Time sure does fly! It’s been a little over a week since the start of the new year (and new decade – we’re super excited about the return of the roaring ’20s!) but that doesn’t mean we’ll be forgetting all the good 2019 has brought us any time soon. Last year, we’ve managed to create a handful of useful gift guides to help you find the perfect gifts for birthdays, Christmas,  weddings and anniversaries and other such photographable or memorable occasions. 

If you browse through our blog, you’ll be able to find all sorts of creative ‘gift-spiration’, useful (read: practical) information and reviews on some of our more premium products. That being said, we’ve decided that the perfect way to kick off our blogging spree in 2020 is by doing a round-up of some of the best gifts our community has received in 2019 and how those gifts can be further elevated in 2020. 

Personalised Playing Cards 

“The BESTest personalised playing cards ever! 😍” – @janewooi on Instagram

Who doesn’t love playing cards? Playing cards and card games are just one of those things that are popular worldwide – kind of like Monopoly but way more versatile. Almost everyone from all corners of the globe, no matter their social or economic standing have at least played one card game in their lifetime. 

“Keep up the great work everyone! Pixajoy has been our go-to for printing ❤️❤️❤️” – @roleoverplaydead on Instagram

When it comes to personalised playing cards, we’ve had people creatively turning them into unique wedding favours, birthday appreciation cards, educational flashcards and even role-playing gaming cards.

Pro Tip for 2020: Make full use of the Playing Cards’s customisable features and create your own card game or compliment cards. With the ability to design the playing cards from scratch, the possibilities are endless! For example, instead of gifting someone a singular card or wish on any special occasions (be it birthdays, anniversaries and the likes), create a personalised set of playing cards that feature ‘58 Things I Like About You’ in order to brighten up their day.

For couples, you can even design conversation-starting ‘prompt’ cards that feature questions that range from topics like intimacy, family, finance, romance and quality time in order to foster better communication – which in turn will lead to a better relationship overall. 

If you’d like something a bit more whimsical, you can even design an ‘Activity’ set of cards to pull out for when you’re bored and don’t know what to do or a ‘Restaurant List’ set of cards to help answer the age-old question of ‘What to eat?’ for lunch or ‘What to make?’ for dinner!

A Handwritten Letter

In the age of social media and messaging apps, it’s rare for people to receive an actual handwritten letter as a gift. Despite the ‘old school’ method, a handwritten letter or notes are coming back into popularity thanks to modern hand-lettering and bullet journaling craze that is sweeping creatives across Pinterest and Instagram. 

Because handwritten letters are so personal and not at all a quick task (there’s quite a little ceremony attached to writing a letter – like using the fancy note paper, Tombow pens or a Uniball Fineliner, then you’ll need to write words on the page or pages before putting it in an envelope, addressing and stamping it before you go to the mailbox or post office to send it off) – people can’t help but feel giddy and appreciative at the thought that someone probably took an hour or two out of their day just to write them a personal letter.

Credits: @pooi_chin on Instagram

Besides that, a handwritten note or letter is also the kind of gift that people will cherish all the more because they come from the body – words flowing from the heart (and brain) to the hand to the pen and finally onto the paper where true human emotions – the warmth of being loved and appreciated – are captured in a swirl of inks. It’s a feeling that no Facebook post, Instagram DM or Snapchat snap can ever hope to recreate – no matter the amount of background, stickers or gifs they try to include. 

Pro Tip for 2020: Take a moment to remember why a person means so much to you. Make this an easy habit by keeping a stack of photo prints on hand to use as message cards or personalised postcard when the mood strikes. It’s a simple and elevated way to pair thoughtful, handwritten notes to a friendly face – for a message like this will surely find its way onto your loved one’s fridge, scrapbook or pinboard.

