Holiday season may still be a ways off, but it’s never too early to start thinking about gift ideas for friends and family. You’ve probably received about a million custom holiday photo cards in past years — especially from people you don’t even remember — and may be weary of jumping on the bandwagon by incorporating photos into your gifts. Custom holiday photo cards may be overplayed, but a picture is still worth a thousand words. There are a ton of creative ways to turn your favorite photos into unique and sentimental gifts that your family and friends will love.

1. Metal Prints – Metal prints are a great way to turn a picture into a beautiful piece of artwork. Professional printing companies can take your favorite photo and infuse it into a metal sheet, adding a rich and luminescent look to your picture. These prints make photos look like they were professionally taken, and they also make great pieces of wall art.
2. Custom Metal Ornaments – Customized ornaments make great gifts, especially during the holidays. Pictures can be printed on ornaments of any number of shapes and sizes, and they can be made to hang on a tree or sit on a mantel. These presents are a great way to capture a baby’s first holiday celebration, giving parents a special memento to remember it by. Photo ornaments give your friends and family something extra special to look forward to each time they start to decorate for the holiday season.
3. Coffee Mugs – Mornings are tough on most people, and sometimes even a hot cup of coffee doesn’t help to get them going in the wee hours of the morning. Wouldn’t your day be off to a better start if you got to enjoy it with friends and family? Custom photo coffee mugs can do just this. Coffee mugs printed with your favorite pictures are the perfect present for all of your coffee and tea loving friends and family members. You can brighten their morning with a customized mug!

These photo printing ideas might not fit into a picture album, but they are all great ways to turn your favorite moments into long lasting treasures. If you’re stuck on gift ideas this holiday season, don’t underestimate the power of a picture.