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.

My third grader decorated this simple potholder and brought it to me with a cute note telling me how much he appreciates all I do for him. I love it. I love it so much that I wanted to share it with you as an easy way to personalize a food-related gift card for your mom on Mother’s Day.

Download e-Gift Card

You can get any number of gift cards from the store, but if you’re in a hurry, download this Kitchen-themed gift card from Amazon.com. Your mom can buy whatever she wants from Amazon. The “kitchen” theme is just a suggestion.

It’s electronic so you can purchase, download, and print today.

More Cooking Gift Cards

Other gift cards that “cook” include:

• Cooking stores like Williams & Sonoma
• Grocery store
• Her favorite restaurant–change the note to read, “Enjoy A Night Off.”

Check out our “Mother’s Day” section for more ideas today!

My first grader painted this terracotta pot at school and delivered it to me with a sweet card and a packet of seeds.

I swapped out the seeds for a flower-themed gift card.

Download e-Gift Card

The Visa Gift Card pictured has a flower bouquet on the front. But with Mother’s Day only hours away, I suggest you download this flower-themed gift card from Amazon.com instead.

It’s electronic so you can purchase, download, and print today.

More “Plantable” Gift Cards

Other gift cards to “plant” include:

• A local nursery or the home improvement store (with nursery)
• Fashion Bug Flower Gift Card
• JC Penney Flowers Gift Card
• Blooming Tulip GiftCard from Target

Check out our “Mother’s Day” section for more ideas today!

Mother’s Day is next Sunday and I have an idea that you can pull together quickly.

Get mom a gift card to Banana Republic and attach it to a fresh bunch of bananas. You can get creative and draw faces on the “nanas” or include the fixin’s for a banana split. Make homemade banana bread, banana pancakes, or banana cream pie even.

Running out of time?

Get a Banana Republic e-Gift Card instead. Electronic gift cards can be sent to your e-mail address (or mom’s) and are customizable with pictures and message.

Plus mom can use a Banana Republic Gift Card at ALL Gap, Inc. stores–including Gap, Old Navy, Athleta, Banana Republic, or Piperlime. She just might go bananas with all those options!

Gift Card Girlfriend is getting a makeover!

In addition to sharing our creative gift card ideas, we’re converting each gift card vignette to a “Get it Done” shopping option as well. We’ll scour the net to find everything you need to make a gift card more personal. All you have to do is click the pieces and buy. (The convenient gift card–just got easier to give!)

Mother’s Day First

The site redesign will launch officially in a few weeks, but for now – check out the Mother’s Day section. You’ll find great ideas to kickstart your own creativity plus “Get it Done” deals to buy today. Below is one of my favorites!

Feet Retreat

Get Inspired: Stamp the kids’ feet or take a picture of their piggy toes and put it in a keepsake frame. Add a pedicure gift card and a note that reads, “From our feet to yours!” Or pair the gift card with a pedicure accessory or lotion like the ones shown in our “Get it Done” deal below:

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• SpaFinder GC
  Amazon.com
• Flip Flop Pedi Set
  Amazon.com
• “I Love You” lotion
  Amazon.com

My girlfriend Shannon just turned 40 and she’s amazing. She’s one of those gals who has style–you know who they are. Her house is arranged just so, she’s always dressed nicely without being overdone, and everything she does looks artistic and polished. I love being around her.

So Shannon’s mom threw a surprise birthday brunch complete with fresh squeezed juice and a frittata fresh out of the oven. Everything just as delightful as the guest of honor. As much as I loved the atmosphere, though, a gift from Shannon’s sister captured my full attention! So simple, so personal, so gift-cardable!

This sweet sibling filled a jar called “40 Things I love About You” with sentiments about their relationship as friends, as sisters, as daughters of God, and mothers of little angels. We all oohed and ahhed as Shannon read a few of the notes through weepy eyes.

I love the idea and wanted to add a gift card spin–drop a $40 dollar gift card into the jar of 40 sentiments. And don’t be caught up on age. This idea can be tailored to any birthday – 23 things I love about you and a $23 gift card to the yogurt shop. 38 things I like about you and a 38 dollar gift card to the sandwich shop. Or change it from a birthday gift to Mother’s Day, a thank you gift, or a group gift where everybody adds a note to the recipient.

So clever. So stylish. So Shannon. I love it.