Paris Gift Ideas: Photo Calendars

December 05, 2011

Stuck for ideas on what to get your friends and family back home as a holiday gift?  Looking for something “Parisian”?

 My 2011 calendars: “European Travels” and “Paris”

The holiday season, and thus the gift-buying season, has officially begun.  You want to find something for your friends and family back home that is French but not cheesy (given that unfortunately real French cheese is not allowed through customs).  Wine can be tricky with the current restrictions on bringing liquids on carry-on.

If you like to take photos of Paris or of your other travels, there are a number of gifts you can create from these photos: personalized calendars, greeting cards, t-shirts, mouse pads and more….  I create gifts via Smugmug.com, but you are required to have an account through Smugmug to do so.  The convenience is that your photos are already uploaded to Smugmug, so you cut out the step of uploading them again to another site, risking a loss in quality.  But if you do not have a Smugmug account, here are some sites that allow you to create gifts without paying for an account:

  • DigiLabs: Either download software or create photo books, calendars, cards, etc. online
  • Kodak Gallery: upload photos and create your own photo book, wall calendar, cards, magnets and much more
  • Vista Print: Offers design and printing of business materials and also a number of gift items such as calendars, t-shirts, tote bags and stationery
  • Shutterfly: Offers wall calendars and a number of other gifts
  • Create Photo Calendars: Offers calendars only (hence the name), but with hundreds of backgrounds, formats and custom features to choose from

If you do not have photos of your own, you can purchase items such as framed or matted prints, t-shirts, cards, coasters, mugs and more using one of my photos of Paris or from my travels by visiting my Smugmug account.

For more gift ideas, visit one of My Favorite Stores in Paris!

Or visit a grocery store such as La Grande Epicerie in the 7th arrondissement or any local shop for easy-to-pack/ship items you cannot find outside France!

Do you have ideas to share for unique gifts that scream “Paris” but that will not break the bank? Please share!

Related Posts

Cozy Paris Winters

Cozy Paris Winters

I've added something to make winters evenings in Paris just a little bit cozier.  Home Sweet Paris Home from Paris Weekender on Vimeo. January and February are lovely times to visit Paris. Average temps are in the 40s so it's perfectly pleasant to walk around and the...

Moving Out

Moving Out

A couple of weeks ago, I moved out of the house I'd been renting the last seven years in Brittany. Moving out of a rental in France, it turns out, is a bit more work than moving out of a rental in the U.S. I spoke of some of the bureaucratic challenges in my earlier...

Taxe d’habitation and the French bureacracy

Taxe d’habitation and the French bureacracy

In France, there are two types of property tax, taxe foncière, which is paid by the property owner, and taxe d'habitation, paid by the resident as of January 1 of that year. View from my front door After seven years, I am moving out of my rental in Brittany. I still...