It’s been about 15 years since I first started giving gifts just from me for the holidays. It feels like it gets harder each year to find the perfect gift that hasn’t already been given in past years.
The one thing that I can always count on for being fresh and new is a personalized gift.
Families change, kids grow, spouses get added and it’s always fun to document those changes in the form of Christmas gifts.
This year I headed to Snapfish to see how many people I could cross off my shopping list and I think you’ll like what I found!
For Kids
In the past I’ve gotten items like sheets of stickers and placemats lined with family photos for Fox, but this year I went for something a bit more grown up. I got him a notebook with his name on it. Drawing and writing is something he has always excelled in and I have bins of cheap .99 cent notebooks to prove it — but now that he can sign his name without a flaw and he’s drawing pictures of things that are easily recognizable, I wanted a designated spot for him to let his creative juices flow. I know he’ll feel proud writing in this (I let him write in my “special” notebook every once in awhile and he sees it as a big treat) and that after he’s finished marking up each page, I’ll pop it into his baby keepsake box to review for years to come.
For Grandparents
The ornaments at Snapfish this year were too beautiful to pass up. We took this photo of Fox in the backyard of my family’s house when he saw red leaves for the first time and thought it would pair well with this stunning sleigh ornament. I love looking back on personalized ornaments as I unbox the holiday decorations each year and I’m sure the grandparents will too.
For Everyone
With a new baby on the way, we are trying to keep the costs down this year and not go too crazy with gifting. Whenever I tell family and friends this I can usually hear an audible sigh of relief that they don’t feel like they have to dig too deep into their pockets. Most of our loved ones will get a homemade jar of spiced cranberry sauce paired with a holiday card from the soon-to-be four of us!
You may have noticed a common denominator with all three of my top choices: they all make wonderful keepsakes. I may get the warm-fuzzies as I pull out the Christmas tree or my favorite snowflake throw blanket, but nothing beats seeing a baby photo in a snow globe ornament to bring back all the memories.
Another thing worth noting is that Snapfish makes it so easy to create these pieces. You can import photos from your computer or take them straight from Facebook, Instagram, or Google Photos. They’re also budget-friendly.
Next year we’ll be celebrating with our fourth and final family member, and I’m already dreaming of all the ways I can style a photo book to print off for all our relatives.
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[…] photo credit: The February Fox […]