How to Create Thoughtful Personalized Gifts for Family & Friends This Holiday Season

The holidays are the perfect time to show your loved ones how much they mean to you. This is your comprehensive guide to creative personalized gifts for family and friends that will capture special moments and cherished memories. In our 2024 Holiday Gift Guide, we’ll share creative ideas and practical tips for crafting heartfelt gifts that your family and friends will cherish for years to come.

15 Personalized Gifts for Family That Keep on Giving

Gifts for Partners

There’s nothing quite like finding the special person who“gets you” and walking through life together. Celebrate those sweet moments from the day you met, to the day you married, to the day you welcomed your first child into the world. Whether you want to create custom wall prints to display in your home together or a personalized photo book that shows them how much you care, we’ve got you covered.

Happily Ever After:

Create a personalized Photo Book that tells your story together, starting from your first date to your “Happily Ever After.”

• Our Pick: We love our 12x12 Hardcover Photo Book for projects like this. With spine text, you can easily label it and stack it with your other Photo Books.

A Year of Us:

Capture the highlights of the past year in a DIY Photo Album dedicated to your relationship. From romantic getaways and holiday celebrations to everyday moments like cooking together or chilling at home, this book will remind your partner of all the little (and big) things that make your love special.

• Our Top Pick: Our Layflat Photo Book is perfect for this project, as it allows for stunning, uninterrupted panoramic photos that span across two pages—ideal for showcasing your favorite couple's photos.

  
  

• Make it Special: Pair this gift with engraved jewelry – whether it’s a bracelet, necklace, or ring – with a meaningful romantic date, initials, or a personal message. This thoughtful combination of sentimental photos and timeless jewelry will remind your partner of the love you’ve shared for years to come.

Milestone Moments Wall Print:

Celebrate the major milestones in your relationship with a personalized Canvas Print. Select a photo from your anniversary, a special trip, or an unforgettable moment. Thoughtful presents like this will show your partner how much you cherish the memories you’ve made together.

• Our Top Pick: We love our 16x20 Canvas Print for this project. This mid-sized Canvas fits well in most spaces and is sure to add a soft elegance to any room.

  
  

• Make it Special: Pair this gift with a personal message in a card or letter that explains why this moment means so much to you. 

Unique and Heartfelt Personalized Gifts for Family

Gifts for Parents

It can be hard to shop for your parents when they (seemingly) have everything! They are typically the ones telling you about all the essentials you need and they have helped you for your entire life. But have no fear, the best gifts for your family will always be the ones that come from the heart. Get inspired by these thoughtful personalized gifts for family, starting with your parents!

Family Adventures: 

If you are heading off to college, consider creating a custom Wall Calendar that will remind your parents of all the memorable vacations, trips, holidays, and outings that you have shared together. You can even use the custom dates feature to mark the days that you will be able to come home and visit so they have something to look forward to. 

• Our Top Pick: SimplePrints Wall Calendars are easy to create and enjoy. They are available in 8.5x11 size with white spiral-wire binding and include customizable borders and backgrounds. This is one of our favorite personalized photo gift ideas because you can enjoy it year-round. 

  
  

• Make it Extra: Create a Note Jar! All you need are scraps of paper and a mason jar. Write phrases, inside jokes, cherished memories, uplifting prayers, and thought-provoking quotes. Tell your parents they can pick one thing out of the jar each day.

Through My Eyes:

Create a personalized Photo Book from your perspective, capturing the precious moments and milestones that have meant the most to you growing up. Include photos that you have taken with your own camera or phone from childhood, vacations, holidays, and candid shots of family life, paired with personal captions about why those memories are special. 

• Our Top Pick: The 8x8 Hardcover Photo Book is a great choice for this keepsake project. It’s compact enough to keep on a coffee table, but with plenty of space to tell your story.

Game Day Memories:

Create a Custom Wall Calendar that combines Dad’s favorite sports teams with the kids’ sporting competitions. Fill each month with action shots from your children’s games alongside memorable moments from the teams Dad loves to cheer for. You can even use the custom dates feature to highlight big game days, championships, or family sports traditions. It’s a perfect blend of family pride and team spirit!

