What gift can you get for mom or dad this year that will be different from all the rest?
Rory’s Take: Be inspired by Rory’s specially created gift list, “The top five most unique gifts that can never be topped!”
It seems I am constantly scrambling for a unique gift to give to my parents or grandparents whenever special events come up. What can you possibly give a loved one that they haven’t received or bought on their own for big events like a 50th Anniversary, a 70th birthday, or for Christmas?
As a professional biographer I have always had an affinity for finding a way to weave life history into the gifts that I give. When you take the time to incorporate special memories, snapshots, or life stories, a gift becomes priceless…something that could never be bought on a shelf.
So with this in mind, think about the following ideas the next time you need an extra special gift for your loved ones – all of them are guaranteed to be instant tear-jerkers and priceless family heirlooms.
Frame It: Frame a photo and special piece of memorabilia that tell a story
This Christmas I decided to create a framed masterpiece for my mother. I combined the following priceless items:
- A heartwarming photo of her parents
- A digital scan of a handwritten love note her father had written to her mother
- A special set of hand embroidered handkerchiefs that each of them used to carry
Picture It: Create an album that captures a year of memories or a special events
With the advent of online photo album publishing, creating an elegant album on your own has become a snap! Starting in 2002 everyone in my family purchased digital cameras, and along with the new camera came an end to physically printed snapshots.
So I started a new tradition. Each year, for Christmas, I collect all of the family’s photos, and use one of these great companies to create an album. Before printing I send the book design to my brother and put him in charge of captions. This is a gift that keeps on giving and a priceless tradition to begin. Capture these memories while you still can remember the details that bring them to life!
Say It: Capture written letters from friends and family and combine them into an album
We don’t always take the time to tell loved ones how much they mean to us. This year for their big gift take the time to contact 20-25 close friends and family members and put them to work creating a tribute for your loved one:
1. Give them a timeline of no more than two weeks and tell them to try to keep their submissions no larger than 8.5×11 inches in size.
To learn more about how I can you give your loved one the gift of a lifetime contact me today: rory@texanbiographer.com
2. Give them ideas for their submissions:
- Write a poem
- Children can draw pictures
- Create a narrative about a special memory together
- Make a top ten list of best memories
- Choose a photo of the two of you and tell the story behind it
- Write about your loved one’s best qualities
3. Contact everyone after the deadline has passed and make sure they have all sent in their submissions.
4. Combine the tributes into a special album. Try looking at a craft or scrapbook store for the perfect one.
5. You’re done!
While most people will be timid about having all their friends and family members gush about their feelings, I promise this collection of stories will be a priceless pick-me-up and reminder of how much they are loved!
Feature It: Take your parent’s photos to the big screen – create a quick video slideshow
This gift can be especially moving for older parents or grandparents – to take their small postcard sized photographs and blow them up to television screen size. Suddenly they will see small details in each shot that bring them to life in a new way!
For a special Christmas gift last year we put together a short video slideshow for my husband’s grandparents. Here’s how you can do the same:
1. Collect 50-75 snapshots from your loved one – tell them it is for a special project if they start asking questions.
2. Get a list of their favorite old songs: Frank Sinatra, Glen Miller, etc.
3. Scan in all of the photographs or get a local print shop to scan them for you.
4. Use available movie editing software like iMovie to create the slideshow – or contact a savvy family member who has great computer skills.
5. Combine the pictures with the music and voila, your loved one is the star of their own feature movie!
6. Present the completed movie in front of friends and family at the big event.
I can’t tell you what an amazing impact this slideshow had on my husband’s grandparents. The larger than life snapshots combined with their favorite music soon became their favorite movies – as long as they could get the DVD player turned on!
I’d be happy to help you find local help creating a masterpiece like this, so email me if you need help finding an expert video guru: rory@texanbiographer.com
Capture It Forever: Hire a Biographer and capture their life story in a hardback book
The last and maybe most memorable gift that you could give your loved one is the story of their life captured forever in a custom biography! You don’t have be famous anymore to have your biography produced, you just need the help of a professional biographer to see you through the process.
It’s my job to take a lifetime of your loved one’s memories and transform them into their own memoirs – a very special book that captures their point of view on life and the lessons they’ve learned.
After being in this industry over five years I have to say that on the day that the final biography is revealed, and friends and family are there, you can feel some kind of magic in the air. There is a look in my client’s eyes when they hold their finished memoirs and know that their story has been saved! Now they know their legacy will be remembered by generations of children and grandchildren to come!
This coming Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, we will have a booth at Junior League’s big holiday extravaganza, 
