Photo Gifts for Grandparents (that they’ll actually like!)
We’ve all been there. You’re suddenly realizing it’s December 1st, and you have absolutely NO idea what to get your parents, in-laws, or grandparents for Christmas. Newspaper subscription? Bottle of wine?
You settle on a photo of the grandkids. Target is all out of the “nice” frames (thanks, Black Friday!), so you grab the generic, black 8×10 frame, and get to work printing a recent photo of the kids (PS – good work getting those family photos taken over the summer!). Your parents have to love it, it’s a photo of their grandkids! Christmas Day comes, your mom opens her gift and…it’s a less than overwhelming response. “Oh…thanks!” comes the reply. And do you ever see that frame again….?
While grandparents DO appreciate photos of their grandkids, there are better ways to display them than the cheapest frame that a big box store offers. Based on my own experience with a couple sets of grandparents, here’s a list of photo gifts for grandparents that may not end up in the Goodwill pile (don’t worry – they did take the photo out before donating the frame!).
Brass Desk Calendar | Artifact Uprising
Gone are the days of having to print a plastic spiral bound calendar through Walgreens. Artifact Uprising has some of my favorite photo gift items, including this gorgeous brass desk calendar. It’s simple to create, won’t take up a ton of room on Grandpa’s desk, and will score you major points for creativity.
(Artifact Uprising has my favorite gifts for grandparents and for myself! If this desk calendar isn’t necessarily on your list, I recommend looking up their Wood Block Prints and Everyday Albums!)
Digital Frame | Nixplay
I purchased a Nixplay frame (affiliate link) for my in-laws almost ten years ago, and it’s still going strong! I can upload new photos either through email or the Nixplay app, which is just as easy as texting my MIL a photo of the kids. Bonus: she can show all her friends the grandkids, without having to drag out her phone and scroll through a million screenshots. Perfect sized and unobtrusive, it’s a great alternative to a traditional frame.
Foldable Frame | Pottery Barn
The modern alternative to the 1990s foldable frame your own grandparents stored your school photos in. Even better – print your kids’ preschool photos in black and white, and when combined with that brass? Perfection.
Photo Magnets | Social Print Studio
These photo magnets from Social Print Studio might be going in my cart for my own fridge this winter. My kids LOVE getting to see themselves in printed form, and what better way to see that than when you open the fridge approximately one zillion times a day?? Small and easily swapped out, I could easily see myself even making a set just for Christmas.
Softcover Book | MILK
While I haven’t seen these softcover books from MILK in person (yet), I am in LOVE with the French fold covers and provided designer templates. These would be a fabulous way to combine your family photos, school photos, and all the photos you took on summer vacation, in one easy to find place for Grandma.
Pro-tip: buy a second copy for your own home, and your kids will spend hours flipping through it. Promise.
Arched Frame | Target
Do you reallllly just need to pick up a frame at Target? Then you need to at least make it fun! This arched frame from Target would be the perfect way to display a family photo from your summer or fall session (hint, hint).
While I would love to photograph your family during a family session or at your kids at school, these ideas will all work equally as well with the photos from your phone! Although if you REALLY want to make your mom or MIL happy, schedule an extended family photo session for next summer. Prints, albums, greeting cards…the benefits of an extended family session go well beyond the digital images that show up in your inbox!
