Personalised Christmas Gifts

A good personalised Christmas gift carries meaning, rather than simply putting a name on an object. A map print lets you choose a place that matters to the recipient, then add a short line and optional date beneath it. That makes a recognised home, meeting place, hometown or milestone more personal than a generic present.

The short answer: what makes a good personalised Christmas gift

The best choice is a place the recipient would recognise immediately and connect with a person, memory or milestone. For a partner, that might be where you met. For parents or grandparents, it could be their hometown or a place the family has lived. For a couple, choose the home they have just moved into or a location connected to their relationship.

This approach also works for someone who has everything. You are not trying to find another useful object; you are marking a location and date that already mean something to them. Browse the wider range of personalised gifts if you are still comparing ideas.

What you can personalise

A map print is centred on a location you choose yourself in the online designer before ordering. You can then add a short line of text beneath the map and, optionally, a date.

Text beneath a map works best at roughly two to six words. Longer lines have to be set smaller to fit the width of the print, which makes them harder to read from across a room. A concise place, phrase or date is usually easier to live with than a long message.

Choosing the location: the place that means something to them

Start with the recipient, not the product name. Ask which place they would recognise as theirs: a childhood home, the town where you met, a first shared address, or the home they have just made their own. The location can be chosen to suit the memory, so the same design can work for different people on your list.

For a relationship with several important milestones, Met, Engaged, Married shows three locations on one print. Where We've Lived shows multiple locations on one print, making it suitable when the story is spread across more than one home.

Which design suits which person on your list

A partner

Where It All Began suits a partner when one location captures the start of your relationship. Use the place where you first met or where your shared story began, then add a short phrase and optional date.

Parents

A Hometown Map uses the town or city that feels like home to them. It is a considered choice for parents when a shared family history matters more than a newly discovered object.

Grandparents

A Hometown Map can also suit grandparents. Choose the location they identify with most, such as the place where they grew up or the family home that everyone knows.

A sibling who has moved away

Choose Where We've Lived when several addresses tell the story. It can bring together the locations that matter to your sibling rather than focusing only on where they live now.

A couple who married or moved this year

For a couple who have married, Where It All Began can mark the location where their relationship started. For a couple who have moved, the New Home Map can centre on their new address.

Someone living abroad

Choose the location that connects them with home, family or a formative memory. A Hometown Map works when one place matters most; Where We've Lived is the better fit when more than one location needs to be included.

Gifts for a first Christmas — new home, newly married, first together

For a first Christmas in a new home, choose the new address with a First Christmas Map. For a couple who married this year, use the place connected to their relationship or marriage. For a couple spending their first Christmas together, choose where they met or where their shared life began.

For more ideas focused on the first Christmas in a new home, see the guide to first Christmas in a new home. Couples celebrating their first Christmas after marrying can use the guide to first Christmas married.

What to write on it

Keep the wording to roughly two to six words so it remains readable. A short phrase plus a year is often enough:

• Where We Met, 2018
• Our First Home, 2024
• Home Since 1996
• First Christmas Together, 2025

A year alone can work better than a full date on a Christmas print, especially when the important detail is the milestone rather than the exact day. If the map already carries a strong location, let the wording support it instead of explaining the whole story.

How ordering works

1. Choose the design that matches the recipient and the memory you want to mark.
2. Select the location yourself in the online designer.
3. Add a short line of text and, if wanted, a date beneath the map.
4. Check the wording and location before ordering.

Personalised items are made to order, so it is worth ordering in good time rather than in the final week.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good personalised Christmas gift for someone who has everything?

A map print centred on a place they recognise is a good choice because the personalisation is based on their story, not simply their name. Add a short phrase and optional date to mark why the location matters.

What is a good first Christmas gift for a couple?

Choose a First Christmas Map for their first Christmas in a new home, or use Where It All Began for the place where their relationship started. The right design depends on whether the milestone is their home or their time together.

What do you write on a personalised Christmas print?

Use roughly two to six words, such as “Our First Home, 2024” or “First Christmas Together, 2025”. A year alone can also be more effective than a full date.

How far in advance should I order a personalised Christmas gift?

Personalised items are made to order, so it is worth ordering in good time rather than in the final week.