A Family Tree gift That is Sure to Please

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       A little over a year ago, I had this idea to do an activity for our women's group at church entitled "Gather."  One of the things our church emphasizes is the importance of family and family ties back through our ancestors.  We truly know that Families are Forever.  Knowing who you are and where you come from is a priceless gift that can give you a sense of comfort and belonging.  I find it remarkable to see in today's world how many people do DNA tests to find their relatives, and how many TV shows there are about searching for one's roots.  It all attests to me the importance of family being a part of our beings. 
       For this activity, I found some amazing family trees that are free to have printed from familyhistorydaily.com  I encourage you to search this site for a ton of family history ideas from research to family trees to other ways to display your family history.   These family trees are free to download and have printed.  I sent mine to Staples and had them printed for about $1  a piece!  They came out beautifully and make a very inexpensive gift just as is!  But, if you want to spruce them up a bit, I have a couple of ideas for you.  

     We happened to have some left over bead board at our house from a past project.  My family tree print is 11 x 17 inches, so I had my good husband cut out a piece for me to make a backer frame for my tree.  I decided that if someone is still doing research to find all of the names to fill in on their charts, this type of frame is perfect because it can be displayed and gradually filled in as they do more research.  

• You could easily use another type of board, whatever works for you. 
• I used black spray paint in a satin finish to spray the board.
• Use E6000 glue to attach loose bulldog clips to hold the tree on the board. 
• I used wooden letters and painted them silver to say "Gather" at the top of the board.  You could also say other things, such as your family name, or "Family", or "Blessed."  Whatever works for you.  You can also use vinyl instead of wood.  

     Then, just clip on the family tree, and you're  all done!  
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     For this beautiful black and white choice, I also printed it in the 11 x 17 size.  I went to Hobby Lobby and purchased the black frame, complete with mat in a 13 x19 size, the mat has an 11 x 17 opening.  
Using black alphabet stickers, I stuck the word "Gather" all over the mat in both upper and lower case letters.  I love how it came out.  

      As I mentioned, I came up with this idea a year ago, but then Covid hit our family so the activity was postponed.  We finally were able to do it this year!  Other parts of the activity included:

• A short family history lesson from a resource person showing us how to do family history on our phones in just 5 minutes per day.
• A potluck of favorite family meals
• A craft that preserved an old family recipe written in a grandmother's handwriting to display in your kitchen. 

      The thought just occurred to me that framing an old recipe in my mom's handwriting might be a nice addition to this family tree gift!  I'll have to mull this over!  In the meantime, I hope there is someone that you know that would love an awesome family tree.  It is a heartfelt gift that doesn't break the budget! 
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​Other Family Themed Gifts:

Love Grows Free Printable
Heritage Recipes
A Special Gift for Grandkids
Grandparent Adventure Books and/or Poster