At their best, the holidays are all about families spending time together. So, the best family gifts are going to be those that encourage spending quality time as a family, where each member is engaged and entertained. Naturally, the ages of the kids are a consideration when you're brainstorming family gift ideas. Additionally, you'll want to factor in the favored activities of each member of the family, with an eye toward finding family gifts that relate to those interests, and that will appeal to everyone.

Since quality time means something different for every family, it's natural to wonder where you should start your search. When you're looking for just one gift for the whole family, you might want to begin by compiling a list of the best family Christmas gift ideas by navigating the wide variety of categories on this page and others on the site. You can browse by theme, occasion, product features and many other categories. Maybe the family's favorite activities, pastimes and passions revolve around specific toys and collectibles, or photography and video, or gizmos and gadgets, in which case you may want to search the large selection of geek gifts you'll find here. If the family loves road trips, vacations and other travel, you may want to make travel gifts your area of concentration. Or maybe the family Christmas gift that will be the biggest hit will be from the electronics category, a new television, new speakers, a new game console or a streaming device that will open up a wide collection of content options that everyone can enjoy.

Once you've narrowed down your list of whole family gift ideas to the one that will bring a wide smile to everyone's face, count on Best Buy to make online ordering easy, and shipping quick. And don't forget to think ahead to what will happen once the package has been opened. For example, if the gift requires batteries to work, but they're not included, the euphoria could quickly change to consternation. That's why you might want to consider making rechargeable batteries and perhaps portable battery chargers part of the family gift, so the ideal present you've chosen will work immediately, right out of the box. You might also want to include Best Buy purchase protection, which extends the manufacturer's warranty and can include repairing accidental damage from handling, especially if certain family members are known to be a little hard on their belongings.

If you find that you're just not sure which family gift is the best one, you can always go with gift cards, so family members can pick out their own perfect gift. You can either get a physical Best Buy gift card they'll receive through the mail or a digital gift card that arrives via email. Gift cards can be used for online shopping, or at a nearby Best Buy store.