Tackle that gift list!

As the holidays approach, I am always trying to think of great gift ideas that are cost effective and can help me mark off many of the names on my gift list in one fell swoop. I absolutely love to give personalized, photo-filled gifts to friends and family, and I have discovered over the years that these types of gifts are always well received and very appreciated. And the best part of all is that many of the gifts I have to share with you are a snap to put together! Here are some of my favorites...

Last year, I put together these photo calendars from Shutterfly for my husband and both of our mothers (and myself, too!), and everyone absolutely loved them. There is something so fun about looking forward to each month's different pictures and themes. Shutterfly has some really great style options, and I loved their plethora of layout options and the ability I had to tweak the design as I desired. And the best part is that once you have your calendar arranged as you like, you can have copies made for multiple people. What a great way to save precious time during the holidays! I found their prices, especially when making multiple copies of a calendar, to be very reasonable. The first calendar is a set price, but then every subsequent copy is discounted after that. Nice!

Another product offered by Shutterfly will be perfect for the little ones on your list! I had one of these personalized story books made for my son for his last birthday, and it was an absolute hit! After I took a photo of him according to their specifications and then uploaded it to the site, the people at Shutterfly worked their magic to superimpose his cute little face on the pages of his very own book. And the personalization in these books doesn't stop with the photo; every page is filled with your child's name and special tidbits like his or her birthday. Too cool!

Since my son's birth, I have been a huge fan of One True Media photo montages. These are such a fun and fresh way to consolidate all of the photos from each year into one dynamic and memorable presentation, complete with favorite songs and video clips. I have put together one of these for each child's first year, and I also make one at year's end for our family to document our special events and milestones. Grandparents and great-grandparents alike love to receive copies, too! I think you'll find the interface to be user-friendly and very simple to use. In addition to sharing your presentation in a DVD format, you can also easily share online with friends and family. This is a blogger's dream!

I hope you like these gift ideas. With a little preparation early in the season, you can have your gift list tackled even before Santa's elves get to work! :o)