• Our Top Pick: The SimplePrints Wall Calendar allows you to easily showcase these special memories, with customizable borders and backgrounds that add a personal touch to every month.

  
  

• Make it Special: Consider creating Christmas gift sets and include a custom travel mug or a custom throw pillow with Dad’s favorite sports teams or even your shared last name!

Gifts for Grandparents

Grandparents are the best. They are never short on sweet treats or valuable life advice. Show them how much you value them with thoughtful presents that will warm their hearts (and possibly put you on the favorite grandchild list.)

Family Tree Photo Album:

Celebrate your family’s history by creating a Family Tree Photo Album. Include vintage photos of grandparents in their younger years and snapshots of the family they built together. It’s a beautiful way to capture their legacy and share it with future generations.

• Our Top Pick: For a book that the whole family can enjoy for years to come, we recommend our 12x12 Layflat Photo Book. 

Grandma’s Brag Book:

Fill a custom Photo Book with cherished moments and accomplishments from their kids and grandkids. Whether it’s academic milestones, sports wins, or just adorable snapshots, this book will be a heartwarming gift Grandma will love to show off.

• Our Top Pick: Our 8x8 Softcover Photo Book is small enough that Grandma can tote it with her wherever she goes but large enough that she can easily enjoy the photographs and captions without putting on her reading glasses.

  
  

Wedding Memories Album:

Gather wedding photos from across the family—children’s and grandchildren’s weddings—and create a stunning collection that celebrates love through the generations. This elegant album will allow them to reminisce on one of life’s most treasured occasions.

• Our Top Pick: For such a sentimental gift, we recommend our 12x12 Layflat Photo Books which effortlessly make any Photo Book feel luxurious and provide the best viewing experience.

  
  

• Make it Extra Special: Along with the treasured photographs from their children’s wedding, include sentimental keepsake items from each event. Examples might be a small jar filled with sand from a beach wedding (or decorative rocks that were used in the reception), creating unique ornaments from the neckties that each groom wore, a bouquet of dried flowers from each wedding, or any combination of these. This is one of the most heartfelt and thoughtful presents on the list! 

Gifts for Grandchildren

Grandchildren hold a special place in every grandparent’s heart. Make this holiday season extra special with personalized holiday gifts that they will treasure for years to come.

Our Family Story:

From the perspective of the grandparents, tell the tale of how the family came to be. Include fun facts like Grandpa’s favorite childhood meals, how the grandparents met, or funny nicknames they had. This interactive and sentimental book will become a favorite read for little ones.

• Our Top Pick: For personalized Photo Albums that will be read again and again, we recommend our SimplePrints Hardcover Photo Book. Its durable cover will stand the test of time (and the little hands who can’t wait to open it!)
  

• Get Inspired: If you aren’t sure which details your grandkids will like the most, check out this list and pick 10-15 questions that you can answer with your book: 99 Questions to Ask Your Grandparents.

Adventures with Papa:

For families with multiple grandchildren, create a Photo Book that captures those special outings with their grandparents—such as exciting trips to the zoo, fishing adventures, or joyful holiday celebrations—and creates a lasting record of shared experiences.

• Our Top Pick: If you are shopping for one or two grandchildren, we suggest our 8x8 Softcover Photo Book. If you are shopping for more than 3 grandchildren, you can’t beat our Mini Photo Book sets. Each set includes three miniature Photo Books (the perfect size for a kid to hold), and you can easily order more than one set so that each grandchild can have their own Photo Book.
  

• Make it Extra Special: Surprise your grandkids with tickets to your next outing or items they can use. For example, along with the book you could include tickets to a performance of The Nutcracker or give them a new tackle set that they can use on your next fishing day.

  
  

When Mom/Dad Was Little...:

Kids love hearing funny stories about their parents growing up. Use this idea to create a photo book that includes charming tales of when their Mom or Dad was little, with plenty of silly moments and childhood photos. This can also be adapted for aunts and uncles to share their own nostalgic memories of growing up with the child’s parent.

• Our Top Pick: You can’t go wrong with our classic 12x12 Hardcover Photo Album for this project!
  

• Make it Extra Special: Include one of their Mom’s or Dad’s favorite toys from their childhood. If you didn’t save their toys, you might be able to find the toy online!

