Christmas Photo Gifts For Grandma

Have you noticed how those things you used to do as a child that mum scolded you for, seem so cute now it’s her grandkids doing them?

Unfortunately, Nana isn’t always around to witness all the mischievous, oh-so hilarious or sometimes downright life-threatening scrapes and capers they get themselves into. Like the time the time Jack put washing-up liquid in the fish tank, Maise shaved off his eyebrows or Emily carved ‘I love daddy’ into his Jaguar’s paintwork.

The Usual Suspects is a fun way to turn those delightful memories into a loveable rogues gallery that highlights their different personalities and some of the crimes they’re guilty of, such as ‘The Artistic One’, guilty of ‘Decorating with permanent markers’, ‘The Drama Queen’ who’s ‘Always Cold’ or ‘The Daredevil’ partial to ‘Jumping off things’. Maybe it will even convince her they’re not always the little angels she thinks they are!

Grandmas can never have enough family photos with the grandkids out on display. Fact! But let’s face it, they’re usually all pretty much the same. And while they’re great at capturing her loved ones in all their cute, cheeky and mischievous glory, they can’t really convey the love everyone feels for her. Sometimes, words are more meaningful.

Spell It Out is a fun way to put a different spin on a family photo, to remind grandma what she means to everyone at Christmas. The beauty of this gift is that, as each person can be photographed separately, it’s an opportunity to bring together the entire extended family to create a uniquely personal gift – even when that may not be physically possible.

Definitely one for the mantelpiece!

While family portraits are a tradition, the photo itself doesn’t have to be traditional. Nor does it have to be anything quirky, elaborate or over-engineered. Sometimes, simple, honest and real works best.

Head to Head is an easy yet creative way to photograph her grand kids, resulting in a unique family photo that’s relaxed, informal and above all else, authentic. Simply by shooting from an unexpected angle it keeps the portrait natural, while elevating it above the everyday. It’s a lovely way to capture an intimate moment between siblings, which will make a charming Christmas gift for Nan that she’s sure to get great pleasure from.

We all know Nana is amazing. She’s someone you could run to when mum told you off, she still puts cash in your birthday cards and she makes a killer Bolognese (even if she refuses to part with the recipe!). But how often do we take the time to tell her all the things we love about her? That she taught us to perform random acts of kindness for strangers, that she always tries to give us honest answers to the hard questions or that no matter what, she is always in our corner.

Reasons We Love You is a wonderfully meaningful Christmas gift for Grandma that will make her feel valued, appreciated and no doubt a little misty-eyed!

Why do grandmas insist on displaying so many hideous old photos of you and your siblings?

School uniform and pudding basin cut? Check. Blue spandex and rhinestone figure skating dress murdering an Axel jump? Check. That time when women’s fedoras were a thing. Check. Basically, anything that makes you all look like utter dorks? Check ad infinitum. Yet not a single one showing you as your completely awesome, got my stuff together, looking fine and totally smashing it at work, present day self. Maybe you need to step in?

Profile Portraits is an easy way to create a more modern photo of you and your siblings, simply by experimenting with different angles and positions. No gimmicks or props, just some subtle art direction that results in a beautiful portrait that’s both classic and contemporary.

Frame it or print it on canvas as a Christmas gift for Granny and maybe she’ll retire one of those others.

It was always more fun at Grandma’s house; cookies for breakfast were acceptable, bedtime was negotiable, you could expect to be thoroughly spoiled and what happened there, stayed there. So how about capturing some of that fun in a modern family portrait as a Christmas gift for grandma?

Most family portraits are quite traditional. Everyone’s dressed up smart, on their best behavior and taking everything seriously. But that’s not what you associate with Nana! She’s more about fun, naughtiness and breaking the rules. Little Boxes is all about bringing some lighthearted realness back to family portraits, to deliberately misbehave and have a little fun. And I think that’s something Granny would definitely approve of.

Grannies are famous for spoiling their grand kids, so Christmas is a great opportunity to spoil her right back – by treating her throughout the day.

A Gift Every Hour is a fun way to give her 12 smaller presents, one to be opened every hour. These can be a mix of sentimental gifts, homemade items, a few of her favourite things or just some practical gifts you know she’ll use – which you can make more meaningful by personalizing them with family photos. Such as a jigsaw featuring the grand kids or a calendar that documents the entire family through the years. For a truly personal touch, you can get all the grand kids involved with some handmade gifts, such a list of all the reasons we love you. It’s a great way to make nanna’s face light up all through the day.

Granny knows that Jack’s the jokester who’s always pulling goofy faces, Grace is the serious one with a habit of rolling her eyes and Dougie is the quiet but mischievous one – but I bet very few photos she has of her grandkids really capture their true personalities. In fact, you can probably hear yourself saying ‘smile nicely for Grandma… and cheeeese!’ Which might be why all her photos look the same.

Head Swap is a more lighthearted approach to family portraits, one that aims to capture all the grandkids’ colourful characters with lively and expressive faces. These natural, animated shots are typically a far more realistic depiction of the cheeky little rascals she knows and loves and, I would guess, probably the way she prefers to remember them.

No doubt the kids often tell Grandma ‘we love you’ but the moment is fleeting. Being able to capture those sentiments in a photograph would allow her to be reminded of them over and over again. So sometimes you literally need to spell it out.

Heart and Sole is cute and playful way to express heartfelt sentiments in a natural, relaxed, and informal photograph, so that Nana can be reminded of them time and time again. It’s a simple idea, but it will create such a touching Christmas present for Granny that’s sure to tug at the heartstrings.

It was so easy to get everyone together for a family photo… said no one ever. Yet, is there any other gift Nana’s delight in more?

The Motley Bunch is a fun, creative take on a traditional family portrait – that’s actually easy to do! Instead of formal poses and polite smiles, the emphasis is on capturing everyone’s personalities in a more natural, relaxed and – ultimately – real group photo. And because each person is photographed separately, it takes the headache out of trying to get everyone together at the same time.

I’m sure Grandma already has plenty of conventional family portraits, so this is a great way to reinvent a traditional gift you know she loves. It’ll certainly put a smile on her face!