com is like putting Miracle Grow in your garden. With the tools on this site, growing your family has never been faster, easier, or produced better results.
• Book on Genealogy. Deliver the membership with a book or a list of websites to help the recipient get started.
• Time. Volunteer to help with the effort. Doing genealogy together is like solving a mystery or putting together a puzzle. You’ll have fun as a team.

Through a series of events this past year, family has become increasingly important to me. And not just my own family. I’m compelled to bridge the gap with my in-laws, step relations, and distant relatives. We may not see each other daily. but we are all part of the same family tree. Ancestry.com is helping me see that–both literally and figuratively.

Thanks to all who voted in last week’s poll. As this press release shows, people waste time and money buying gifts that are ultimately returned or stuffed in a closet. I don’t want to sound greedy here because I truly appreciate the effort made by thoughtful gift-givers. It’s just that in this economy, when people are stretched for both time and money, I hate to see either resource go to waste.

What a Waste

We waste time and money several ways, such as:
- Time spent shopping for gifts that are ultimately returned
- Time spent standing in return lines
- Time spent looking for replacement items that may or may not cost the same amount
- Time spent online calling or cybershopping to find the given item in a better size or style
- Money spent but never recouped when a gift is returned without a receipt
- Money put on store credit that may never get used
- Money spent on shipping that isn’t refunded when an online purchase is returned

And the BIGGEST sin of all (in my opinion)

- Time and Money spent on gifts that are kept but will knowingly never be used.

I’m guilty of all of these crimes. Gift cards aren’t the perfect solution because a poorly selected gift card can be just as wasteful. But if you follow my 5 Steps to Better Gift Card Giving, you’re sure to save yourself time and money on the giving end and I’m betting that the recipient will do the same.

A Toast

So, here’s to gift cards, my friends. May we give them. May we receive them. May they afford us the chance to buy the things we really want or need without wasting so much time and money.

We just finished a family gift exchange and my kids are THRILLED with the Target gift cards they received. They also got iTunes gift cards from our dear friends and have already downloaded enough songs to keep them singing right through the winter break. My step-daughters gave Paul and I a gift card to the movies and dinner–along with free babysitting. (Priceless!)

Don’t Panic:

If you still have some shopping to do – grab a gift card. Then grab a little something extra so the recipient has something to open and enjoy right away.

We received:

1. Gift card to Fandangowith theater snacks and a coupon for free abysitting.
2. Gift card to Target along with a giant, click-able pen.
3. Gift card to iTunes along with some yummy caramel corn, each with a different flavor hint that we’ve been testing.

We love the gift cards and look forward to using them. And the carefully selected accessories made the gifts fun to open.

Go Electronic if You Have to:

And don’t forget the electronic gift card options if it’s too late to ship. You can try sites like Tango card or Gift Card Mall found on our Links page. You have about 24 hours to finish that shopping list, so take my ideas and get to work!

We just added the “GCG Quick-file” to our home page. Click it and find dozens of ideas for delivering personal gift cards based on the recipient’s interests.

Walking the Walk

A couple of weeks ago, I felt the familiar holiday panic of realizing how much I needed to do and how little time and energy I had left. Rather than invoke super powers or stress for weeks, I decided to simplify instead. I pulled out my Cozi iphone app and started reorganizing my life. Primarily, I scratched traditional gifts off the list and replaced all of them with gift cards.

Next Step

After I bought the gift cards, I came up with ideas for personalizing each. This afternoon, the kids and I will sit down to make handmade gift card holders. These will be attached to framed family photos we took a few months ago. And next week, when the kids are out of school, we’ll bake homemade cookies and treats to go with each present.

Joy to My World

I haven’t felt this good about Christmas in years. And it’s all because the time I would have spent waiting in lines, looking for parking, and agonizing over sizes and styles has been freed up, allowing me to savor the season instead of rushing through it. Instead of feeling overwhelmed this time of year, I’m actually enjoying it.

Though my focus in gift card giving is to help you pick out the right card and deliver it with a personal touch, I can’t help but pay tribute to the scrappers of this world who have turned gift card giving into an art form–literally! Here are just a few I recently discovered:

• Practical Scrappers 

• A Necessary Creativity

• Rainy Day Creations

Search on “gift card holder scrapbook” or go through these blogs and start checking links to find for a crazy amount of creative ways to combine a gift card with the gift of time and talent. Goodness…I wish I had time to make some of these! Happy crafting scrappers–may you continue to deliver gift cards with such style!

Lisa Johnson Mandell posted a list of gift ideas for job seekers on AOL and included a couple of my Gift Card Girlfriend suggestions. Do you have a job seeker on your gift list? As Mandell points out, “with about one in 10 Americans unemployed, chances are there is one.”

I feel Vulnerable

Searching for a job always makes me feel vulnerable. But my confidence goes up when I go into an interview sporting a new suit, stylish shoes, an updated haircut, and a professional looking portfolio. The problem is, I worry about spending money on those things when I’m in a financial transition. So my suggestion to Mandell is to give a job seeker gift cards for said personal improvements mixed with a pinch of humor to lift spirits.

Here are some examples:

• Gift card for a clothing store attached to ‘Pay Day’ and ’100,000 Grand’ candy bars.
• Gift card for the salon coupled with a bottle of “Smart Water” and a copy of Business Week magazine to read while waiting.
• Gift card for the office supply store attached to a “lucky comb” (ala Glee) or motivational quotes written on sticky notes that can be hung around the house.

For non-gift card ideas – check out Lisa’s list. It’s a good one.