  
  

Gifts for Aunts/Uncles

We’re nearing the end of our list of personalized gifts for family members! This one is for all the aunts and uncles who helped to raise you into the spectacular person that you are today. Show them how much they mean to you with these thoughtful presents.

You, Me, and Fido:

Capture sweet memories with a beloved aunt or uncle and their cherished pet in a photo album dedicated to the adventures and everyday moments shared with their furry friend. This unique gift is sure to bring a smile to any animal lover’s face.

• Our Top Pick: For the budget-conscious niece or nephew, we suggest our 8x8 Softcover Photo Book, which is affordable while still having the sentimental value that makes the gift special. Or keep them smiling all year long with a Custom Wall Calendar for their home or office.
  

• Don’t Forget the Pets: For this gift, we suggest including tasty treats for the four-legged friends who made this special gift possible!
  

Time Together:

Aunts have a special way of connecting with nieces and nephews. For the aunt who is always in your corner, create a custom wall print of the two of you so she can proudly display it in her home or office. 

• Our Top Pick: Our affordable 8x10 Canvas Print is great for smaller spaces, such as a home office or apartment wall. 
  

• Make it Special: If your aunt is always found with a steaming cup of coffee in hand, consider creating a personalized mug that will remind her of you! Fill it with her favorite candy for an extra special addition to your personalized Canvas Print.
  

  
  

  

  
  

Gifts for Friends

We all get by with a little help from our friends. Make each of your friends feel extra special with these personalized gifts for family & friends.

Road Trip Photo Book:

If you’ve taken a road trip with friends, you know just how fun, chaotic, and memorable it can be. Collect all your favorite photographs and create a custom Photo Book to document your trip.

• Our Top Pick: Our classic 12x12 Hardcover Photo Book is a great option to give to a special friend. If you want to share this Photo Book with your whole group of friends, our Mini Photo Books are an affordable option (that is no less memorable).
  

• Make it Special: If you forgot to pick up unique souvenirs on your road trip, don’t worry. You can order keychains, t-shirts, and other memorabilia online. And you can order these souvenirs for your friends as well.

  
  

Best Friend Collage Wall: 

Pick two or three of your favorite photographs with your bestie and design personalized Canvas Prints so they can create a sweet collage wall! 

• Our Top Pick: Our 8x10 Canvas Prints are perfect for creating a collage wall. Choose between landscape and portrait to easily create a gallery wall. 

• Make it Special: If you are an artistic person, consider purchasing a few blank canvases to go along with the gift and paint them in colors or patterns that your friend will enjoy. Or write funny, inspirational, or heartfelt quotes that relate to your friendship. Combine these canvases with the custom wall prints and it is an instant best friend collage wall. 

Year-in-Review Calendar:

This gift is perfect if your friends are also your roommates. Create a custom Wall Calendar filled with all your favorite moments over the past year. Add special dates like your birthdays, “Friendsgiving”, and exciting future plans. Then hang it in a shared space you can all enjoy it!

• Our Top Pick: The SimplePrints Custom Wall Calendar can’t be beat. Start your calendar at any month in the year (so that no month is ever wasted) and enjoy months of memories together.
  

• Added Bonus: If you are sharing a space with a roommate who is also a close friend, consider buying something cute for your shared apartment or house. This is a perfect time to splurge on aesthetic curtains that you’ve been eyeing, a new coffee maker, or a statement piece. Shop and go in on the items together so that you can decorate your place exactly how you both like it.

After putting in all the time and effort to create your personalized photo gifts, make sure your gifts arrive on time. We always provide our Shipping Deadlines for the holiday season. To avoid the rush and ensure your gifts arrive on schedule, mark these dates on your calendar. 

HOLIDAY SHIPPING DEADLINES

Click the link above for the complete list of shipping deadlines for Advent, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Three Kings Day, and more. 

Check Your Holiday Gifts Off Your List with SimplePrints

SimplePrints makes creating personalized gifts for family and friends easier than ever this holiday season. We hope our 2024 Holiday Gift Guide has inspired you to start creating beautiful, custom gifts for everyone on your list.

You can download the SimplePrints app for free and start creating your personalized photo gifts!

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