What do you give to the person who loves a hobby that you don’t do, (or really understand)? This is a dilemma that family members of genealogists face every year. Whenever you are seeking unique, amusing, gifts, that genealogists will consider to be fun, it’s advisable to plan ahead. There are some great gift choices out there, if you know where to look.
It isn’t easy to shop for fun gifts that will put a smile on the face of the genealogist in your life. You might not have any way to know, for certain, if that person currently has a paid membership to a genealogy website, or what kind of genealogy software would be compatible with their computer. What else does a genealogist need? People who do not do genealogy often have a difficult time answering that question.
Perhaps the genealogist in your family is going to be having a birthday soon, and you need some help figuring out what would be a good gift. If your family celebrates Christmas, Chanukah, Winter Solstice, or another winter holiday, it can be advantageous to plan ahead for that gift.
Here are a few fun gift ideas that genealogists probably don’t already have:
Family Tree Mad Libs are just like the Mad Libs you filled in when you were a child, only with a genealogy theme. You fill in the blanks with a noun, verb, or adjective, in order to create an amusing story. This would make a great activity for a family reunion!
Fun Stuff for Genealogists is exactly what it sounds like. This website sells several different kinds of things that genealogists will be amused with. There is a lot of variety to choose from, but a few things really stand out.
For $6.00, you can get a cross stitch kit that says “Women who behave rarely make history.” It is decorated with a skull that is wearing a pirate hat that is adorned with a pink rose. This is perfect for genealogists who also enjoy cross stitching.
You can buy jewelry that depicts a simple, yet lovely, image of a tree that has a lot of branches on it. These come in “scrabble tile pendants”, earrings, carved ceramic pendants, and more.
Or, pick up a can cozy that has a skeleton on it, pointing to words that read “Genealogy, Ya Gotta Love It.” The words are written in lettering that looks like bones.
CafePress has a variety of t-shirts, sweatshirts, bags, mugs, magnets, and more that have amusing “genealogy jokes” printed on them. Some sayings include: “I shook my family tree and a bunch of nuts fell out.”, “You’d be more interesting if you were dead”, “I seek dead people”, and “Genealogy is not fatal, but it is a grave disease”.
Image by Silus Grok on Flickr