20 Thoughtful Gift Ideas (you’ve probably never heard of)

What do you give to those you love most in your life? How do you come up with thoughtful gift ideas that will really communicate the appreciation you have for someone or what their relationship means to you? Practical gifts are always nice to give (or receive!) and gifting an experience (don’t miss our round up of the best ideas here!) is always a win in our book- but what about when you really want to make an impact with some unique gift ideas?

 Having an intentional and thoughtful holiday season is something we feel pretty passionate about over here.  Our motto – gifting should be meaningful or it shouldn’t be gifted at all.

Less is more. Less but better.

We’ve rounded up 15 thoughtful gift ideas for anybody in your life and we’re betting these are SURE to be the favorite presents under the tree this year!

Promptly Journals

These journals are GOLD when it comes to thoughtful gifting, and not to mention beautifully designed. They make intentionally guided journals to make documenting, connecting and healing effortless. They have a childhood history one, a couples option, an autobiography one, and they even just launched a gratitude journal. Something anyone would surly treasure forever and ever – shhh might be getting one of these for Luke this year 🙂

Custom Bronze Hand Stamped Ornament

These ornaments are just SO perfectly timeless, I am in love with these. An anniversary date, birth date, the latitude and longitude of a special place…the personalization options are endless. Custom ornaments are such a simple yet meaningful gift to give…at a GREAT price point.

Still Novel Print

Turn a moment into a work of art (in minutes). Can I get an AMEN for anytime keepsakes are done in a timeless yet on-trend way?! So often they turn out kitschy or tacky…all the praise hands for Still Novel. This is a very favorite on our thoughtful gift ideas list.

Plum Print

Transforming your kids’ art into custom treasures one book at a time. Memory-saving + clutter-clearing….this is at the top of our list. Simply mail in all your child’s masterpieces in their prepaid box and they do the rest! This one is a real gem, SO special for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and the like.

Artifact Uprising

Our go to for any sort of photo compiling, saving, framing, printing…ALL the things. Anything you order from Artifact is going to wow you with both the quality and design. Three cheers again for keepsakes you actually want to display on your coffee table for all to see!

Custom Family Portrait

Finally a custom portrait that is just as meaningful as it is well designed. A timeless piece of art that is elegant enough to display front and center in your living room. This thoughtful gift is sure to bring tears to your favorite people’s eyes.

Personalized Fragrance

Alright, alright so this one isn’t for everyone on your list, but those men are just so tricky to buy for sometimes aren’t they?! Enter custom cologne, yes you read that right – a custom made fragrance for your beau. Simply take a quick quiz, find their perfect scent, and voilà, you have a thoughtful and personalized gift for that hard to buy for guy in your life.

Book of the Month Club

I was gifted a subscription last year and it was hands down my favorite gift of the year! The gift that keeps on giving…and who doesn’t want that. Each month pick from a carefully curated selections of amazing reads, sent right to your doorstep. This one is sure to be a hit this season!

Push Pin Travel Map

The gift for the person who has everything. A keepsake that both commemorates all the travels they’ve taken and also inspires them to dream up new adventures and get to crossing off that bucket list. The highest quality and most beautiful push pin map you’ll find (call us biased, but we’re pretty convinced of this one :)). Meaningful keepsakes like this just make the special gift…for literally years to come.

Personalized Handwriting Baking Pan

Thoughtful gift ideas and sometime turn out to be cheesy…not this one. Grandma’s recipe can now be passed down for generations to come through this customizable baking pan. Meaningful AND practical, now that’s a win in our book. Simply send in a PDF of that nostalgic recipe and they do the rest!

StoryWorth

Maybe my favorite idea in the whole bunch. A year of stories bound in a beautiful book. Here’s how it works- each week they send the recipient (or you!) questions they’ve never thought to write about, they write a “story” each week (you can even choose to share them with family then), then that year’s worth of stories are bound into a beautiful keepsake box! This is one of the best thoughtful gift ideas on the list in our opinion.

Custom Star Map Poster

Was it your first kiss, the birth of a child or that moment you realized your world had changed…give a gift of the stars to always remember that special night. These prints are super high quality and art that is sure to be treasured for years to come.

Made By Mary Hand Stamped Jewelry

Such a timeless, thoughtful gift idea that will be cherished forever and ever. I have been eyeing a custom Made By Mary necklace with my kids initials for years now. These pieces can be personalized and are just as high quality as they are gorgeous. I’ll take one of each pleaseeeeee.

Personalized Home Portrait

This custom house portrait makes the perfect piece to mark any significant life event- be it an anniversary, purchase of a first home, moving to a new home, housewarming, realtor closing gift, birthday, wedding, paper anniversary, first anniversary and more. Love love this thoughtful gift idea and know so many people who would too.

Saranoni Blanket

The softest blanket to ever exist in all the lands. The hand-picked, custom knit, proprietary fabric is silkier than anything. The Saranoni Grand delivers double-sided comfort and luxury like you’ve never felt before. Yes yes yes, no one…I tell you no one is going to be mad about this gift.

Custom Keepsake Box

Where to put all those mementos you’ve collected over the years? Our guess is they are probably all stored in a shoe box at the top of your closet. Finally, a keepsake box that is actually worthy of all those memories. Beautiful enough to display on a coffee table or bookshelf, AND build to last a lifetime. Also check out our how to on Quick and Easy Memory Keeping here!

Framed Memorabilia

Whether it’s an old letter, a meaningful document, a textile, or even something like a hospital bracelet…getting a custom frame made for a deeply sentimental item can be such an impactful gift. Frame Bridge is our absolute favorite for this- their designs and timeless frames are super high quality and built to last a lifetime.

Homesick Candle

Nostalgia in a smell. Homesick offers specialized candles that tap into your sensory memory through nostalgic scents that can remind you of the place where you grew up or has an extra special place in your heart – so fun! Love this simple, yet thoughtful gift idea for anyone on your list.

Personalized Serving Board

This isn’t your average charcuterie board…this beauty is a work of ART. Handcrafted here locally in Dallas, these board are even more beautiful in person. Customize your board with any meaningful name, phrase, or date. Practical AND beautiful.

Custom Soundwave

Sound Art? What is that you say? Sound Art is any audio or sound, converted to a visual piece of art. The sky’s the limit on design options, colors and sound to use. Your favorite song, wedding vows, inside joke, poem, unborn baby heartbeat, a voicemail of a lost loved one …… if you can hear it, they can make it a visual piece of art.

That’s the round up friends. Here’s to an intentional Christmas and meaningful gifting. Hoping this round up of unique presents, gets you into the spirit of thoughtful gifting. Wishing you the merriest holiday season!