Personal Christmas Gift Ideas, Including a Magazine

When is Christmas, and when do you open gifts?

Christmas Day falls on December 25, 2026 in the US, December 25, 2026 in Canada, December 25, 2026 in the UK and December 25, 2026 in Ireland. Many families open presents on Christmas morning, others on Christmas Eve, and in the UK and Ireland the day after is Boxing Day, on December 26, 2026.

If you are planning a gift that needs to be made rather than bought off a shelf, the weeks before Black Friday on November 27, 2026 are a calm time to decide what you want to give.

What do you give at Christmas, and why does personal work?

Christmas gifts run from books and jumpers to food, experiences and homemade things. Among all of that, a gift that clearly grew out of your shared life stands out. It says: I remember what we have been through together.

Personal does not have to mean elaborate. One photo with a short story beside it can mean more than an expensive object with no connection to the person. What matters is that they are in it, along with their people, their places and their little habits.

What personal gift ideas are there?

A few directions that work without a lot of effort:

• The year in pictures: the strongest moments of the last twelve months, arranged by season.
• A recipe book with stories: Gran's mince pies or Dad's stuffing, with the tale of who first made them and when.
• A letter in photos: instead of a card, a few pages where you say what the person means to you.
• The whole family in one issue: everyone brings a photo and a few lines.
• A magazine for the grandparents: the grandchildren, their drawings and their sayings, kept just as they are now.

All of these can be done without printing, say as a photo album on the sofa. A printed magazine has the advantage that it gets picked up, passed around and kept.

What does a Christmas magazine look like? Page ideas

Dear Edition makes printed magazines from your own photos and stories. You can make one with Dee, our AI assistant, who asks questions and drafts the magazine, or by hand in the editor. Either way you can change everything before ordering. The size is A4 (210 × 297 mm), with 16 to 52 pages in steps of 4.

Page ideas for Christmas:

1. Cover: a photo from last Christmas or of the tree, with a headline of your own.
2. The year in review: one photo per month with a sentence each.
3. How we do Christmas: what always happens in your house, from the crackers to the carols.
4. Notes to you: short lines from people who matter to the receiver.
5. Voices on paper: pages can carry a QR code that plays a voice message or a video, so you hear Grandma's voice as you turn the page.
6. Looking ahead: a page of wishes or plans for the coming year.

If several people should contribute, "Make it together" helps: a shared link lets friends and family add their photos and notes to one magazine. Browse the designs, called vibes, in the catalogue. Each vibe is a complete magazine design.

Can a printed magazine be ready for Christmas?

Honestly, we cannot promise a date for Christmas. A magazine is printed only after it is ordered and then shipped with tracking, and that takes time. So we will not push you to order for the day itself.

The estimated delivery date for your address is shown at checkout, before you pay. Details are on the shipping page and under prices and delivery.

If Christmas is close, there are good options:

• Plan ahead and start early next time, so there is room to make, order and ship without rushing.
• Make the magazine now and give a card on the day that promises it is on its way.
• Plan it for a later date, such as New Year's Day on January 1, 2027.
• Give it for a birthday or another occasion in the new year. Valentine's Day on February 14, 2027 is another natural moment.

For more occasions and who to give what, see the gift guide.

How do you get started?

Begin by gathering what you have: photos, short stories, the sentences someone always says. You do not need to write anything polished. Dee asks what is behind each picture and turns your answers into a first draft you can adjust. The steps are laid out in how it works.

Your photos stay private to your account and are used only to make and print the magazine.

When you are ready, start your magazine with Dee.

FAQ