$20 Gift Ideas With a Family History Flair

Do it yourself gift ideas:

Voice Recording of a Children's Book-under $20-Looking for the perfect gift for a child? What would be better than your voice telling them a story that they could listen to again and again? Record yourself reading a children’s storybook and then wrap up the recording and the book. Using a digital voice recorder, you could even burn the recording onto a CD (for more information see our article on digital voice recorders).

The books we suggest are:
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg ($11.07); How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss ($10.20); You Are Special by Max Lucado ($13.59); Enemy Pie by Derek Munson ($10.87); or The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister ($11.07).

A Grandparent's Book: Answers to a Grandchild's Questions-$12.95-Memories are a great gift to share with your loved ones. This book makes recording your personal and family history easy with hundreds of questions to get those memories flowing.

My Family Tree Stamp Set-$12.95-Give this stamp kit the child genealogist or family scrapbooker in your family. Kit includes 27 foam stamps and 3 ink pads to help create a personalized family tree.

Family Crest Wall Clock-$13.98-This 10" wall clock bearing a family crest would make a great gift for any family historian. CafePress has family crests for many surnames, but if they don't have the one you're looking for, you can contact them to have your own image placed on a product. There are many other gifts for genealogists available at CafePress, so look around while you're there.

Family Tree Pillow-$14.95-This fun accent pillow tells it like it is with the caption: "My Family Tree is Full of Nuts!"

Craft Panel: Family Picture Project-$14.95-The project includes 2 pillows, 1 album cover, and 1 picture mat. This would make a good gift for a family member or fellow genealogist who has an interest in crafts as well as family history.

Genealogy Daily Calendar-$14.95-Help your fellow genalogists keep track of the day and learn something fun about their favorite hobby with this genealogy calendar. A new tip each day, including: brick wall solutions, census tips, crosswords, document recognition, software tips, state trivet, technology tips, genealogy terms, and more.

Coat of Arms Round Mouse Pad-$15.96-A mouse pad bearing the coat of arms and motto associated with a surname. This gift would be a great way to help your family and fellow researches display their surname.

Sterling Silver Heart Picture Locket-$17.50-This beautiful sterling silver locket would make a lovely gift for the woman on your gift list. Other designs and metals are available. For an aditional fee, you can have either a paper photo included in the locket or have a photograph laser engraved into the metal itself.

Our Family’s Favorite Recipes-$17.95-Families tend to collect those famous recipes (Grandma's chocolate chip cookies, Aunt Edna's apple pie, etc.). Copy those memory-filled recipes into this blank recipe book to create the perfect gift. Consider including a short description of the cook or maybe a funny story about them or their culinary delights.

3rd Edition Genealogy Research Notebook-$17.97-This research notebook would be useful for any genealogist. It comes with note pages, pedigree-surname foldout charts, and translucent polypropylene dividers, all color coordinated to help the researcher keep track of multiple family lines.

Funny SQUIRREL BBQ Apron-$17.99-This 31" x 29" cotton twill apron bears the caption, "My Family Tree is Full of Nuts," making it a fun holiday gift for family historians, as well as your own family members. You can also have a family crest, or other genealogy design, placed on an apron, bib, tote bag, or other product. CafePress has many options already available, but if you don't see what you're looking for, you can contact them to have them place a personalized design on your product.

Genealogy Tie-$18.95-This 100% silk tie is decorated with images of old photographs, stamps, and lettering to make it the perfect gift for a genealogist.

PhotoStamps -$18.99-Turn your photos into real U.S. postage stamps. A sheet of 20 1st class 1oz letter stamps will cost $18.99. (Prices vary according to type of stamp and number of sheets purchased.) This would make a fun gift for a family member or a great way to send your holiday greeting cards this year.