2 year old Lisa in front of Christmas tree with 2 dolls
Genealogy Gift Guides

Your Family Tree Gift Guide for the Holidays

The favorite family tree gifts for the genealogy buff, family historian and history lover on your Christmas gift list. Shopping will be easy!

Have you noticed the holiday decorations going up in local shopping centers and inside the stores. That means one thing. The pressure of Christmas shopping had begun.

As I write this we are approaching Black Friday, I’m not ready. You?

Let’s help each other out. I’m going to share some great family tree gift  ideas for your family and also some gift ideas to put on your  own Christmas wish list. [Help your family out and just send them a link to this post!]

If there is another genealogist in the family, I’ll help you find that perfect gift.

Family Tree Gift Guide for the Holidays

Genealogy Software

Most genealogists are techies to some degree.  Face it, we sort of have to be! Even if they (or you) are not, genealogy software to help organize the family tree is a must for any genealogist. Having a family tree offline and not associated with an online account is vital to the back up process for genealogy research.

Here are a few of my suggestions:

  • Legacy  – I’ve used this one in the past and like it a lot, too!
  • Family Tree Maker – This is the one I use!
  • Scrivener – For organizing and (finally) writing your family history.

Genealogy Database Subscriptions

Family history researchers love nothing more than information and data on their ancestors.  A subscription to an online database is a good thing to add to your own Christmas list (to help Santa’s elves out, of course!).

  • FindMyPast – One of my favorite features here is  PERSI! Predominantly UK and Irish record collections, FindMyPast has many world and U. S records, too. (I love my subscription!) [Learn about US records in the Summer Road Trip series I did with FindMyPast. ]
  • Ancestry.com – My very first genealogy subscription site, and I still use it regularly.
  • Fold3 – My go-to for researching ancestors in the military.
  • GenealogyBank – Newspapers!
  • Newspapers.com – Read all about it in the newspaper!  I love newspaper research, and this is another one my favorites.
  • MyHeritage
2 year old Lisa in front of Christmas tree with 2 dolls

DNA & Genealogy

Who can do genealogy research without the addition of DNA testing? DNA is pretty much standard in our research these days. Here’s my go-to list for all things DNA and a perfect addition to my list of family tree gifts.

Helpful Genealogy Research “Tools”

What’s in your genealogy toolbox?  I don’t use many office type tools, but I do use a few.  Having a paper and pencil option is always good idea.

  • Laptop – I use one similar to this one.
  • Desk Light  – For reading those old handwritten documents.
  • Handheld magnifying Glass with Light – Again, for reading those old documents!
  • Binders – To store all that information we find. I’m almost completely digital in my filing, but I know many still use the binder system.
  • Legal pads –  Sometimes you just think better on paper, at least I do. You will always find a legal pad and mechanical pencil beside me when I research.

Photo Organization & Preservation

If you and your family are fortunate to have heirloom photographs, make sure they are preserved and stored safely.

Find your ancestors in Christmas traditions and records. Explore them in these 12 Days of Christmas - genealogy-style!
Source: Library of Congress

Genealogy Stocking Stuffers

No one wants an empty stocking on Christmas morning – not even an adult! 😉  These are small items that make a BIG difference for the genealogy researcher.

  • Roll of Quarters (for the microfilm machines!) – Yes, we still use microfilm!
  • Flash Drives – Back up, back up , back up!
  • Mechanical pencils – Many repositories only allow the use of pencils.  No ink pens allowed.

Gifts for Genealogy Fun!

Genealogy  is fun, and if it’s not? Well, you might be doing something wrong. 😀

Show your genealogy fun side with these great family tree gifts:

Do you feel more prepared for your holiday shopping now?

Whew!  I do.

(Now….If I can just keep from buying too many Christmas gifts for myself.)

Need more holiday shopping ideas? Check out all of my genealogy gift guides.

Spread the love

11 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *