18 personalized holiday gift ideas for everyone you know
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In theory, everyone wants to try to find a unique gift this holiday, but in practice it's a lot more difficult considering everyone shops at the same big retailers and ends up buying the same things.
One way to get around this challenge is to personalize or customize your gift. You probably immediately associate personalization or customization with monogramming — which, don't get us wrong, is a perfectly classy option and which we've included below — but there are many other ways you can find and make gifts that are for your recipient and your recipient only.
Using personal photos, geographic coordinates, DNA, and more, you can make a one-of-a-kind gift that your loved one can't find anywhere else.
Having trouble figuring out what to get people for the holidays? You can check out all of Insider Picks' 2017 gift guides here.
A beautiful map poster of anywhere in the world
Memories are often tied to specific locations and Grafomap helps you remember those experiences — where you grew up, where you met your significant other, or a honeymoon spot, for example — by letting you design and personalize a map of anywhere in the world. You can adjust, pan, and zoom to specific spots; add or remove text; select the size, frame, and orientation; and choose a unique color theme to really make your map pop.
Insider Picks editor Ellen Hoffman tried it, and the process of turning an ordinary map into a work of art only took five minutes. At $49 for a 18"x 24" print, it's affordable, too.
Make a custom map poster at Grafomap for $49
A photo pillow
CanvasPop's custom photo pillow service makes it easy to bring the moments that matter to you to life. Just upload your photo, zoom in or out to your desired position, and choose an image or color for the back side of the pillow. All 18" x 18" custom pillows cost $39, come with a removable cover, and are made with 100% spun polyester.
We used CanvasPop to immortalize our dogs, but you can use any photo with the service to make an eye-catching, physical momento.
Make a custom photo pillow at CanvasPop for $39
A Madewell tote
For only $10, you can add a gold foil, silver foil, or blind imprint stamp of up to three letters to Madewell's best-selling Transport Tote. The tote is available in Black or English Saddle, made with vegetable-tanned leather that only looks better the more you wear it, and will be your go-to bag for throwing all your belongings in.
Personalize a Transport Tote ($168) at Madewell for an additional $10
Leather travel goods
At Leatherology, you can find quality leather for half the price you'd pay for a name brand elsewhere. Make your travels a little more refined and luxurious with its Jetsetter For Her Gift Set, which includes a medium pouch, luggage tag, passport cover, and eye mask, and comes with complimentary personalization.
The monogram of up to four letters will be placed on all items. You'll be able to choose between a serif or sans serif font as well as the deboss color.
Personalize a Jetsetter For Her Gift Set at Leatherology for $155
A solid gold necklace
Traditional fine jewelry costs an arm and a leg, giving people the impression that it can only be bought and worn for special occasions. Challenging this notion is Mejuri, a direct-to-consumer company that offers beautiful, delicate, and quality fine jewelry at accessible prices, so you can make everyday luxury a habit.
You can customize its 14k solid yellow gold necklace with one initial, free of charge. It's small and simple, but the personal touch goes a long way. Usually a small necklace like this can cost more than $700. Mejuri is selling it for $259.
Personalize a solid gold Engravable Necklace at Mejuri for $259
An Xbox controller
True gamers are passionate about every aspect of video games, from the gameplay itself to the console and controllers they use. The Xbox Design Lab gives you a 360-degree view of the controller and lets you customize the color of every part of it. You can even add an engraving on the bottom for an additional $10.
The result is a controller that you'll become very possessive of and won't want to lend out to anyone else. Here's a step-by-step walkthrough of how Xbox Design Lab works.
Customize an Xbox controller in the Xbox Design Lab for $79.99 and up
A journal
Paper Source has over 100 60-sheet, 8.5"x 5.5" journal covers to choose from, so no matter the personality of your gift recipient, you'll be able to find and make a journal just for them. With each journal, you get to choose the front cover font, font size, and name, then select one of eight page styles: blank, lined, graph, dot grid, and four different date books. Best of all, the journals are very affordable and will only run you $20.
Make a custom journal at Paper Source for $19.95
A faux fur robe
Relax in comfort and style in this wonderfully plush robe from Pottery Barn, perfect for Christmas morning gift exchanges and lounging around in at any time of year. You'll be able to choose from 20 monogram colors and a variety of monogram styles that will remind you of the logos from any upscale hotel. The monogram is included in the price of the robe.
Personalize a Faux Fur Robe at Pottery Barn for $90
A 23andMe DNA test
There's a lot you potentially don't know about yourself, which is an awfully terrifying yet exciting thing to think about. If you're like most people, you're probably at least a tiny bit curious about your ancestry. With 23andMe, all you need is a tube of your spit to reveal your detailed ancestry composition and connect with people who share DNA with you.
Whether you want to solve a family mystery or just want to better understand yourself, the test is a gift that is truly unique and tailored to each person.
Buy a 23andMe DNA Test at Amazon for $79
Nike sneakers
The sneakerhead in your life will definitely appreciate the level of thought and personalization that goes into this gift. Nike has nearly 150 sneaker options that you can go into and customize, from basketball shoes and soccer cleats to running shoes and casual, everyday kicks. Pretty much every aspect of the shoe is up for grabs: the toe, base, laces, cage, signature swoosh, outsole, and more.