Photo Notebook 

For a writer, artist or someone who just prefer pen and paper over their smartphones to jot down notes, there can never be such a thing as ‘too many notebooks’. Besides beings a physical storage bank for all their notes, ideas, and plans, notebooks also make for a good outlet for stress – allowing people to release any pent up emotions in a way that doesn’t involve hundreds of other people scrutinising their feelings and emotions (unlike when you try to vent on social media).

Besides that, notebooks also have the added benefit of being practical and pretty – something that can be admired and still appropriate to bring into work or class. The personalised photo notebooks from Pixajoy has also been seeing a rise in popularity as gift items (for both personal and corporate occasions) due to the ease in which you can personalise the cover as well as the two-page inner content paper.

“😍♥️” – @eryusa_81 on Instagram

Available in both hardcover and softcover, this notebook also comes with plenty of cool templates for users to personalise in order to get the perfect book for themselves (or someone special).

Pro Tip for 2020: When it comes to notebooks, everyone has their preference. Fortunately, with the introduction of Pixajoy’s Deluxe Notebook Series, there surely will be a perfect notebook for any type of notebook enthusiast. The difference between the Photo Notebook and the Deluxe Notebook is that unlike the regular photo notebook, the Deluxe series comes in two sizes (A6 and A5) and features exclusive designs on the hard or soft covers. 

On the inner cover, you can also choose to include a personalised message, quote or poem that inspires you while adding your favourite photo, artwork or illustration on the first page of the content paper. Additionally, you can also choose the type of paper inserts of the deluxe notebooks, which comes in lines, dots and blanks – perfect for aspiring writers, bullet journalist or artist. The paper materials themselves are also FSC Certified (meaning that the source of the paper materials was harvested in a responsible manner in accordance with the Forest Stewardship Council ® guidelines) and feel luxurious to the touch. 

So if you’re planning to give someone a notebook as a gift in 2020, you might want to consider giving the personalised Deluxe Notebook series a try. 

String Lights

String lights or fairy lights were listed as one of the top gifts in 2019 – and for good reason! Incredibly versatile, strings light now come in various shapes, colours and sizes – coming a long way from just being something you use at Christmas time to light up the trees. Creative people have also begun to incorporate string lights into budget-friendly, DIY Home Decor Projects. From creating decorative and eye-catching wall art to making faux firefly lanterns, string lights can be used to create the perfect dreamy living space (which is always a plus for college students and Instagrammers. Plus, not many people can resist the allure of being able to relax and unwind in a soothing glow.

Pro Tip for 2020: String lights look great on their own but did you know that they also look amazing when paired up with photo prints? The wire of the string lights makes for the perfect place to display some of your favourite snaps, plus you can also use fancy clips or small wooden pegs to to clip your photos along the lights – just to take it up a notch. Depending on the length and spacing in between each light, you can choose to use square prints (perfect for those Instagram snaps you’re so fond of) or opt for the Mini Story Tag cards (for a classic, polaroid feel) to display your most cherished moments while elevating a boring space with a gorgeous and dreamy DIY gallery.

Photo Mugs

We know what you’re thinking… How did mugs wound up on this list? Aren’t they just one of those gifts that take no thought at all? Well, that’s where you’re wrong! Whether it’s for the holiday season, a special event or if you’re just in the mood to give someone a gift, you can never go wrong by gifting your loved ones with a mug that will never go out of style or fade with utility. 

A good majority of people often begin their day with the time-honoured tradition of drinking coffee or tea – something that spans across generations and cultures, which makes mugs a very useful commodity. If you’re looking for some positive association, there’s no better gift than a personalised mug that will remind your loved ones of you every time they have their morning cuppa – something that will surely put them in a good mood for the rest of the day.

Pro Tip for 2020: If you can make it special, even something like the humble mug can become a cherished keepsake. For instance, giving a pair of personalised mugs to your parents that says, ‘Grandma’ or ‘Grandpa’ to reveal that you’re expecting a child or using mugs to ask a friend to become one of your bridesmaids for your wedding. The possibilities and versatility of mugs are endless and given the fact that all Pixajoy personalisable mugs are coated with certified ORCA sublimation coating that prevents colour fade (even after 3000 washes), it suffices to say that your gift will definitely be something that will be used and kept for a long time – perhaps even a lifetime! 

