One of the nicest, most exciting and thoughtful, gifts that I received this last Christmas was from my brother Matthew. He has a tradition of giving Family history gifts, but the last two years’ were particularly nice; a set of wedding photos from my parents and grandparents, and then this year, many more historical photos of parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc. . . . Beards, Parrys, Olsens, Huffs, Petersons, Barneys, Taylors . . . everything he had gathered over years of researching our family history. I think he’s pretty amazing actually.

So there’s an idea, a gift that will be treasured for years and years to come. Give the gift of history to your family, because, in my experience, the most memorable gifts are not those necessarily bought at a store, but the gifts that add meaning to our lives.

Not sure where to begin? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offers extensive research tools, and you don’t have to be a member to use them. I suggest starting with Family Search. As you gather information, gifts that you can offer your family from your newfound knowledge will occur to you. One year might be photos, another year, histories on specific individual ancestors, or journals you’ve uncovered . . . My brother has given all of these things to me for Christmas and I am really very grateful.