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.

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.

The holidays are just around the corner and I’m not ready! I don’t mean that I haven’t bought my gifts yet (I haven’t). I’m just not ready for it to BE the holidays–not ready to pull out the decorations, make “the list,” check “the list” a bazillion times and still forget something. Not ready to gain five pounds. Not ready for the craziness to begin. I’m not quite the Christmas Kranks, but I like a clean house, a simple lifestyle, and under scheduled kids. It doesn’t always happen, but it’s less likely to happen once we start rockin’ around the Christmas tree.

Goal: Simplify with Gift Cards

This year, I am going to use gift cards to simplify my life. Rather than chase all over town buying traditional gifts, I’ll buy gift cards by the armful. And with the time savings, I’ll be able to make the those gift cards more personal. I’m even thinking the kids might find a gift card or two in their stockings. Because one thing I like less than clutter, is wasting time and money. With gift cards, the recipient can buy something he or she wants. With my personal touches, I’ll feel good about giving the gift cards as well.

Goal: Take Advantage of Gift Card Offers

I’ll be on the lookout for the “Give one, Get one” (G.O.G.O.) gift card deals and might even buy gift cards from online discounters. Though I prefer to pick a gift card off the rack so I can hold it, get inspired by it, and check for fees and expiration, the discount savings at places like Plastic Jungle can’t be ignored.

Goal: Budget.

Though it’s hard to find traditional gifts that fit exactly in your budget, with gift cards you decide how much to spend and don’t have to give a penny more. I rarely blow my budget on the accoutrements that go along with the holidays, but I do sometimes go overboard on the gifts. Another reason to stay with the gift cards.

Goal: Enjoy it.

With these parameters in place, I vow to enjoy the holiday season–even embrace it’s coming. If the worst problem I have is too much holly in the hallways, then I’ve got it pretty good. And I do. I just want to simplify the gift giving and keep the budget in check so I can spend more time reveling in the the blessings of this holiday season and less time worrying about it.

With each holiday, I see an increasing number of bonus gift card offers. They go something like this: Buy a gift card for a specified dollar amount and get a lesser gift card for free. Savvy shoppers can take advantage of these incentives to save a few pennies.

For Example:

For example, my local Safeway is offering a $10 coupon on my next shopping trip if I buy $100 or more in Visa Gift Cards. Now, Visa gift cards typically have an activation fee. But if the activation fee is less than ten dollars, then I could earn a few bucks just by buying the gift card. But do I need a Visa gift card? Sure. Here is how you pocket a few dollars without buying unnecessarily.

Take Advantage:

• Buy a Visa gift card for your personal shopping–an upcoming vacation or just daily expenses. You’re spending the money anyway. Putting your money on the gift card first simply allows you to get the bonus groceries.
• Buy a Visa gift card to put kids on a budget. Got kids going off to college, in need of spending money, or wanting to do a little back to school shopping?  With a Visa gift card, they can shop anywhere they want, but have to stay within the limit of the funds on the gift card.
• Plan ahead and buy gifts early. Think about upcoming birthdays, weddings, or even holiday shopping. If you’re going to spend the money in the near future, might as well save on groceries while you’re at it.

Expiration Dates?

One word of caution is to check the expiration dates. Thanks to gift card laws changing in August, the gift card you buy will be good for at least five years so you don’t have to worry about shopping too early. But the bonus gift card (in this case coupon), is likely only to be good for a specified period of time. So check restrictions before you buy.

Think Ahead

If you’re buying more than one gift card, you might need to do it in separate transactions so you can get the bonus for each gift card purchased–rather than one bonus for the total number of gift cards you buy. Check with the cashier to see if there is limit so you don’t over strategize.

Tired of nagging my kids to pick up their shoes, stop fighting, talk nice, get ready for school, clear the dishes, flush the toilet, and so forth, I plunked a jelly jar on the counter one day and blurted out, “Fill this jar with beans before holiday break and I’ll take you ice skating.”

I laid out a fairly simple reward structure–do what I say without negotiating, earn a bean. Do me a favor (e.g. let your brother go first), earn a bonus bean. Tell me something nice a sibling did instead of a tattle-tale, earn five beans. Having never been ice skating, the kids snapped to attention and filled the jar before school got out and just before their interest in the whole gimmick ended. (Rumor has it Dad abused the system and awarded a fistful of beans in exchange for a Saturday afternoon nap at some point.) Nonetheless, the kids filled the jar so we took them ice skating this week for the very first time. 

We had so much fun, I couldn’t help but add ice skating to the list of family gift card ideas. To give the gift of ice skating, I would get a gift card to a nearby rink and download the public skating schedule. Then I’d get either an inexpensive set of gloves or a pair of warm, tall socks for everyone in the family. You could also add a travel bottle of hand sanitizer, hot chocolate mix, or matching beanies as well.  Love that.

My 20-year-old step-daughter lived with us for about six months. Though we tried to insulate her from the constant chaos of kids, Teryn couldn’t escape the early morning wake-up calls, dinnertime negotiations, and a constant barrage of questions (“Where are you going?” “Who are you talking to?” “Why do you go to school at night?”).

It’s no surprise she knew exactly what Paul and I needed for Christmas–a babysitter!

Teryn gave us a movie gift card and a homemade ticket that reads, “Redeem for a night off. Admit 3. Ages 9, 7, and 5.” This gift is a treat for the whole family because I get to enjoy a date with my husband and the kids get to spend an evening with their big sister. The movie gift card is a wonderful bonus, but the babysitting alone is all she really needed to do. We can’t wait to redeem this very special gift card!

Click here for more Family Gift Card ideas.