AARP Hearing Center
Illustration: Sam Island
Do you need help coming up with extra-special gift ideas this holiday season? The best way to level up your game is to add a personal touch, says Peggy O’Brien, cofounder of Poppy Gifting, a San Francisco-based service that curates individual gifting ideas. “To give the perfect gift, you’ve got to hone in on someone’s personal style while also taking into account their unique needs and hitting the right note of sentimentality,” O’Brien says. To help with your gifting endeavors, we searched high and low and found 25 thoughtful, personalized ideas that will hopefully fill your loved ones with surprise and delight. But don’t delay — some of these require a fair amount of lead time, so always check delivery dates! When you are done reading our gift ideas, share the best present you’ve ever given or received in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
1. Bespoke books
Whether you want to honor a special person, commemorate a special event or remember a special vacation, companies like Chatbooks.com and ArtifactUprising.com make it easy to create hardbound books from the photos in your phone. When you give them as gifts, you’re handing the recipient a lifetime of page-turning nostalgia as well as a cherished memento that can be passed down between generations. If you want to add other customized mementos, bookmaker PlumPrint.com digitizes children’s artwork, family recipes and more — including personal letters, newspaper clippings and holiday cards, and publishes them in book form.
Illustration: Sam Island
2. Gorgeous gift baskets
What’s better than a single heartfelt gift? A whole basket full of them, of course. A plethora of companies offer curated collections of unique goodies that are packed with delightful surprises for a range of budgets. Popular options include SimoneLeBlanc.com, SomethingSplendidco.com, Unboxme.com, MarigoldGrey.com, ekubox.com and Cratejoy.com, all of which offer themed gift boxes for a variety of occasions, including birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. Or, if you’d rather build your own custom box, check out the likes of BoxFox.com, BelleandBlush.com, Foxblossom.com, GiftenMarket.com and HappyBoxStore.com, each of which allows you to choose items from categories like apparel, cosmetics, home goods, snacks and skin care.
3. A prized portrait
If you have a special celebration coming up, like a family reunion or a milestone birthday, consider hiring a professional photographer to take photos and share digital copies with everyone who attended. Or, for something even more personal, consider gifting a studio session with a portrait photographer who can take either a personal portrait of your loved one or a group portrait of the entire family. A tintype photographer — someone who specializes in vintage styles of photography — could make the experience even more special. Instead of a photographer, you could also commission a painter or a digital artist: Companies like CustomArtsCo.com can turn families and loved ones into cartoon characters, watercolors and Renaissance-era royalty. Artists on Etsy can do much the same. On Etsy.com, search for JadeForestDesign, KlineDesignUtah, LiliDiPrima and Artbypierre — just be sure you’re clicking on the correct seller (Etsy typically has promoted ads at the top). You can also find other options on the site by searching for “custom family portrait.” Be sure to always read reviews first.
4. A revered recipe
For many people, food memories are the best memories. Companies like Soul-Kitchen-Keepsakes.myshopify.com scan handwritten recipes and print them — in the recipe writer’s original handwriting — on baking dishes, plates and cake pedestals. Multiple sellers on Etsy.com offer similar options, including OurPlatter and HangingMemories4Ever.
5. A homey homage
If home is where the heart is, opt for a home-centric gift. Artisans offer many ways to honor someone’s well-loved abode. Etsy artists such as SnowyGlobes and SnowDayProject create custom snow globes using any home as a model. If you’re looking for a print, check out the profiles on Etsy for BellhouseGifts, and MonoArtAndDesign, where you can have art created of your gift recipient’s home — or any home that might be significant to them, such as their childhood home, the first home that they purchased, a family vacation home or a late grandparent’s home.
6. Animal adulation
A surefire way to please the pet parent in your life is to capture their dog or cat in all its canine or feline glory. While a framed photo will do, an even better option is a hand-painted pet portrait courtesy of artists like those at HuundPortraits.com, StephanieWeaverArtist.com or JeffreySmithArt.com. Or, for a three-dimensional gift, how about a custom pet figurine, instead? There are several sellers on Etsy that specialize in turning pets into small delights, including SpittingImageFigures, who creates painted 3D figurines, while JessieWoolArt, Amyfelt and OlgaDevochkina create small figures made out of felt or wool based on images of pets. Want something larger? Check out CuddleClones.com, which can make life-sized stuffed animals.
7. Treasured tales
Everyone has a story to tell. When you give a friend or family member the means to share it, it’s as much a gift to you as it is to them. Storyworth.com emails your loved one a different prompt every week for a year — for example, “What is the farthest you have ever traveled?” or, “Do you have any regrets in life?” — and asks them to email a response. At the end of the year, Storyworth can compile the questions and answers in the form of a hardbound book that can be shared amongst family members and passed down for generations. Remento.co and Storii.com work similarly, but ask the recipient to record their stories via phone instead of writing them via email. Other options include NoStoryLost.com and HeyArtifact.com, both of which deploy professionals to interview your loved ones by phone; the former transcribes stories into written form while the latter creates interactive webpages with photos and audio. While you’re preserving family history, consider using Legacybox.com to digitize old photos and home videos so you can easily share them with the entire family.
8. An early inheritance
The Swedish tradition of “döstädning” — “death cleaning” in English — embraces the idea of steadily downsizing your household as you age. Doing so is seen as a gift both to yourself and to your family. After all, giving away heirlooms and inheritances while you’re still alive means you get to experience the joy the recipient feels when receiving and using them. What’s more, you’re leaving behind a smaller estate for your heirs to sort out with each other and with the courts, which is a gift in and of itself. (Check with your accountant about possible tax advantages you can leverage from the process.)
You Might Also Like
Top Tips for Finding Happiness
What foods to eat, embracing bright colors and more, our gladness gurus have strategies that may boost your mood
Ways to Boost Your Career
From how to research salaries to building connections, we have tips to advance your profession and land your dream job
Tips to Make Life Easier
From rethinking your workspace to saving money, we have helpful hacks to simplify your today and benefit your future