Customize a pair of sneakers at Nike for $110 and up
A glass cutting board
Everyone has a cutting board in her kitchen, but this custom tempered glass one is a step above the rest and only costs $29.99. Use your favorite high-resolution photo to bring a smile to the recipient's face whenever they're in the kitchen.
Customize a glass cutting board at Snapfish for $29.99
A leather charm
We've previously raved, "Cuyana has some of the best leather goods in terms of sizes, colors, and definitely value for price — if not the best — on the market right now." Featuring polished gold hardware, this monogrammed charm is the perfect finishing touch on any of Cuyana's pebbled and smooth leather bags. If you're having trouble, the website offers suggestions for which bags to best pair each charm option with.
For an extra $10, add a foil or blind emboss monogram. You can use letters or symbols.
Personalize a leather charm ($55) at Cuyana for an additional $10
A dog blueprint
These cool posters are designed by "architect" I.M. Paws and mimic the style of mid-century blueprints. They're accompanied by detailed design specs, facts about the breed's origin and temperament, and your dog's name. See the full list of available dog breeds here.
Since each blueprint is made-to-order and can take up to three weeks to ship, plan accordingly.
Personalize a Dog Blueprint at UncommonGoods for $199
A mini Lego figure
Everyone has that friend or family member who's a complete character. Now, you can flaunt how well you know the person and make him or her into an actual toy character.
All you need to do is tell Firebox some facts, likes, hobbies and typical outfit suggestions. Then, it will create a personalized Lego toy version that arrives framed with an accompanying quote of your choice.
Personalize a mini Lego figure at Firebox for $40.29
DNA art
Most people want the art they hang up in their rooms to have some meaning to it. DNA11 uses a sample of your DNA (just a cheek swab) to design a unique piece of artwork. You can even combine up to four people's DNA on a single canvas to get a mix of colors and show the unity between partners or family members.
Portraits start at $199 for a 12"x 16" print and go up to $649 for a large 36"x 54" print. Choose a color, and for an additional cost, a frame.
Make a custom DNA Portrait at DNA11 for $199 and up
A Timex watch
A watch always makes a good gift, but it can be difficult finding one that exactly fits your standards and preferences, so why not just make one yourself? Start from scratch with eight different classic Timex styles, or get inspired by an existing style and adjust from there. You can customize the dial and second hand colors, case, and strap type, then add an engraving free of charge.
Customize a watch at Timex for $57 and up
A wood photo calendar
Photo calendars can often come out looking tacky, but Artifact Uprising has elevated them to look sophisticated and modern. These 5"x 7" prints come with a handcrafted wooden clipboard and are available in three different designs. Unlike with other photo gifts, you won't be restricted to only one photo and can create a cohesive theme that runs through all 12 months.
Make a wood photo calendar at Artifact Uprising for $30
A kid's chef apron
When your little chef is cooking up a storm in the kitchen, they deserves an apron to call their own and protect their clothes. Rather than settle for a boring black or white apron, gift an apron that has personality. Available prints on Minted range from festive candy canes to sleepy deer.
You can personalize the front of the apron with an embossed leather tag for free. It's sold individually or as a set with matching oven mitts.
Personalize a children's chef apron at Minted for $28
Connie Chen Connie Chen is a former senior reporter on the Insider Reviews team, where she led coverage of home textiles, home entertaining, and food and drink. While at Insider, she specialized in all the things that enhance life at home, from the most comfortable bed sheets and fluffy pillows to cool online wine clubs and bartender-approved cocktail shakers. She combined rigorous testing methods, conversations with professionals, and active knowledge of the home and kitchen space to help readers get the most out of their money. When she's not changing duvet covers or washing towels twice a day for articles, she loves talking about and trying the newest snacks, drinks, and food gifts. You can see more of her testing process and other behind-the-scenes of being a product journalist on her Instagram @connayreviews. Connie joined Insider Reviews as an early member in 2017 and has also reported on products and services in the style, tech, fitness, travel, and e-learning spaces, with a particular interest and expertise in emerging startups. She has represented the team at CES and moderated panels on media business and the future of retail. Connie graduated from UC Berkeley with degrees in media studies and business administration, which help inform her perspective on and coverage of industry trends, as well as the competitive e-commerce landscape at large. Read some of her work: The 4 best cocktail shakers in 2021 The 7 best women's bathrobes in 2021 The 5 best wine openers and corkscrews we tested in 2021 The 5 best bed sheets we tested in 2021 The 5 best cordless vacuums we tested in 2021 12 direct-to-consumer kitchen startups that are changing the way we shop for cookware and knives 8 tableware startups changing the way we shop for dishes Even chefs experience cooking burnout — here's how they get re-inspired in the kitchen How businesses create successful virtual experiences 50 cookbooks from famous restaurants across the US that will help you recreate their best dishes at home Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here. Learn more about how we test kitchen products. Read more Read lessYou can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here.
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