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.

The saying, “The family that plays together, stays together” is one of my favorites and is something I try to foster in our home. But achieving family camaraderie is not always easy. Some of the most harmonious moments in my home happen when the kids are each doing something on their own—no fighting, no tattle-taling, no wrestling—just peaceful coexistence. But there’s no laughter or bonding going on either.

Go Giants!

Being that we’re a Bay Area family, the thing that united us most these past months has been following the Giants through the pennant race and the World Series. Even my daughter, who isn’t at all interested in baseball, got into the spirit. For at least eleven magical nights, we sat on the couch as a family, watched the games, talked about “the Beard,” explained baseball strategies to the little ones, and ate hot dogs, nachos, and other ballpark inspired foods for dinner. I didn’t want it to end in part because we had so much fun and because I didn’t have to work that hard to make it happen.

Now What?!

Here we are on the threshold of the holidays and I’m thinking about ways to help us unite as a family again. Since we’re not planning to travel, I need ideas for getting everyone engaged here at home. The folks over at Gift Card Mall must have read my mind because Safeway, Vons, and other affiliated grocers have a promotion going on through the end of the year called, “Treat your Family to Playtime!” Buy a participating Coca-Cola product plus Orville Redenbacher’s Popcorn and get $5 off an online games gift card—like Xbox, PlayStation, Adventure Quest, Stardoll and others. (See in-store details for specifics).

Win a Gift Card

In honor of that promotion, Gift Card Mall is giving away a $50 Online Games gift card to a participant here on Gift Card Girlfriend. To enter, simply tell us how you promote family playtime at home. Although the winner will be chosen at random, I really need your ideas! So send in your tips and you just might find a $50 gift card under the tree this holiday season!

Legal Stuff: Contest open to continental US residents only. Contest ends December 31, 2010 at midnight PST. Winner will be posted on the site for one month and notified by e-mail. Be sure the address shelley@giftcardgirlfriend.com clears your e-mail filter. If winner doesn’t respond within one month, a runner-up will be chosen.

Can you believe we’ve never taken a formal family picture? I’ve got a million snapshots (some of which include everybody), but no perfectly posed, matching outfits, five smiling faces photos. I have two excuses–one valid and the other just lazy.

The not-so-good reason we’ve never taken a family picture is because I dread moments where my children are expected to be, “on.” I know from too many days in the motherhood trenches that it is nearly impossible to make everybody happy at the same time. I can barely put a dinner on the table that meets with total approval much less get the entire clan dressed in clothes I pick out. Plus I have recurring flashbacks of the family picture I ruined as a kid because I had to stand while my brother and sister got to sit on a lap. (A total injustice for which I still remember the tantrum I threw. Sorry Mom.) So reason number one for not taking a family photo: justifiable fear.

Reason number two: We are on a tight budget and I always figured the cost of getting a formal sitting would be even greater than the emotional toll. But that’s where I was wrong. In a quick hour, Barry Zundel made us look like the family we strive to be. And rather than obligate us to buy expensive prints from him, he gave us a CD of digital photos I can print whenever and wherever I want. That will save me a bundle and has me thinking what a great idea it would be to give the gift of pictures. Here are a few of my thoughts:

• Photography: Get a gift card to a studio or a gift certificate from a local photographer. It doesn’t have to be plastic to be legit. If you know someone who takes pictures, pay in advance and deliver the gift certificate so there is no excuse for not capturing the moment.
• Prints: Get a gift card for photo development from a store or from one of the many online services such as Shutterfly or my favorite, blurb.
• Fashion: I did spend more hours than I wanted to looking for clothes we could all wear. With a gift card, I might have been able to get the job done faster because I would have focused more on the “look” and less on the price.
• Frames: Sometimes the frame costs more than the actual picture. With a gift card to the frame store, the recipient can turn a nice photo into a piece of art at a fraction of the cost.

Though I’m thinking right now about family photos, these gift card ideas would be great for graduation, new baby, wedding, or even a significant birthday. Come to think of it, do you need a good reason to take a picture at any time of year? Not really. All I needed was the right photographer and a little courage. I’m so glad we finally did this.

