Family Gift Ideas

Instead of searching for the perfect gift to give to each family member, you can save time and money by buying a gift for the whole family. You can buy one big gift that might cost a little more instead of buying lots of cheap things that will look and feel cheap.

As an added bonus, a family gift helps the family too. Buying one gift for the whole family helps encourage bonding since the family can use it together.

Sometimes it seems like it may be more difficult to find a gift that will please all of the family members, but with the gifts on this list, you are sure to find the right gift for your family.

People have to eat, so a food gift is very practical. People also enjoy eating, so a tasty treat is something the family will be able to use right away. There are several different ways to gift food.

• You can cook your favorite recipe for your family. Cookies, gingerbread, fruitcake, and other desserts make nice quick gifts for a large number of people, but food gifts can go beyond sweet treats. Spiced nuts make a great alternative. Main dishes can also be great gifts for people who don't or can't cook. Consider a tray of lasagna, biryani, paella, or a pot roast.
• A gift certificate to a grocery store will let the family buy special foods that they enjoy.
• A gift certificate to a restaurant will let them enjoy a meal together as a family, and save time in preparation and cleaning.
• A cookbook with great recipes will let them create their own tasty treats.
• You can also gift them a monthly gift, like a coffee of the month, fruit of the month. Did you know that monthly food gifts are also available for bacon, cheese, gelato, chocolate, vegetables, and many other foods?

• A gift basket filled with tasty treats would be enjoyed by the whole family. There are a lot of different gift baskets that are available, so you are sure to meet the tastes of your loved ones. You can also make your own gift basket that is specially customized for you and your recipients.

Whenever choosing food as a gift, be sure to take into consideration any special religious or dietary needs. You don't want to give pork sausage to a Muslim family or peanuts when someone in the family is allergic to them.

Most families enjoy sharing the experience of watching movies together. Movie gifts can also be presented in a variety of ways.

• Choose a movie you think they will enjoy and buy them a DVD. Add a package of popcorn so they can have a complete experience. When choosing movies, you want to be careful that all the members of the family can watch the movie without getting nightmares or learning anything before they are old enough.

• A gift certificate to Redbox would allow them to choose their own movies. The gift basket shown on the right includes a gift certificate for five movies, along with tasty snacks.
• You can make your own movie by putting together family photos and videos and give them a DVD.
• You can buy gift certificates to a local movie theater. This would work well with a restaurant gift certificate so they can combine the movie with dinner.

Video games and board games make for a fun way for the family to spend quality time together while learning new skills. Children learn how to take turns and count while the adults can fine tune their strategy. Games like Snakes and Ladders, Pictionary, Uno and Twister all make for great family fun.

Consider buying games that get the family exercise, like badminton or horseshoes. The family will enjoy playing these games when the weather is nicer. Indoor games like Wii Dance can also serve the same purpose.

Books provide a wonderful learning experience and let the family visit faraway lands that may not even exist.

• Especially when the children are young, the family can read their favorite stories together. My daughter had a favorite treasury of children's stories, and whenever our relatives visited us, she would choose a story or poem for them to read to her.
• When they are older, a book that goes with a movie that the whole family enjoyed would appeal to all.
• A book of Bible stories gives the family the opportunity to discuss religious concepts, morals and values.
• Cookbooks and other how-to books about crafts or science experiments could give the family a chance to spend time together.
• Educational books such as biographies, history, or science topics could help the whole family learn. Be careful to make sure that the information is presented in an entertaining way and the subject is one that interests the family.

There are many ways you can give the gift of entertainment. Besides movies, you can give passes or memberships to museums, zoos, plays, concerts and other area attractions.

With these passes, the family gets to do something fun and create happy memories, sometimes many times throughout the year, without having new clutter in the house that needs to be cleaned or maintained.

You can help your family get organized with a clock or a family calendar. Many photo printing companies will put your photographs together in a calendar format. The family will be able to stay organized, and will never forget your birthday this year.

Help document the family tree with a book. Instead of keeping your data in pieces of paper in a file cabinet, create a book and share it with the family. It will be a priceless heirloom, and will give you a backup in case something happens to your research.

If you have photographs of the family members, you can give them framed family photographs they can display.

Create a scrapbook of special times you have shared together. Most photo shops now offer a way to put photos in a book. Even if you don't feel very crafty or don't have a lot of time, you can create a nice professional-looking photo book pretty quickly.

Parents are often busy with work, taking care of the house, running errands, helping out others, and sometimes need a break. Gifting your time is a great way to save money while really helping the family where they need it the most. Your time helps the entire family since they can spend time with you or each other without having to worry about the chores.

Here are some simple ideas of how you can help the family.

• cutting the grass, once or on a schedule
• fixing something that is broken
• shoveling snow
• babysitting
• cooking and deliver food to them.
• running errands
• helping with homework or tutoring

Gifts you can give the whole family helps them create more bonding opportunities, and could possibly save you time and money since you only have to choose one gift. Suggestions include:

• books
• movies
• games
• passes to entertainment or educational venues
• family organizational items such as clocks and calendars
• food
• items to help document the family tree such as frames and heritage books

What was your favorite family gift?