It’s early December and that means it’s time for the annual GGG (Genealogy Gift Guide!)

I like to take this opportunity to suggest some holiday gifts for readers to buy for their own family historian (or to treat themselves!).

I’ve urged readers in the past that they should sit down with their older family members to pick their brains about family lore. With cell phone cameras now doing the jobs of more expensive movie cameras (Hollywood director Steven Soderbergh made not one, but two feature films using an iPhone), why not use that phone to record some oral history from the older generations in your family?

Since most people already have cell phones, let’s take a look at some accessories that will make your final product look and sound better. Wal-Mart is selling a tabletop tripod rig that includes a small LED light and a shotgun microphone for just over $25. On the higher end of the spectrum, LumeCube has a similar kit at $179.

Buying this equipment might seem a little overkill just to record some video, but ask yourself, do you really want to have this important conversation recorded with your phone’s tiny microphone, and room light, or would you rather it looks and sounds better? Do you think Soderbergh used just the iPhone’s mic to make his movies? Using these kits will add just a bit more production value to your recording.

The holiday season also means sales on DNA testing kits. If you’ve already done a test, then buy one for someone else, or test…