Holiday Photo Gift Ideas, Deals and Help
In what may be a challenging year for gift giving, we’d like to offer you some extra help! Photo gifts are always “can’t miss gifts” — always appreciated and often treasured for year. And we’re ready to help you in 3 ways:
- We’re going to recommend several great gift ideas — from reliable, high quality merchants — that can be still be produced to arrive by Christmas;
- We’re in tune with the deals and discounts that often change daily, so we can help you take advantage of the savings;
- We have scheduled several “help sessions” where you can head to our website and get individual help you pick your gifts, select the best photos and even give you creative ideas with text and visuals to make your gifts extra special.
Read on to get the details…
First, More about the Help
Copy here about help sessions and how to schedule
A Sampling of the Holiday Gift Ideas and Deals
Photo Gift Suggestions for $35, $50, $75
New! Photo Gift Assist
Why We Like This:
- Custom-made socks are fun, colorful – and useful
- Cute, inexpensive and a thoughtful gift for almost any occasion: friendship, birthday, holiday, wedding day, special anniversary…
- Socks are available in different styles (no show, ankle, crew, calf, knee), colors, and patterns
- You can create everyday socks with exuberant patterns to make a statement, or place images discretely in the band if you want to keep your customization private.
- You have lots of creative choices:
– Use more than one photo!
– Add personalized text or choose witty sayings with attitude!
– Create a set, (hint: at Etsy, create a 3-pair gift set using 3 different photos)
– Order your package to be gift wrapped…with a personal message
- Merchants give clear instructions for best quality photos to use — and often designers will create the sock for you.
- And…if you can’t find the right photo, send a gift card. Creating socks is part of the fun!
- Who can’t use an extra pair of socks?!
Thought Starter Ideas:
- Family socks for Dad — with photos of Mom, kids, and the dog!
- Pet socks for pet lovers — with an image of a favorite pet…or ALL their pets (at least up to 5)!
- Matching socks for a group: wedding party, family reunion, best friends get-away
- Special occasion socks: Wedding Day (Thank you socks for Dad), Valentine’s Day (Now, you can take me everywhere you go!), Christmas (Fun and fashion for the year ahead).
Where to Make Your Custom Socks:
Before you make your socks, check out the materials being used and care instructions. The most common sock materials are polyester, cotton, and wool. There is no such thing as 100% cotton socks. Other fibers such as polyester are added to make socks elastic, wearable, and comfortable. Each of the manufacturers we checked used a different combination of materials.
For this project, we like Zazzle because there are SO many choices including large photo, small photos, collage, discrete placement, added text…lots to explore!
Boombox for Grandma...or Mom...or Dad...or Grandpa
Why We Like This:
- High impact way to say “I love you” — at least 50 times
- Beautiful wooden keepsake box filled with up to 150 artfully designed personal messages and photos
- Easy collaboration tool online so that all family members and friends can upload photos and messages. Tool helps remind collaborators, if necessary!
- Boombox works with the project owner to make the gift perfect, sending multiple proofs to ensure satisfaction.
Thought Starter Ideas:
- For Grandma, a beautiful box filled with messages and photos from her children, grandchildren, siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews, and family friends.
- For Mom and Dad with photos and stories…to say thank you…and we love you.
- A digital copy for all family members–creating an heirloom of special photos and memories
Where to Get It:
Boombox was founded by Christina Geist as a tool to assemble and share memories and to honor individuals with a personalized collection of stories, reminiscences, and photos. Website recommends 4 weeks lead time to collect messages, but a family organizer can beat this time!
Fun and Challenging Puzzles
Why We Like This:
- Puzzles are a fun, challenging way to spend winter hours, prompting memories and conversation.
- Any photo works! Family, pets, travel, food, nature — even favorite restaurants, old school, and neighborhood photos — anything that prompts a story and a smile.
- Puzzles can be made at any level of difficulty –based on the complexity and detail in the photo you choose and the number of pieces you order.
- They are a great gift for anyone — large piece wooden or plastic puzzles for young children, traditional cardboard and magnetic puzzle pieces for adults.
Thought Starter Ideas:
- For older family members, create a 2,000 piece puzzle with a reunion photo – the family resemblances will make this super challenging!
- Teach children about cousins, aunts, and uncles who live far away with a fun family photo.
