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?

Companies are increasingly using gift cards as employee and customer incentives…and I like it! At a recent training seminar my husband attended, instructors handed out $10 P.F. Chang’s gift cards to participants who answered questions correctly. With three little kids, Paul and I typically only go to restaurants with booth seating (for containment) and ketchup on the table (as an indicator of menu selection). But we broke the rules when Dad came home from his trip with enough gift cards to take us all out for dinner. We had a great time and Ally declared P.F. Chang’s her new favorite restaurant. My kids are growing up.

The gift cards are obviously gone, but the positive memory is lasting. Conversely, my girlfriend just received a pair of high-end sunglasses for a job well done at the office (i.e. “the future is so bright, you have to wear shades”). The sunglasses are nice, but they’re not her style. And she doesn’t want to wear the exact same sunglasses everyone else on the sales team is now wearing anyway.

Her company should have taken a note from Stoner Bunting who did a similar promotion but used Sunglass Hut gift cards instead.

Though both companies had good intent, Renee’s (name changed) company spent a great deal of money on sunglasses that not everyone appreciated. Had they given out gift cards instead, recipients could have personalized their reward. And I imagine they could have had quite a fashion show as staff members revealed their choices. That seems like a double loss to me–wasted sunglasses and a missed morale booster.

I’ve added a new page to the Gift Card Girlfriend site to talk more about gift cards in the office. I appreciate Stoner Bunting for bringing this issue to my attention and would love to hear more about your experiences with gift cards from work.