Make Classic Calendars from Your Fantastic Photos

So, it’s already November, which means the clock is ticking towards December. Not ticking. Racing toward December. This of course means Christmas is coming, ready or not!

I am generally not prepared weeks in advance for the so-called silly season. But I AM determined to do things differently this year. That means getting organised with gifts. Or at least gift ideas…

The Photo Calendar

One thing I do every single year since having children is to make up a photo calendar to give to their grandparents at Christmas. Not living in the same town (as my mother-in-law), or even the same country (as my parents) means that the grandparents don’t get much face-to-face time with our kids. I know that they all appreciate having that calendar hanging in their houses throughout the following year, with a different photo for each month.

I’m not one to hand around photos of my kids to each and every person we know. You know there are some people who actually do that. And think that everyone is going to want to frame that latest photo of their little Bobby/Brittany.

But I think family is different. I do not think it is pushy to give these photo gifts to an exclusive few. In fact I do even get asked whether I will be making a calendar again this year. And having seen how much joy it has brought the grandparents when they received those calendars, in the past couple of years I have also ordered up an extra batch to give to all of the Godparents of our children too (none of whom live in our town either).

How to Choose the Perfect Pics

So what ideas might help you when it comes to creating that Fabulous Family Photo (check out that alliteration!) Calendar?

The rules that I use for deciding which photo to use for each month are:

The photo for a particular month was taken in that month of the current year.

That means, if I want to use a photo on the February page of the 2019 calendar, that photo must have been taken in February 2018.

This gives the progression of photos throughout the calendar a point of reference to the year. After all, you don’t want anyone feeling confused about that fantastic photo of a snowman in the middle of the summer months! Also, it helps narrow down the range of photos you allow yourself to view for any given month. Considering selecting just any old photo from the entire year will leave you open to feeling completely overwhelmed by choice (did anyone say, several thousand photos a year?!?)

If it is the birthday month of one of our children, a photo of them triumphs over all other potential pics! Birthday kid wins the monthly photo!

Thank goodness our 3 children are born in 3 different months! If you have 2 (or more) with the same birthday month, you could either include a photo of them all, or alternate year to year.

I don’t necessarily include a photo from their actual birthday day in the calendar. For me it’s just important to have the birthday kid pictured on that month of the calendar.

Choose a photo which shows something special about that month.

Is it October? Try Halloween shots or a photo of the season (Spring, for you southern-Hemisphere types; Autumn/Fall for us northern types 😉) Were you on holidays somewhere special? Did your kid win an award or trophy or start school? Lose their first tooth or take their first steps?

Think about any big exciting things that happened that month and what image you think can best share that experience with your family.

Create Your Photo Calendar

Once you have decided roughly what you are aiming for, comes the fun part- sorting through the actual photos you have stored on your computer. Or alternatively, sorting through photos you may have already printed out.

I store all of my digital photos on my laptop. (I also have a back-up harddrive. No need to worry about me and my beloved photos, dear concerned citizens!) Oh boy, do I take some photos! Believe me or not, between my mobile phone and my DSLR I take about 5000 photos a year! I LOVE taking photos. Not only of my kids. Just mostly 😉. I am sure that those of who you are also as snap-happy as I am would realise that not all of those photos are great. Or even pretty good. But my photography addiction is for another blog post 😉

I find it easiest to create 12 Folders on my computer (12 months = 12 Folders) and copy in a handful of photos which I think might look good for each month. Keep reviewing, keep narrowing down, ask for a 2nd opinion if it helps, and decide which one is The One for each month.

When I make my photo calendars, I use an online service (like Lidl Fotos). There are plenty of other options available online (Rossmann, Snapfish, Shutterfly, Vistaprint, Aldi…). Just type “Photo Calendars” into your favourite search engine and voila! Suggestions aplenty are to be found.

I upload my 12 chosen photos (plus one for a cover, if the option is available) into their calendar-making program and they mail me out the printed product. Of course you can also buy a blank calendar and glue in the prints of your chosen photos yourself.

Whichever way you prefer to make your calendar, you have created the ultimate DIY gift of memories from the previous year!

Fun Fact #1: Many photo processing companies offer discounts on their products throughout the year or even if you just sign up as a new customer. Keep an eye out for great deals! This year I found an offer on calendars that saved me 70% (yes, you read correctly- Seventy Percent) off the regular price!! Top that!

One last VERY IMPORTANT thing to do before patting yourself on the back in that moment of glorious self-admiration at having completed this job (if you are anything like me, it turns out to be a gargantuan frenzy of sorting ): Don’t give them ALL away! Make sure you have made an extra calendar to hang in your own home!!

Next step: Sit back, admire and smile at the memories!

Have you ever made a photo calendar as a Christmas gift? Do you buy a blank calendar and glue in your own prints or let a photo service print them out? Do you have any special methods for deciding which photos make in into the *chosen few*?