Gifts for the Genealogist on Your Christmas List

Do you have a genealogist or two you still need to buy for at Christmas? Or do you just want to present a Genealogy Wish List to your family members in hopes they buy you something special!

Here are a few ideas that might spark some interest

1. Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner. See my reviews on this amazing and powerful tool!

2. Gift subscription to an online genealogy site. There are many to choose from. My personal favourite is Ancestry.com. There are also GenealogyBank, Footnote.com and many many others. What genealogists would not love to have a year's access to one of these sites!

3. A genealogy book. If you know the recipient's family tree you could look for a book that has been written and published on one of their family lines. Or you could buy a more generic genealogy book such as The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy: A complete resource to using the Web to trace your family history (Everything Series) I like to check Amazon and Abe Books for such items.

Of course I'd love it if you bought one of MY published books for your favourite genealogist!  I've written books on the following families in America and Canada: Van Slyke, Peer (Pier), Vincent, Stevensen, Boelen and King. (shameless self-promotion here!)

4.  Don't want to spend money but still want to give a thoughtful genealogy gift? Why not create your own book of photos or family stories or even a family tree? I really like how the Ancestry Family Trees can be self-published for free. You have a lot of control over how your book looks. Yes it's quite a bit of work, you will need time to do a really top-notch job but it's free!

5. Last but not least, consider a personalized mug or t-shirt or tote bag for your favourite genealogist. I have not done this myself so can't recommend a site, but perhaps readers will know of places they've used to create an item or two.

I've given my husband my Christmas Wish List and I hope Santa brings me a few of the genealogy gifts I want this year. Yes, I'd love to receive a copy of Jacob Peer's marriage record so I can find out his wife's maiden name. Or the birth certificate of Joseph McGinnis so I can prove who his parents' were... but those are items I've searched for for many years. So they are on my Christmas DREAM List which really isn't likely to happen this year. But I can dream can't I?