Christmas Gifts for the Family

The gift problem a family creates

Buying for a family means buying for four people with nothing in common except an address. The usual answers — a hamper, a board game, a voucher — get consumed and forgotten. A framed photograph of them is the one present that belongs to all of them without being divided, and it is still there in five years.

The photo everybody actually wants

It is almost never the posed one. The photograph families keep is the accidental one — the kitchen, the beach, the walk on Boxing Day where nobody was ready. Posed portraits date badly and everybody remembers the argument that preceded them. Look for the picture where they are looking at each other rather than at the camera.

Single photo or collage

• One photo, framed large: works when there is a clear best photograph of the year.
• Collage of six to twelve: works when the year was made of a lot of small things.
• A set of matching frames: works when the family is spread across households and each wants their own.

Sizing for a shared wall

Family photos usually end up in a hallway, a kitchen or above a stairs — places people walk past rather than sit in front of. That argues for bigger: 16" x 20" or 50cm x 70cm reads properly in passing, where a small frame becomes wallpaper. If it is joining an existing wall of family photographs, match the size and finish already there rather than introducing a third style.

Timing

Made to order, printed and framed by hand. Order by early December to be comfortable; the last-order banner at the top of the page updates for your country automatically.

For how to choose the frame itself, see frames for Christmas photos.