by Lynsey Brewer

Created on: December 17, 2008

Photographs are one of the most meaningful and treasured gifts you can give during the holidays, or any time for that matter. I don't know how often my distant family members ask for photos of the kids, or the family all together.

During the year, I try to take as many photos of the kids as I can, making sure that they include fun activities and school pictures especially. A few weeks into November, I gather all the pictures I have taken through the year, and put them into separate piles, one for each kid. Then, I put all the pictures in chronological order, and place them in photo albums with each child's name on them. You can do this as you would a scrapbook, depending on your creativity. Finally, I write a caption under each picture, making it easier for your family members to follow your child's adventures throughout the year.

I dont know how many comments I get. It helps my distant relatives feel like their grandchildren or neices and nephews arent complete strangers. It helps them keep up with them as they grow throughout the years.

Another neat gift, that family friends and relatives seem to enjoy is an end of the year calender. They are simple to make, and don't require as much time as making separate photo albums for each kid in the family. Simply get your family together each month and take a group photo. They can be formal photos, or they can be taken according to the time of year. For example, the whole family can be dressed in their Halloween costumes in October, or all standing in front of or decorating your tree in December.

Finally, if you have the money to spare, and don't feel super artistic and creative, you can go and buy one of those digital picture frames. The last time I checked, they were about forty dollars at Costco. This way, you can simply put all your photos on a single memory card and insert it into the frame, and send it to all your friends. It takes about ten minutes, and people love them. However, this can get pretty costly depending on how many family members you have to send one to. I sent one of these to my grandmother last year, and she loved it so much that she is always calling and asking for more memory cards so that she can switch them out now and then.

These are just a few ideas for Christmas photo gifts and they seem to work very well. Pictures are an easy and unique way to keep your family close together, when the visits are far in between.

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