The holidays are coming, and this genealogist has been working on her Christmas list.

The battle of the DNA testing companies has led to great discounts. Although many DNA kit sales centered around Black Friday, there are still great deals to be had. AncestryDNA kits are currently $99 Canadian, and FamilyTreeDNA Family Finder kits are currently $59 US, with discounts on their YDNA and mtDNA kits as well.

As a genealogist, I always appreciate books and keep a wishlist on every major book company website, just in case. Maybe the genealogist in your life has a wishlist of genealogy books as well? I've also asked for a database subscription or two over the years for various holiday and birthday gifts. Have you considered purchasing a membership for someone to their local genealogy society? Not only does this allow the recipient to access the society's resources, it allows them to network with like-minded individuals for an entire year!

Last year, I started issuing gift certificates. It's a bit late to get a genealogy project finished prior to Christmas, so a gift certificate offers the gift of research in the New Year, on a research question selected by the recipient.

Some suggestions:

-A review of previous research and creation of a research plan: $150

-5 or 10 hours of additional genealogy research ($150 or $300). This includes a report of findings and suggestions for future research.

So put back those Hatchimals and that pair of socks, and give the gift of genealogy this year! HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE!

~Colleen