The best Christmas keepsake gift is almost never something new. It is a photograph you already have — the family at the reunion, the grandkids on the porch, the dog in the snow, the wedding day — printed permanently onto a piece of natural stone and set on its own stand. It costs about what a good pair of gloves costs, and it is the only thing under the tree that gets looked at every morning for the next twenty years.
This is a short guide to choosing one for the people on your list, plus the honest note on timing: every piece is handcrafted one at a time in Coshocton, Ohio, so Christmas gifts should be ordered by December 5.
The one rule that makes a Christmas gift land
Here is the honest observation behind every piece we make: people do not remember the object, they remember the photograph. A framed print is good news; a photograph printed into a piece of stone that sits within arm’s reach gets picked up, turned over, and talked about.
So the rule is simple — start with the picture, then find the gift. Ask yourself whose face you would want in the room on Christmas morning, and the rest of this page sorts itself out.
For the person who already has everything
There is always one on every list — a parent, an aunt, a grandparent, the neighbor who genuinely wants nothing. The reliable answer is not another useful thing. It is a photograph of their people, on a shelf where they will see it every day.
If there is only one picture you can find, use it. If there are two and you cannot choose, send both and we will tell you honestly which one will look better on the stone.
For the family on your list
Family pieces are the most-given Christmas keepsakes, and the version that works best is the group photograph — everybody in one frame, at the holiday when everyone actually made it to the same room.
There is a reason for that. Everybody in the family wants a copy of the group shot, and it is usually the one photograph nobody has printed. A 5 × 7 at $40 is the size most people choose, generous enough to matter and small enough to sit on any shelf. An 8 × 10 at $55 suits a big group or a couple’s portrait.
For someone you miss at the table
Christmas is when a loss is felt most, and a keepsake made carefully is one of the few gifts that does not ask a grieving family to do anything with it except keep it. A favorite photograph, their name and dates beside it, or nothing more than the picture.
We make these slowly, one at a time, and nothing is printed until you have seen the design and approved it. If the person is not ready yet, it is completely fine to hold the idea for a later year.
And for the dog on the Christmas card
It is not a small category. A lot of Christmas lists have a pet on them, and the photograph of a dog mid-sprint in the snow or asleep under the tree holds up beautifully on the stone.
A 4 × 6 at $25 or a 5 × 5 at $30 keeps the piece small enough for a kitchen windowsill or a nightstand, which is where pet keepsakes tend to end up.
When to order, so it is under the tree
Every piece is handcrafted by hand in Coshocton, Ohio, in 3 to 5 business days after you approve the design, and shipping runs on top of that. That is why our published Christmas order-by date is December 5 — it is not a marketing date, it is simply how far back the work reaches.
Shipping is $10 flat nationwide standard, or $25 expedited (about 2 to 3 business days). $25 expedited shipping is always charged. Free standard shipping is available on your first order over $150 through October 31. Sales tax is calculated automatically at checkout for your location.
By the way
We make these by hand in Coshocton, Ohio, and ship nationwide. Wiley handles the photo selection, cleanup, cropping and layout personally — including old, faded, or imperfect pictures — and you see the design and approve it before anything is printed. Send two photographs if you cannot choose and he will tell you which one will look best on the stone.
A few finished pieces
Sizes and what they cost
- 3 × 5A compact keepsake$15
- 4 × 6The size of a standard photo print$25
- 5 × 5A square, lovely for portraits$30
- 5 × 7Most PopularThe favorite gift size$40
- 6 × 8A step up in presence$45
- 8 × 10The statement piece$55
Every slate is a real piece of natural stone with a photograph printed into it, and every one comes with its own display stand — nothing to frame and nothing to hang.
Most orders are handcrafted within 3 to 5 business days after you approve the design, then shipped. Standard shipping is $10 flat nationwide; expedited is $25 flat and arrives in about 2 to 3 business days after it ships. $25 expedited shipping is always charged. Free standard shipping is available on your first order over $150 through October 31. Sales tax is calculated automatically at checkout for your location.