What could be a better gift than family photos?



Family Photos Make Great Gifts

What would grab first if your home caught fire? For many people, it would be the family photo albums. Photos make excellent gifts for the holidays because they are so special. One image holds an entire memory as well as a link to the past. Here are some ideas for incorporating family photos into meaningful gifts.

Walgreens is one of many places that will let you customize one-of-a-kind photo ornaments. They aren’t very expensive, and you can choose from many different styles.

Put a photo of a newborn on an ornament for “Baby’s first Christmas”. A wedding photo would make a lovely gift for the family members who are celebrated a milestone anniversary this year. Incorporate very old family photos for a touch of nostalgia.

Those who have some basic craft skills can make their own photo ornaments. You will need an empty glass bulb ornament. Choose a family photo that will look good in a round “frame”. Cut the photo into a circle shape. Put the photo inside the empty glass bulb. There is a way to have the topper hold the photo in place.

If you want to make it a bit fancier you can add glitter, beads, or other decorations into the bottom of the glass bulb ornament. Add a ribbon to the top so you can hang it on the tree. The Not So Idle Hands blog has a step-by-step guide that will walk you through how to do it.

Do you use a Mac? You can create an photo album, book, or card from any of the albums you have put together in your iPhoto. One card costs about $3.00, which is comparable to the price of a store-bought card. You can put a few family photos on the card. Customizable calendars are about $20.00 each. Books are more expensive, but may be worth it depending on your budget.

You can also go the traditional route, and place a very special family photo into a nice frame. Michael’s craft store has a wide variety of frames to choose from, most of which are inexpensive. Their website offers coupons that you can use to knock down the price a bit more. Or, you can have Michael’s frame a photo for you. This will allow you to customize the type of frame and the style and color of the matte.

Is your budget tight this year? You can put together several family photos into a slide show. Mac users can utilize iMovie for this task. One of the great things about a slide show is that you get to choose all the family photos that are included. You can crop them, alter the color, and decide how long each appears on the screen. Choose music to go along with the images for an more emotional impact.

Your slide show is finished, you can give it as a gift to one, or several, family members. Put it on your personal website and send them a link to the finished slideshow. Or, use Dropbox to send the Mac users in your family the completed file. This great gift idea costs nothing but time.

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