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# Christmas Gift Guide: Personalised Gifts by Person and Price
- URL: https://inkedlines.com/christmas-gift-guide-personalised/
- Published: 2026-10-24T13:37:28.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-27T13:04:39.000Z
- Description: Gift ideas sorted by the person rather than the product: line art for a partner, watercolour for grandparents, pet portraits, house drawings, and when to order before Christmas.
- Author: Inked Lines
- Tags: OpenHeartLines, Christmas gifts, Personalised gift ideas, Custom portraits

Most gift guides start with the product. I would rather start with the person, because the portrait that suits your mum is rarely the one that suits your brother or your oldest friend. Nearly everything in this Christmas gift guide is drawn from a photo or a few words you send me, and the prices below are the ones we actually charge.

Quick answer: for a partner, a $20 line art portrait or a $17 to $19 map print of two places. For parents and grandparents, a $27 to $30 watercolour portrait. For a pet lover, a pet portrait from $11\. For a dinner host, a Christmas print from $3\. Custom pieces arrive as digital files in one to two days, so order by mid December and print locally.

## How this Christmas gift guide works

Everything here is a digital download: you get a high-resolution file, print it at home or at a local print shop, and frame it however you like. The prices don't include printing or framing.

Custom work takes me one to two days, plus however long your printing takes. If you have never printed art yourself, our guide to [printing digital art at home](https://inkedlines.com/how-to-print-digital-art-at-home/) covers paper and sizes, and when a print shop is the better bet. For more on turnaround, see [how long a custom portrait takes](https://inkedlines.com/how-long-does-a-custom-portrait-take/).

## Christmas gifts for a partner

For a partner, I would pick a photo you both love over the best-composed one. A slightly soft picture from your first holiday often makes a better drawing than a professional shot. Both faces need to be clear and reasonably large in the frame, and that's about it.

### A line art portrait from a photo

One line and line art portraits are $20 each and arrive as a high-resolution file within one to two days. I like them in a thin black or oak frame on a bedside table. They work for a family group too, as long as everyone is in the same photo.

### A map print of two places

Map prints are $17 to $19, and the two-place version suits long distance couples, or anyone who met in one city and now lives in another. For someone who moved away and still talks about home, a single hometown map does the job.

### A song lyric print

At $13, a song lyric print is one of the cheaper pieces here, and most people reach straight for their first dance. A line from whatever was playing in the car on your first trip together can mean more, though. Shorter lyrics read better on paper. Two or three lines sit far better on an A4 print than a whole verse.

## Christmas gifts for parents and grandparents

Parents and grandparents usually want something they can hang up and see every day, so I lean towards softer, warmer pieces for them.

### A watercolour portrait

Watercolour portraits are $27 to $30 and more decorative than line art, with colour and a painted feel that sits nicely in a living room or on a mantelpiece. They are lovely for a photo of the grandchildren. A wedding photo from forty years ago works beautifully too.

### Letter and keepsake prints

A letter from a grandparent, or a recipe card in a parent's handwriting, can be set as a print and framed, and these keepsake prints cost $5 to $13\. If you still have the original, a clear photo of it is usually all I need to work from.

If one of these fits someone on your list, have a look through the portrait and map work at [OpenHeartLines on Etsy](https://www.etsy.com/shop/OpenHeartLines?utm%5Fsource=inkedlines&utm%5Fmedium=blog&utm%5Fcampaign=christmas-gift-guide-personalised) and attach a photo to your order. A short note about who it is for helps me more than you would expect.

## Christmas gifts for pet owners

Pet portraits cost $11 to $20 in line art or watercolour, and choosing between the two is mostly a matter of taste. Line art suits a modern flat. Watercolour is softer and shows fur colour better, which makes a real difference for a ginger cat or a tabby.

If someone's pet has died, a memorial portrait costs $19 to $20\. Pick a photo where the eyes are sharp and the animal looks like itself, even if the picture is old. If you are unsure whether they are ready for it, a quiet word with someone close to them is kinder than a surprise.

## Gifts for a new home, an anniversary or a new baby

### A house or wedding venue drawing

Depending on the detail, a custom house or venue drawing costs $27 to $40\. It is a natural gift for a first home or a move, and a drawing of the wedding venue makes a sweet anniversary present. Send me a straight-on photo taken in daylight. Fewer parked cars in front helps a lot.

### A birth poster

The birth poster carries the baby's name, date, weight and time of birth, and costs $20\. It belongs on the nursery wall, and it makes a good first Christmas present from grandparents. Please check the spelling of the name twice before you order.

## Gifts for friends, groups and the person who has everything

Cartoon and comic panel portraits cost $22 to $25, and they are the ones I'd suggest for humour and for group gifts, like a friendship group or an office team drawn into a single panel. Choose a photo where people are doing something. A row of people standing still is much harder to make funny.

A custom tattoo design costs $12 to $20\. It suits the person who would rather have a drawing than another object, and they can take the file straight to their tattoo artist.

Christmas print sets cost $3 to $12 across our two shops, including [EverAfterDesignRoom](https://www.etsy.com/shop/EverAfterDesignRoom?utm%5Fsource=inkedlines&utm%5Fmedium=blog&utm%5Fcampaign=christmas-gift-guide-personalised), our sister shop for printable signs and typography. The ready-made designs download straight away. For a dinner host, or the person who already has everything, you can print one the same evening and tuck it into a card.

## When to order a Christmas gift

Custom portraits take one to two days to prepare, but printing and framing add time, and December is busy everywhere. This is the timeline I would follow for Christmas 2026:

- Early to mid November: choose your photos and check they stay sharp when you zoom in.
- By 30 November: order anything you want professionally printed and framed, including house drawings and watercolours.
- 1 to 7 December: a relaxed week for most custom portraits, with time to try a test print.
- 8 to 14 December: the last comfortable week for custom portraits that need a frame.
- 15 to 19 December: still fine for custom work if you print at home or at a same-day print shop.
- 20 to 23 December: order custom pieces only if you can print the same day, or choose a ready-made Christmas print.
- Christmas Eve: instant downloads only, printed at home and slipped into a card or a simple frame.

Once you have a photo and a person in mind, you can order a custom portrait or map from [our Etsy portrait shop](https://www.etsy.com/shop/OpenHeartLines?utm%5Fsource=inkedlines&utm%5Fmedium=blog&utm%5Fcampaign=christmas-gift-guide-personalised). Order by mid December and there is still time to print and frame it properly.

## Frequently asked questions

### Do I get a physical print or a digital file?

Every piece in this guide is a digital download. Custom work arrives as a high-resolution file, usually within one to two days, and ready-made prints download straight away. You then print it at home or at a local print shop and frame it yourself, which keeps the cost down and lets you choose the size and the frame.

### What is the latest date to order a custom portrait for Christmas?

For a framed gift, aim to order by 14 December so printing and framing never turn into a rush. If you are printing at home or at a same-day print shop, ordering by about 19 December usually leaves enough room, since preparation takes one to two days. After that, a ready-made Christmas print is the safer choice.

### What kind of photo works best for a custom portrait gift?

Choose a clear photo where faces are in focus and reasonably large in the frame. Daylight helps, and so does a plain background, though neither is essential. For pets, sharp eyes matter most. For houses, a straight-on daylight photo works far better than an angled shot from across the road. If in doubt, send two options.

### What size should I print a portrait at?

For most line art and watercolour portraits, A4 or 8x10 inches suits a shelf or a bedside table, and A3 works on a wall above a sofa. Single pet portraits and lyric prints look good small. Busier pieces, like a house drawing or a family group, need a larger print so the fine detail stays readable.