After another year where most have gone long stretches without seeing loved ones, it has made us truly appreciate how important the presence of partners, friends, parents, grandparents and other family members are in our lives. This Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to not only celebrate romantic relationships, but your relationships with all loved ones, and remind them how much they mean to you.
With the help of our Photolab, you can create thoughtful and personalized Valentine’s Day gifts to share with each and every person you care most about. Add some love to a custom card, a heart-shaped puzzle, or even a photo book full of special memories. Just remember to plan ahead and order soon, so you can ensure the gifts you have put care and thought into creating arrive to your loved ones in time for February 14th.
In case you need a little help getting started, here are some easy ways to create gifts made with love, for all of the people you love.
For Your Partner
Putting a little thought and a lot of love into creating something just for your partner will certainly be appreciated. And a good place to start is with a personalized Valentine’s Day card! Nothing says Valentine’s Day 2022 like a card personalized to say ‘If we can live together in quarantine, we can do anything’. Or tailor your card to whatever else you want to say. If you’ve been apart this year, you can make your message focused on what you miss most about them. Our cards are fully customizable, so you can add a sweet photo of the two of you and the perfect personal message that speaks to your relationship. Make it funny or make it sentimental, the choice is yours!
As for a gift, love is often compared to a jigsaw puzzle, so why not make your own heart-shaped puzzle for your partner for Valentine’s Day? You can spend quality time piecing it together, revealing a special photo of the two of you. Once you’re done, you’ll have a beautiful keepsake that you can frame, or store in a matching tin (if you choose our 114-piece heart puzzle with matching tin).
If something jewelry-related is more your speed, consider gifting them a special locket with meaningful photos inside. We can print locket photos in circle, heart, oval or square shapes, and each locket print is a 4”x6” print with 44 different sizes from 1”x1” down to 0.2”x0.2”, so you can find the perfect one to match your chosen locket.
For Your Parents
If you miss being able to give your family members a hug, you’re not alone. We have had to get creative with ways to keep the connection alive with parents and family members during these times, from drive-by birthday parades to video calls. Show your parents some extra love this Valentine’s Day by creating something unique: a special photo book curated with your favourite moments as a family! Include photos from the last few years, or dust off your shoeboxes full of old photos to find some real gems to share (our Scanning Box Service can help you digitize your old photos and slides).
While we have Valentine’s Day-themed templates you can use to customize your photo book, we also have plenty of other themes if you’re looking for something a little more family-oriented. The books are printed on high quality photo paper and can be customized with linen and leather covers, soft covers and photo covers so you can create a truly special keepsake for your family. While you may not be able to connect with them in person, putting together a one-of-a-kind gift like this will help you show them they are in your heart.
For Your Grandparents
Social distancing measures, especially in care homes, have made isolation a reality for many seniors during the past year. Sending a card or gift their way on Valentine’s Day is a small way you can help stay connected with them, especially if it’s followed up with a virtual chat!
Create something truly touching – a gift that’s personalized just for them. Even better, create something that doubles as an activity! Our puzzles can feature a photo of your choosing, and our customizable text feature allows you to write a special message that lets them know how much you miss them. Photos of their grandkids are a sure bet. Or try digging up an old photo of your grandparents as a young couple so they can reminisce about Valentine’s Days past.
Photo blankets and pillow cases are also thoughtful ways to share special memories that your grandparents can cozy up with! A small gift this Valentine’s Day can go a long way to making grandparents feel loved and reminds them they haven’t been forgotten.
For Your Friends
With trips postponed and catch-ups relegated to virtual meet-ups, maintaining a feeling of connection with friends during the past year has been difficult for many. This Valentine’s Day, show your friends how much your time spent together means to you by surprising them with your favourite memories with them. Our square, compact Instagram Books are a thoughtful way to compile all your favourite moments and remind them you’re looking forward to creating more memories together soon. Include photos from past trips and experiences together, or if you’ve been friends for a long time, you could also include some throwback photos (cue the dated hairstyles and questionable fashion choices) that are sure to put a smile on their face.
Our personalized Valentine’s Day cards are also a great way to send a personal message to your friends. Create a card that perfectly reflects your friendship, from choosing the right design template to customizing with photos, and adding a message telling them just how much their friendship means to you.
For Your Furry BFF
With work-from-home becoming the norm this past year, many of us have spent far more time around our pets than usual. Why not show a little extra appreciation for your furry friend on Valentine’s Day, with a gift that says ‘thanks for putting up with me being home all the time’? A personalized pet tag in the shape of a heart would certainly be appropriate! You can customize with a flattering photo of your pet, and even add text to the front and back so you can include their name as well as contact information in case they ever get lost. If you’re looking for more ways to treat your pet on Valentine’s Day, check out this blog.
We hope these ideas have given you some inspiration to create gifts made with love for your loved ones. You can see our full selection of unique and thoughtful gifts from our Photolab here, and conveniently order online, at our in-store kiosks or using our London Drugs Photolab App (available for iOS and Android). If you can’t drop off your gifts to loved ones locally, not to worry, our Photolab ships anywhere in Canada, so you can send your personalized gifts directly to them! Just make sure to order early so your gifts arrive to them in time for Valentine’s Day.
