It’s not the holiday season yet, but there are always opportunities to give somebody you love a gift. And what better way to take it up a notch than to personalize it? Personalized gifts are some of my favorites to give because they can be funny, unique, or extremely meaningful, depending on what you’re going for. You could gift the veteran in your life a custom US Navy cap that they’ll be proud to wear forever, or you could gift your dad a mug with the most ridiculous photo of you both that you can find and insist it becomes his primary coffee mug. Either way, you can’t go wrong with a personalized gift. Here are four of my favorite easily personalizable gifts that you can give out today, tomorrow, for Christmas, or any time you see fit.
Armed Forces Gifts
As I mentioned above, a custom gift for a veteran can be incredibly meaningful. My own grandfather wears his US Navy cap every single day. With custom armed forces gear, there are a few directions you can take.
- US Navy Cap. This is one of the best, most customizable options to give to the navy veteran in your life. You can add a ship name and hull number on the front to begin with. On the back, there’s a space for text if you want to add more there. Then, you can choose between designs for the brim that signify Admiral status or Captain to Commander status, or no design at all. You can also choose from a selection of over 100 kinds of navy ships to put as the cap’s central image, or you could forgo the ship and choose an insignia, a symbol of rank, a flag, or other options.
- T-Shirts. The personalized gifts don’t stop at just a US Navy cap. You can also customize a t-shirt similarly to the hat customization, with a ship image, ship name, and hull number.
- Accessories & other gifts. Outside of clothing and caps, there’s a customizable option for nearly any armed forces themed gift you can imagine. Dog tags, posters, flags, coins, lanyards, engraved name plates, badges, and more.
Customized Wallet
A wallet is a great gift because it’s practical, it can last for years and years, and people often become attached to it when using the same wallet for a long time. What makes them even better? A personalized version given as a gift from a loved one. Wallets are a fun gift to personalize because they can come in so many different styles and have a blank slate for customization, whether you want to include just a name, initials, or some sort of image or outline. It’s more than just a money holder. Make it meaningful!
Cooking Gear
Customized cooking gear and apparel is a great way to get someone in the kitchen more, and if they already spend plenty of time there, then you can gift them with personalized items to make cooking even more fun. When it comes to personalized cooking gear, grill sets are extremely popular. What dad wouldn’t love an engraved pair of grill tongs or spatula to flip the meat with? Or a personalized cutting board? Top it off with a custom apron to wear while they do the cooking and voila! You’ve given the griller in your life the key to happiness.
Personalized Mug
When I was younger, my grandparents always had mugs at their house with photos of their grandkids on it. I loved to drink out of the mug with my photo on it. So did they.
Mugs, I find, are a surprisingly sentimental gift. People get attached to their mugs. A lot of people have one particular mug, the mug, that they drink their coffee out of every single morning. That mug is often one that was gifted to them; mine certainly is. So what better way to step up your gift game, and their mug game, than to give someone in your life a personalized mug? It could have a favorite quote, a photo, their name, or really anything you can imagine. Again, mugs are shockingly sentimental; adding a personal touch will be the cherry on top.
It’s the Thought That Counts
It’s corny, and we hear it all the time, but when you give a gift, it really is the thought that counts. And going the extra mile to personalize an item, especially one they would have already wanted even if it wasn’t personalized, will mean more than you can imagine. Hopefully these personalizable gift ideas help you get the ball rolling on your gift giving journey.