A very merry photographic Christmas

The Coca Cola advert is on TV every five minutes, which can only mean one thing; it’s time to start buying (or making) presents! If you’re the kind of person who puts their heart and soul into making crafty Christmas gifts, then you’re going to love the ideas we’ve got for you. We wanted to find ways for you to turn all those photos you’ve taken in the past year into something truly special.

Don’t waste your pictures on social media; turn them into unique or handmade Christmas gifts instead. Most of these ideas just need a handful of photo prints and a sprinkling of imagination. We even have some Christmas decoration ideas to spruce up the home, too. So get your camera out, get snapping, and start making some truly incredible festive treats with your photos.

Get your camera out
The build-up to Christmas is the best time to start taking lots of photographs (we’ll tell you why in a little while). We’ve put together some suggestions of what to take photos of, ready for our plethora of ideas for unique Christmas gifts a little bit further down.

•    The family
Of course, this is an easy one and you’ve probably been doing it all year. Make sure you get some nice family snaps in the run up to Christmas, ready for some of our fantastic handmade gift ideas below.

•    All the trimmings
If you’re the kind of person that puts your tree up on the 1st of December (the kind of person we love), then make sure you get plenty of photographs of all the action. We’re thinking Christmas trees, lights, decorations, children’s artwork and whatever else you can find that’s festive.

•    Out and about
Visiting a Christmas fair? Watching the local lights get switched on? Taking a trip to Winter Wonderland? Make sure you capture it with your camera and turn those photos into some incredible unique Christmas gifts.

Once you have filled your memory card up, you are now ready to try out one of our crafty Christmas gift ideas. Turn your photos into something your friends and family will cherish forever!

Handmade Christmas gifts using photos
There’s nothing better than opening a present on Christmas day that you know has had a lot of time and attention devoted to it. That’s probably why more and more people are making handmade Christmas gifts than ever this year. Here are some great ideas to turn your photographs into unique presents, made with love.

•    Photo coasters
What better way to use up those family snaps than on photo coasters? These make fantastic Christmas gifts that everyone will love, plus they’re really simple to make. Don’t forget to get your Instagram photo prints with enough time for you to put these great gifts together.

•    Scrapbook
If you want to share cherished memories with your loved ones, then consider creating scrapbooks as unique Christmas gifts. You can buy a scrapbook from most hobby shops, then fill it with all of your favourite memories of that person. Use high quality photo printing to get the best results (without spending a fortune).

•    Reindeer frames
Want something a bit more festive to decorate the house with? Make your own reindeer frames and add in photos of your friends and family. This is a great crafts idea for the kids, all you need to do is print photos to fill them with. They also make fantastic handmade gifts for your loved ones.

•    Instagram sachets and beanbags
Get yourself some Instagram photo prints and some fabric, to create this super cool gift idea. All you need to do is fill with something yummy smelling and add on your photos. These may be tricky to make, but they’re worth every minute.

•    CD compilation
Got lots of songs that remind you of a certain special someone? Do something a little bit old fashioned and make them a ‘mixtape’. You can print your photography on the front of each CD, to add a more personal touch. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t be happy to receive all of their favourite songs on Christmas day!

These are just a few of our ideas for handmade Christmas gifts, all using the photos you have taken over the last year! Photo printing online doesn’t cost a fortune either, so these are really cost effective gift ideas. If you’re a crafty person with a small budget, then these should tick all the boxes.

Other Christmas ideas using photos
Christmas photos gifts are just the tip of the iceberg—there are plenty of other ways you can make use of all those photographs. From Christmas cards to reindeer frames, and even personalised wrapping paper (yes, I know!), here are some of our favourite ideas for using those photos:

•    Photo Christmas cards
There are several ways you can turn your photos into Christmas cards. You could use a family photo of you all in festive jumpers, or you could go for something a bit more unique. How about photography printing your children’s Christmas artwork as a front cover for a greetings card?

•    Personalised stocking hangers
Grab some wood, some hooks and some photo prints of your little ones. Put it all together and what have you got? Personalised stocking hangers that your kids will love. They’re a great way to make sure Santa knows who gets which presents on Christmas eve!

•    Family paper people chain
We all love decorating the house at Christmas, but sometimes those decorations can feel a little bit…bland. How about sprucing them up by adding headshots of all your family? This paper people chain is easy to make and will certainly be a talking point when people come to visit.

•    Photo canvas prints
How about a Christmas present for the home? A lovely picture of your entire family on canvas should do the trick. Alternatively, why not use a photo of your child’s artwork to print onto canvas?

•    Photo wrapping paper
Last, but by no means least: photo wrapping paper. Now you’ve got all the presents sorted, what are you going to wrap them in? How about pictures of your family or the person who is receiving the gift?! This is one of the coolest ideas we have ever seen. You can get them printed by wrap.me!

Hopefully by now you have plenty of ideas to get through all of those photos you took over the last year. Whether you’re going to use them to decorate your home or to make unique Christmas gifts, they’ll certainly be far more appreciated than they would be on Facebook. Just don’t forget to get all of your photography printing done soon, to give you time to make everything.

Will you be turning your photographs into anything special this festive season? Perhaps you’ve already created some unique Christmas gifts? Let us know in the comments below, we would love some more inspiration! Also, if you want more inspired gifts ideas, check out here. Have a very, merry, photographic Christmas.