5 Incredibly Thoughtful, Unique Gifts
I spend most of my time marketing family keepsake videos, that’s my bread and butter. But, my real jam, even beyond business, is preserving memories. There are gobs of ways to preserve memories; in writing, in images, in art, in audio recordings just to name some categories. Truth be told, my family is maxed out on my videos (besides, I’m pretty sure I’m running out of material with them!) So I set out this season on a mission to scour the market for alternate gifts that would satisfy my hunger for thoughtful, meaningful, keepsakes.
Now, wrapping up the food references and getting into the gift giving… ;)
I’ve searched and searched the internet and hunted the stores for the most thoughtful gifts. There are plenty of practical, useful, fun, trendy gifts out there. But I had strict criteria;
Nothing that can be outgrown within a few months or years.
Something that won’t wear out.
Something that won’t ever go out of style.
Doesn’t require batteries.
Something that could be reused or passed along.
One-of-a-kind, “where-did-you-find-this” type of present.
Here is what I found:
1. The Heirloomist. The Heirloomist magically transforms photos of “treasured keepsakes into uniquely meaningful framed works of art”. The possibilities are left to your imagination; awards, clothing, letters, jewelry, shoes. You have to see the portfolio to truly appreciate the beauty and uniqueness.
2. Storyworth and Honeycomb. Okay, so you may have heard for Storyworth - it’s all over Facebook and Internet and even TV. But it truly is unique! And I’ve experienced, first hand, the excitement and joy it brings to both the writer and the recipients. It is truly a special way to preserve family stories in writing while learning things you never knew about the subject! The story prompts are monthly, so it is not overwhelming.
Honeycomb is an app primarily for families with children, where you can take all the adorable photos, videos and audio clips of your family and put them into a slideshow with personal notes to send to family and friends.
3. MPIX. Online photo albums are not new. And the competition has blossomed over the last few years. What is special about MPIX, besides having the highest quality photo printing for us consumers, is the ability to hand write notes in the photo album (using a fine tip Sharpie). Handwriting is so much more personable than typed fonts. That is another unique aspect you are capturing in addition to the photos - handwriting and personal perspectives.
4. ART. Whether through a local artist or through a crafter on Etsy, ordering a sketch or painting of a house, pet, heirloom or portrait is a visually special way to commemorate and preserve something that is distinctive to your people.
5. NY Times Personalized Book. This was a sweet surprise to me - I didn’t know they offered this service! They will print and bind a book with the front page of the NY Times for every year that is being commemorated like birthdays and anniversaries. They also will print news on your favorite sports teams!
Every unique individual, with their very own DNA, personality and the paths that life has unfolded for them…has a story. We have a short time on Earth and our journey is like none before us or none to follow. Capture it now. Don’t wait another year.
And, if you’re like me, and NEVER get sick of watching videos, consider a Family Stories Film for a loved one.