I love to see a gift card delivered in a fun, engaging, clever way. It doesn’t have to be crafty–just show a little thought and effort went into the gift. Well, I should have known my mom would come up with the best idea of them all.

Happy Birthday

On my husband’s birthday, Grandma showed up on our doorstep AS the GIFT CARD HOLDER. She tied a Fandango and a Coldstone gift card around her neck with a grosgrain ribbon and said, “These gift cards come with babysitting.”

Time is the Ultimate Gift

I am lucky to live so close to my mom. She comes over every Friday night after she gets off work to teach my kids how to play the piano. After the lessons, she changes into her “Grandma clothes” and watches the kids while Paul and I go on a date. She says she’s not babysitting, she’s “grandparenting.” I don’t care what she calls it. I look forward to the night out with my husband all week. The gift cards were truly icing on a generous cake.

You Be the Gift Card Holder

This is such a simple idea, but how often would your service actually be more meaningful than the gift card or gift itself? Think of those occassions when showing up might be the greatest gift of all. Deliver the gift card with a list of possible dates you’re available or a coupon for your time. Here are some ideas I thought of:

• Moving. Gift card to home depot with your offer to help pack, unpack, clean, or paint.
• New Baby. GIft card to a sandwich shop plus your babysitting (or just baby holding) while new mom gets to eat.
• Big Brother or Sister. Deliver gift card to ice cream shop and offer to take older siblings out for a treat while mom is with the little one.
• Gardening. Gift card to garden store and offer to help pull weeds.
• Teacher Thank You. Gift card to Bookstore and offer to volunteer time helping out in the classroom.

Is the Gift Card Necessary?

Of course not. The gift of time is always precious. But if you’re struggling to make a gift card more personal, consider putting your person into the gift like my mom did. So simple. So loving.

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Kids make bookmarks to go with bookstore gift card.

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!

Wish my iPhone had a flash!

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.

Teryn gave us a gift card to the movies plus free babysitting.

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.

Family trip to the movies, complete with popcorn, movie snacks, and gift cards.

I’m excited to announce our first Gift Card Giveaway.  Here’s what’s up for grabs!

We’re giving away a night at the movies, one of our family gift suggestions.  This prize includes a $25 gift card to Blockbuster (can be used online or in stores) and a $25 gift card to Regal Cinemas (and other partnering theaters).  You’ll also get movie snacks like Whoppers, Raisinets, Mike ‘n Ikes, and Milk Duds–all packaged up in a bucket of kettle corn ready to pop. Yum!

Legal Stuff: Contest open to continental US residents only. Contest ends December 14, 2009 at midnight PST. Winner announced December 15, 2009.

To enter, answer this question, “What gift card would you most like to receive this holiday season?”