Memory Foam Slippers

Often times given to people who appreciate soft, comfortable things (or have cold marble flooring), memory foam slippers made our list for the ‘Best Gifts of 2019’ because they can be given to virtually anyone, no matter the age or gender – and as you know, everyone loves a gift that’s versatile! Memory foam slippers also come in a variety of different sizes, colours and materials and can also help to keep your feet warm – which is perfect for when you wake up in the middle of the night and have a need to go to the kitchen for a glass of water. 

If you think memory foam slippers by themselves still seems a little boring or generic, there you can even take one of the all time favourite Christmas traditions and tweak them by giving someone a ‘Slipper Stuffer’ (as opposed to a stocking stuffer). The idea is to stuff smaller gifts inside the pair of memory foam slippers that you want to give to your receiver – things like facemasks, lip glosses or nail polishes for your mother, wife or sisters or earphones, guitar picks or even candy for your father, husband or brothers. 

Pro Tip for 2020: The only downside about giving someone a pair of memory foam slippers as a gift is that you would need to know their shoe sizes and if possible, the type of flooring they have in their homes (the reason being the thickness of the slipper’s sole and how it plays in on comfort levels). So instead of getting a plush-feeling slipper, why not opt for the next best thing. Made of a soft velvety material, give your loved ones a personalised doormat or playmat that can pamper their feet and put a smile on their faces from the sheer quirkiness! Not only are doormats practical gifts, but they can also help tie in a room – providing a sort of ‘finishing touch’ as it were. Plus, they also make for great housewarming and graduation gifts (especially if the graduate is moving into a dorm room for college).

Photo Books

Let’s be honest; when it comes to ourselves, our parents or even our grandparents, the more photos the better. This is why photo books ranked highly on the list of Best Gifts of 2019 – especially when it comes to the bigger sized ( 8.5″ x 11″ and above) Hardcover Photo Books, such as the Imagewrap, Debossed, Window Die-Cut and Layflat book, which has a maximum page limit of 150 pages, can fit an unlimited amount of photos  in various clever layouts and comes with optional custom slipcases as a stylish, added accessory. 

Perfect for documenting your life milestones (like going off to college and graduation, getting engaged or married and having kids), and for starting new family traditions, photo books are one of those deeply cherished gifts that people will keep on revisiting and put on display for years to come.

“Photobook arrived. Happiness~ 😇 #ilovepixajoy” – @vincentgruvavenue on Instagram

Pro Tip for 2020: This year, it’s time to take your photo books to the next level. You might want to consider challenging yourself to create photo books based on themes or prompts – something that’s not wholly occasion-based but instead was created in order to showcase the various moments of your life – joyful or otherwise,  that have played a role in shaping you (or the people around you) as a person. 

One of the ways you can do this is to start snapping more photos and create a collection of images for every goal, every milestone you and your family want to achieve and every celebration spent with loved ones. Capture all the moments and scenery that brings people peace, that makes them want to dance like no one is looking, that makes people feel small in and even those ‘moody’ moments that remind them of how far they’ve come in life and turn them into more in-depth, personal and emotionally charged photo books. 

It really goes to show that when it comes to gifts, it really is the thought that counts. From creatively using playing cards to show your appreciation to dedicating a full-on photo book to showcase cherished memories with loved ones, it only takes a little bit of tweaking and creativity to improve your gifting prospects in 2020.

If you feel inspired to try out any one of the 2020 gifting suggestions, feel free to visit our website and preserve all the moments that make you want to smile, laugh and want to do more in the new year. If nothing else, it’s also a pretty good exercise to help clear your camera roll so that your memories of 2019 can continue to live on in the present while making room in your devices so that you can capture more amazing moments. We hope that 2020 will be another enjoyable year for you, full of new opportunities, growth and joyful events!