21 Personalized Photo Gift Ideas The Whole Family Will Love

Even if gift giving isn’t one of your love languages, you won’t be able to resist these awesome photo gift ideas.

on November 29, 2022

Stuck between a massage gift card and a hard place? The holidays are all about gift-giving, whether it's for your mail carrier, your kids' teachers, or your family members. From Christmas to Hanukkah and Secret Santa to White Elephant, you don't want to be the person who gives a gift set from the local Starbucks (or a coupon book for free back massages — looking at you, kids). Instead, for a super easy and affordable present, create a personalized gift that really says “I spent time on this” with unique presents like photo books, canvas wall prints, photo book subscriptions and more! These 21 personalized photo gift ideas will help you check off your list (and you won't have to think twice), all while knowing that you made all of your Christmas presents while binge-watching holiday Hallmark movies. Nice!

And after all that time spent on finding the right holiday cards and presents, and time spent at parties and around the table with friends and family, it's no wonder your camera roll is filled with sweet shots of you and your family (especially after it took you 10 minutes to get the perfect shot). Don't let those pics get lost in your phone, print them in a holiday-themed photo book (print them in a high-quality Layflat photo book and add blank text pages to create a personalized gift), or hang them on your wall with Canvas Wall Tiles. And if you love saving your favorite memories from every month, print 30 pictures each month with a Monthbooks subscription.

Subscribe someone to Monthbooks

Friends and fam can add 30 photos a month into Monthbooks, a collection that will help them keep track of everyday memories from each month (and builds a super gorgeous stack that doubles as home decor). They come in different colors, including ombre spines and designer collaborations! Plus, shipping is always free.

Gift a Personalized Yearbook

Filter your photos by person in your phone, then head into the Chatbooks app and create a Yearbook that's filled with pictures of a specific friend or family member you're gifting to! You can fit up to 366 pages in one Yearbook, plus choose from designer covers. They start at $15 and include free shipping!

Subscribe someone to a Series

If your loved ones aren’t already set up for a Photo Book Series, the holiday season is the best time to give them this gift. A book will be created for every 60 photos added to the Series and then will be delivered straight to their door (plus free shipping!).

Create custom coffee table decor

Perhaps you have a friend or family member who is a great photographer or collects amazing photos. Start a Photo Book Series for them with compilations of their favorite moments captured on camera so they can display those books on their coffee table or shelf.

Make a family photo album

A picture is worth a thousand words, and a Chatbooks Classic Photo Book is worth a thousand gifts. Your friends will love receiving all their family photos and moments assembled into one book. This gift will keep on giving.

Print their art

If you have a friend whose artistic ability is unmatched, show them how much you appreciate their talent by creating a lookbook of their work with a Classic Photo Book. Just scan their art (or request a digital copy) and upload their work into a beautiful photo book.

Recreate a wedding photo album

A great gift for a spouse or a parent is a new and improved Chatbook wedding photo album. Some of your old photos might be fading or maybe your wedding album is too bulky and heavy. Simplify your life and make this amazing and awesome Layflat photo book to remind you and your significant other of your love.

Tell some family stories

If you have little ones, a Classic Photo Book is the perfect way to bring family stories to life. Collect pictures from special moments like first days of school, family vacations and more, and add some text so that they can read and remember the stories of their lives.

Create a book for the kids to write in

No stress when it comes to drawing on these books! Chatbooks are printed with archival paper and premium quality inks and are super affordable, so gift your kids a Classic Photo Book they can draw in. You can add photos and note pages so that your kids can create their own captions.

Print a school yearbook

Give your child a “yearbook” photo book this Christmas where they can look back and laugh at their annual portraits, use a Classic Photo Book or Yearbook for this one. Bonus points if you still did a DIY picture day while in quarantine!

Play with sizes

Did you know that Chatbooks photo books come in 6x6, 8x8 and 10x10? Order a mix of different photo books for the cutest stack around.

Start a Monthly Mini subscription for each child

Each kid deserves their own mini magazine all about their milestones! They will love receiving their own personal “catalog” in the mail each month, and these books are perfect for small hands. Send copies to the grandparents every month for a gift that the whole family can enjoy.

Try Monthly Mini stocking stuffers

Another option for your minis this Christmas is to use them as stocking stuffers. The family will love flipping through these memory books together.

String up hanging decor

Got a college student or young adult in your life? Order a Chatbooks String-O-Pics and some 5x5 prints for a DIY gift that makes for super cute decor.

Design a family vacation book

If you and your family have tons of pictures from a special vacation but no idea where to put them, try a Layflat book. Our premium photo albums are a great way to relive special occasions again and again.

Make photo collages to tell a story

Too many pictures that you want to put into one book? Use collage pages to tell the stories of your favorite memories. One approach: Include 4-5 photos on each spread to tell the story of one special moment (like a big move or fun day trip). Then, as your loved one flips through their photo book gift, they can remember the tiny details of your days. This link shows you how to make your own collage page!

Gift them a gallery wall

Everyone wants to bring their favorite photos to life on their walls, and you can help by gifting your friends and family some wall tiles. Our affordable, high-quality canvases can be stuck up to 50+ times on a wall!

Give them a book stand

You may know someone who is a loyal Chatbooks fan (we see you 200+ club!) with an active Photo Book Series subscription. A simple and wonderful gift for the Chatbooks lover in your life: a book stand that can hold all their books and display them anywhere in the home.

Go for an acrylic print stand

The minimalist in your life will love this clear, simple photo print stand. Great for displaying photos at parties, weddings or just throughout the home.

Get a gift card

If you have a friend who’s a little picky, go for a Chatbooks gift card! They will appreciate that they can choose their own photos and books, and you’ll be grateful that you didn’t have to do the work.

Surprise them with a book basket

Chatbooks deserve a special spot on the shelf, but if you’re like us, you might have more than you can count! That’s why we have some awesome book baskets to hold your memories for safekeeping. These baskets can hold 23 hardcover or 50 softcover books.