- For travel companions, use an awesome photo from a former vacation — and start planning your post-pandemic adventure.
- For brothers and sisters, use a photo of a beloved pet (fur makes a challenging puzzle!), a favorite summer place or shared family experience.
Where to Get Them: PuzzlesPrints – While the website is not filled with beautiful product images, this is one of the best puzzle manufacturers we’ve used. It offers puzzles from 15 to 2,000 pieces — and in a wide range of materials: traditional cardboard, plastic, wood, and magnetic pieces. And, you can add text anywhere on the puzzle. Free shipping within the USA if you order two or more puzzles!
Instagram Friendly Print
Why We Like This:
- The Great Pause of 2020 brought time to experience nature as never before. For many, quiet reflection outdoors resulted in beautiful nature photos posted on Instagram as a way to connect.
- Turning a friend’s instagram photo into a framed print says “thank you” for sharing beauty and hope during this extraordinary time.
- Framing your own favorite Instagram post is a way to document this period with a reflection or memory.
Thought Starter Ideas:
- Give your favorite photographer a framed print of a photo they posted on Instagram.
- Frame one of your own favorite Instagram photos and give it–with your story of why it is a meaningful reflection from this extraordinary time.
- Frame with likes and comments…or not…your choice!
Where to Get Them: Artifact Uprising has beautiful gallery frames. Hint: if accessing your instagram account from your phone be sure your pop-up blocker is off. For best quality printing of your photo without Instagram text, use your original photo!
Big Love in Small Packages
Why We Like This:
- “When you are far away, a little love can go a long way” is a Greetabl message — and we couldn’t agree more!
- Greetabls are a beautiful box containing a small gift and a personalized message..
- Greetabl offers great variety of small gifts to purchase for the box — from candy to bath bombs to ornaments, key chains, mugs, gift cards, and more. It’s worth a look!
- Best of all, you can highly personalize your Greetabl with your photos and message (if you have writer’s block, they have lots of great suggestions!) and photos.
- Plus, you can earn $1 credit for every $10 you spend when you sign up for Greetabl rewards. You’ll be giving free Greetabls in no time!
Thought Starter Ideas:
- Stocking stuffers for sons and daughters who are far away
- Inexpensive but very thoughtful gifts for anyone on your holiday list
- Perfect as a Hanukkah gift
- A surprise pick-me-up to say “I’m thinking of you” anytime
Where to Get Them: Greetabl. Sign up for emails and get 10% off your first order.
Family Cards & Games
Why We Like This:
- Family games are a great way to spend time together. Making the playing pieces more personal just adds to the fun.
- You can customize a standard playing card set and even poker chips with photos.
- Better yet, you can create your own card game (and your own rules!).
- You can customize a set with a single photo — or you can personalize each card, front and back!
Thought Starter Ideas:
- Make a standard playing card set with four photos (one for each suit) — four grandparents? four pets? four favorite ice cream fantasies?
- Create “Just Guess”, a collection of family photos on one side with questions like “Guess Who?”, “Guess What?”, “Guess Why?”, “Guess Where?” with the answers on the other. Lots of memories and lots of laughs!
Where to Get Them: Printer’s Studio has a wide collection of cards and games that can be customized: playing cards, game cards, personalized card boxes, poker chips, memory games, trading cards and more. The builder is straight-forward but takes a little effort.
Seriously...Personalized Gift Wrap
Why We Like This:
- It’s surprising!
- And, personalized gift wrap brings you a little closer during this time of distance.
- Many designs feature 1 to 5 different faces, so you can create gift wrap from your whole family.
- The print quality is good and the paper is high quality: unlaminated #60 matte…not the thin, shiny paper.
Thought Starter Ideas:
- Use a photo of “giftee” on the wrapping paper: it makes it clear who the package is for (you won’t need to add a card or label!) — and it honors them, adding more love to your already thoughtful gift.
- Put a photo of you (and your family) on the gift wrap — a surprisingly simple way to say who the package is from.
- Feature a newly engaged or married couple on gift paper for engagement parties, weddings, housewarmings
- Do you have a friend who’s very attached to their pets? Create wrapping paper featuring pet lover and pets!
Where to Get Them: GiftWrapMyFace.com has a great assortment of gift wrap as well as gift ideas (e.g. personalized socks and masks). Check out the Elfie-Selfie gift wrap that you can make dance!