I like the Work & Life blog on Real Simple. A recent post by Julie Rottenberg on the ups and downs of giving a magazine subscription as a gift got me thinking.

As Julie points out, a subscription is fun to give initially, but can leave you wondering what to do when renewal time comes along. (Should you renew? Does the recipient want the magazine renewed? Will the renewal look lackluster as a gift or tie you into a long-term gifting arrangement?)

Instead, I suggest giving a gift card for a magazine subscription. The recipient can pick out which magazine to order and the renewal notice won’t come to you. It’s a one-time gift.

With that problem solved, I started thinking of fun ways to deliver a magazine subscription gift card–all starting with a store bought magazine. The recipient can order a different magazine, of course, but your gift ensemble acts as recommended reading plus something for the recipient to enjoy while he or she waits for the first issue to arrive.

Then I’d pick up accessories to go with the magazine like a bag of chips, sunscreen, and a reusable water bottle for poolside reading. Or do something in line with the magazine you’re giving. For example, Sports Illustrated and an energy bar for the athlete, Family Fun magazine and craft supplies for the toddler-age mom, or Real Simple with decorative push-pins for the organizer.

This is a gift that works for Him, Her, the Family, and for Kids. I love it and appreciate Julie’s post that kicked me into re-thinking this old gift idea.

I took my kids to see Toy Story 3 this morning. I don’t normally like the animated flicks, but I chuckled even more than the little ones this time. Toys I hadn’t thought about in years showed up on screen like old friends. (Including a few toys I coveted but never got to make friends with, like that three story Barbie Apartment!) But the best part of the day was using the gift card I found last week to offset the cost of admission.

Saving Money

This little Disney-Pixar flashback would have cost me $45 without the gift card. That’s a lot of money for a matinee, especially when I’m trying to stretch the family budget across a summer’s worth of activities.

While a movie gift card may no longer be the most original gift to give, it’s still a great gift for a kid, teen, family, or anybody who likes to go to the theater. The recipient might not use it right away, but is certain to appreciate it when they do.

Make the Movie Gift Card More Personal

Partner a movie gift card with some movie snacks, popcorn, or something relevant to the movie you think they’re most likely to see. For Toy Story 3, for example, get a slinky akin to the one in the movie. For the new Twilight movie, Eclipse, get a gift card to the movies with some fake blood and vampire teeth. Or, if you’re like me, a movie gift card would go perfect with a purse size salt shaker for the tub of popcorn I’d buy once I got there.

With the kids home for summer, my once quiet work-from-home mornings have turned into a swirl of Legos, Wii games, flying Nerf balls, flying Legos, and a constant barrage of tattle-taling (You don’t want to know about my new threat, ominously called, “The Tattle-Tale Treatment.”). I can barely remember what day of the week it is, much less get anything done. And just when I feel guilty about that, I remember that it’s summer–my kids are old enough to remember the days we share, and young enough to still want to share them with me. What a treasure.

Another Treasure

So today, I shook my head in shame and then threw my arms into a double fist pump when I found an unused movie theater gift card tacked to the bulletin board in my office. ME, the one who spends her days obsessing about gift cards, forgot I had one. Unacceptable!

Then the self-loathing mixed with euphoria turned to anxiety as I wondered if the unused gift card would still be usable. On the back of the gift card, I found a web address on which to check the balance. Thankfully, I still had $21 to spend at the movies. (Back to the fist pumping!)

No More Worries

The good news – as of August 22, 2010, gift card laws are changing in a way that you’re less likely to feel anxious about unused gift cards. The new law says that gift cards can’t expire in less than five years and you can’t be dinged a non-use fee for at least a year. Most importantly, in my opinion, terms such as these must be clearly specified on the card before purchase. No more wondering.

So if I ever find another unused gift card in my possession, I won’t have to worry or wonder about whether or not I can still use it.

Now, my friends…Shrek 3, Toy Story 3, or Karate Kid? Any help here?