Thoughts on pictures of your kids as gifts?

[amylouky]

My MIL is incredibly hard to shop for. She's one of the "oh, don't buy me anything!" people, but will then grumble if you get her something generic or impersonal.
So, this year.. we got our two boys and our nephew together and had a Christmas portrait done of the three of them (all of her grandsons!). We ordered a 16x20 canvas print, and are giving her that plus the print portrait package (we're framing a 10x13 print as well) as her big gift. I got her a few other small things, candles, lotion, etc.
I know she'll love the pictures, but I guess I feel a little bit.. vain? to be giving her pictures of our kids as her main gift. Granted, the photo session and the canvas print cost more than we generally spend on her, not counting the smaller stuff, but it still feels a little weird.
Am I just over-analyzing?

[Bijou]

If it is unframed I think it is fine.  If framed it means it has to go up on a wall and she may not have the space or the desire to display family pictures in this way.  Unless you know she has the space and does display in this way an album would be a better option.  Then there is the question of the type of frame if you have it framed. 
I have a space on my wall for family pictures, but some people don't.

[thunderroad]

I think it sounds like a great idea -- we have been thrilled to get presents like this of the grandkids, and I have given presents like this when my son was small.

And I respectfully disagree about the frame.  Assuming you know your MIL best, I think framing the picture can be thoughtful.  I would appreciate getting a framed picture rather than having to frame it myself. 

[JaneJensen]

Giving photos as gifts to grandparents is a common gift and IMO a good one for people who say they don't want anything. In fact, I think the big framed picture is perfect on its own and I wouldn't feel compelled to have to fill in with the lotions and the tiny gifts you mention.

As for the fact it's huge and framed, I'm going to guess you went this route because MIL probably has her walls filled with framed prints already so is the type that enjoys that sort of thing.

[amylouky]

Yes.. I know that she loves framed pictures, and has room to display them. She still has drawings, etc. that my DH and his brother did as children framed and hanging on her walls. Basically, if it's flat enough, she'll frame it and hang it up. 

Thanks for the input! I think that she'll like the pictures, I just wasn't sure if it was okay as her main gift, just seemed a little odd. But I'm new to the whole Mommy thing, still learning the ropes.

[workerbee]

Framed photos of the kids is my go-to gift for assorted grandparents, especially my mother, who really doesn't want any more 'stuff.'  I usually try to find a tasteful frame, and I keep the pictures small (4x6 or 5x7), because I'm familiar with family members' decor. (My mom wouldn't want anything she'd have to hang on a wall, for example).

I don't generally give framed pictures to other extended family members (aunts, uncles, etc.) although I might give them 4x6 or 5x7 copies of photos of the kids (we usually have them professionally done).  This is because, honestly, I don't really want to have to display framed pictures of all my nieces and nephews.....I just feel like it gets excessive, and I assume my extended family feels the same.  By just giving them unframed pics, they can choose to frame them, stick them on the fridge, or toss them in a drawer....whatever they want.

[Bijou]

Yes.. I know that she loves framed pictures, and has room to display them. She still has drawings, etc. that my DH and his brother did as children framed and hanging on her walls. Basically, if it's flat enough, she'll frame it and hang it up. 

Thanks for the input! I think that she'll like the pictures, I just wasn't sure if it was okay as her main gift, just seemed a little odd. But I'm new to the whole Mommy thing, still learning the ropes.

In view of that, it sounds like a perfect gift for her.  I've received albums before and loved them.
The reason I mentioned the type of frame is because we on the board caution about  planning another person's decor for them (givng them things that have to be displayed on a wall, in a frame they may not like and stuff like that). 

[Surianne]

It sounds like a wonderful gift, and one that will really suit her tastes.  I think it's perfectly appropriate as the main gift.

[TootsNYC]

You're overanalyzing, I think. (hey, don't look at *me*--you're the one who used that term first.  )

It cost time, energy, money and, above all, THOUGHTFULNESS to get the pictures taken.

[CrazyDaffodilLady]

Speaking as an aunt, my absolute favorite gift is pictures, framed or unframed, of my nieces.  I'm also thrilled with artwork from them.  I don't think it's vain of the the giver.  It's really something I want.

[Cosmasia]

As long as you know the person would more than likely like such a gift, I don't see the issue. As for the frame, I don't think it indicates a "you must hang this on your wall now" wish really, just a "if you want to hang it somewhere, we managed the frame issue for you". Which is nice since it's a gift

But yeah don't give pictures of your kids as holiday/birthday gifts to people who don't express interest in that, IMO.
If my sister had a kid, while I'm sure it'd be lovely, I would find it really weird to recieve a photo of her/him as a birthday or Yule gift. 

[Shopaholic]

I don't have kids, but I was so proud of myself when I thought about getting framed pictures of the family for my MIL last year.

This year I made a calendar with a collage of family photos (but especially of the grandkids), and gave it to MIL, GMIL and both SILs.

Pictures are a great, personal gift but I would try to make them small and unobtrusive. A small photo can be placed almost anywhere, larger ones are harder and depend on the recipient.

[JoyinVirginia]

This has been a standard gift for my parents and my MIL over the years (FIL and my dad both deceased now). When kids were both in school, we would get nice frame for the school photos and wrap them for Christmas. In recent years we have had family portrait done, and given that. My MIL does not want more stuff, she prefers the photos and just adds them to the ones already on the wall.

[staceym]

Speaking as an aunt, my absolute favorite gift is pictures, framed or unframed, of my nieces.  I'm also thrilled with artwork from them.  I don't think it's vain of the the giver.  It's really something I want.

I'm an aunt too (no kids) and I loved getting pictures of my nieces and nephew when they were younger - now I have a great niece and love getting her pictures.  Her mother takes her shopping to buy presents for everyone (at the Christmas bazaar) and last year she bought the cutest animal (zebra) picture frame for me, after she bought it, she gave it to her mother and told her to "put her face in it"  I love it and have it sitting at my desk here at work.

About two years ago my four nieces and nephew (all older and in their 20's) got together, along with great-niece, and got their picture taken without anyone knowing and gave the framed pictures to their mother and my mother for Mother's Day - they absolutely loved it.

[TootsNYC]

I don't give frames with pics of my kids, because most people who actually frame them simply slip the new photo into the old frame.

My grandparents, however, hung every year's photos on the wall--it was a montage of us at all our ages (the wallet size, or just one larger, I think). So my mom made sure someone in the family got them matching frames for all the photos most years.

But in the absence of any info about frames, I think giving a frame with a photo helps to protect it and saves the recipient the work of figuring out how to deal with the photo, and the chore of going to get a frame.