Christmas Gifts For The Family

It is never too early to start thinking of Christmas gifts. Not only does the early bird get the worm, it also saves money, and keeps from spending $100 or $1000 between Black Friday and Christmas Day. Not to mention, the stress of holiday shopping will melt away, and unlike the crazy shoppers looking for the perfect gift, the one who finished before December will actually have time to sit back, sip some nog, eat some sweets, and watch some Christmas specials by the glow of the tree.

One gift that seems to be a hit with anyone in the family (minus the kids if they are still young or teens), is pictures. Whether in a frame, on a collage, a coffee mug, apron, or in a book, photo's and memories last forever.

Photo Gift Ideas

Christmas in Hawaii 2009, oldest asleep on Christmas Eve

A great gift idea is always a framed family portrait. Either professional or nonprofessional. The easiest, less stressful way to get a family portrait that looks professional is, find a location, put on desired clothes, and have a friend snap several shots of the family posing and walking/running/being active. Develope the photo at a store or online and order as many copies as needed in desired size, and buy frames at a low cost at Wal-Mart or on sale at larger department stores such as Kohl's or Sears.

Another perfect gift (especially for grandparents) is, picture books. This can be done by hand or online. Online is a personal preference, but by hand makes it more personal and offers a larger amount of decorating options. If doing the book online, look for coupons and deals. Also, keep in mind that many products with online photo shops will go on sale at the end of a season. Some offer up to 75% off, and they may also have special deals for certain items (including photo books). Sites such as, Shutterfly, actually have books that can be more personally decorated.

For those in the family who always ask for the kids pictures, use the opportunity to make picture ornaments, magnets, or coffee mugs. Picture ornaments are great as gifts for aunts and uncles, and relatively inexpensive. Of course, coffee mugs and magnets are wonderful as well.

The ultimate photo gift for grandparents or close family is, a photo calendar. Choosing pictures by month that express what happened or what that month means personally is a great present for loved ones. Once again, there are many options out there and each season features sales and deals. This is a particularly wonderful gift for great grandparents and grandparents because it will remind them of their children and their children's children year around, bringing lots of joy and happiness to their heart.

These are a few options and suggestions. There are numerous ways to present photos as a gift, but overall, photos really do make easy to get, easy to do, and easy to find gifts year after year. After all, "a photo says a thousand words," but it mostly says love you and hope to create more memories to share year after year.