OccasionUpdated October 3, 2026

The Christmas gift grandma and grandpa weren't expecting

Grandparents rarely get a gift that surprises them. With a personalized coloring book, they find their own grandchildren on every coloring page. They can color it themselves, the perfect quiet afternoon activity. Many keep it on display afterwards, like a keepsake album they can leaf through.

A few examples that work for this case

What Christmas gift should you get grandma and grandpa?

Grandparents often say they don't need anything, and sometimes they mean it. What they enjoy rarely comes down to the object itself: it's time with the grandkids, and the traces it leaves. The ideas below start from there.

1.A coloring book of their grandchildren
Each photo becomes a color page and the same scene ready to color. Grandma flips through it like an album, grandpa colors with the kids when they visit, or the other way around. Worth knowing: you need clear photos of the children, and the book takes 3 to 5 business days before it ships.
2.A photo calendar for the year ahead
Twelve months, twelve photos of the grandkids, hanging in the kitchen. A classic that works, especially for grandparents who write down every appointment. Its limit is built in: by next Christmas, it's out of date.
3.A digital photo frame, already loaded
Handy when the family is spread out, provided you set it up before giving it and someone keeps adding photos. For grandparents who don't get along with technology, do everything in advance and keep control of the photo uploads yourself.
4.Time together
A lunch out with all the grandkids, a show, a day somewhere they love. Announce it with a card the kids wrote, and set the date before the holidays are over.
5.Something the grandkids made
A framed drawing, decorated cookies, a hand-painted ornament. It's imperfect, and that's what gets them. Ideal alongside a gift that lasts.
6.A book of family recipes or stories
Collecting grandma's recipes or grandpa's stories in a notebook to pass on to the grandkids. Start early: it's a project of several weeks, not something you buy.

One book for both grandparents, or one each?

For a grandparent couple, one book is almost always enough. They look at it together, color it with whoever's around, and it stays at their place where the grandkids find it on every visit. Pick photos where grandma and grandpa each appear with the children, so neither feels left out.

Two separate books make sense in other cases: grandparents who don't live together, or a grandma who colors a lot while grandpa would rather browse. For great-grandparents, a small 6-photo book focused on the great-grandchildren hits the mark without feeling like homework.

When several families of cousins are giving together, the 24-photo format leaves a few pages for each family. If you have a shot of all the grandchildren together where the faces are still large enough, keep it: it's the one the grandparents will look for first.

Getting the grandkids involved in the Christmas gift

A gift for grandparents lands better when it comes from the grandchildren themselves. Let them pick some of the photos, even if their choices surprise you: the cake that collapsed or the cardboard-box fort is more likely to make grandpa laugh than a school portrait.

They can sign the book too. The dedication, printed inside, takes a short note and a “from” line, for example “from Leo, Ava and Sam”. For the little ones, write down what they dictate and keep their wording.

And don't color anything before Christmas. The color pages already make a finished book on the day it's unwrapped, and the line art pages become the activity for afternoons at grandma and grandpa's. The book turns into a reason to sit down at the table together.

Grandparents who live far away: shipping and timing for Christmas

The book can ship straight to the grandparents: just enter their address when you order. Handy if you won't be spending Christmas with them. Give them a heads-up that a package is on its way and that it stays wrapped until the 25th.

For timing, allow 3 to 5 business days between order and shipping, then carrier transit, which slows down in December. The estimated delivery date shows before you pay: go by that rather than a general cutoff date, which varies with where you live and the carrier.

If it's too tight, a gift card still works, with one caveat specific to grandparents: those who don't like computers will struggle to choose and upload photos on their own. Give the card at Christmas, then build the book with them on a visit in January. It's valid for 12 months, so there's no rush.

Our tip for grandparents

Gather photos of the grandchildren at different ages, plus a few moments where they're with grandma or grandpa. Skip selfies that are too close in, and dim indoor shots. If their eyesight has weakened, a short book is less tiring: the 6-photo format is quicker to finish than a 24-photo book.

Recommended format

24-page book, CA$74.99

Hardcover

The right balance: enough pages to tell the family story, not so many that it tires the hand doing the coloring.

Create the album for grandparents

How we make your book

Printed on demand by our print partner, close to your delivery address. Square 8.5 in format, 60 lb uncoated inner paper that holds pencils and water-based markers well, hardcover on the 12 and 24-photo formats (saddle-stitched on the 6-photo format).

8.5 insquare format: Stays flat when open on the table, the right size for coloring.
60 lbmatte uncoated paper: A grain that grips colored pencils and won't bleed with markers.
Soft or hardcover: Softcover for the 6 photo format, rigid hardcover for the 12 / 24.
3 to 5days to ship: Printed as a single copy by a professional printer, then shipped with tracking.

Frequently asked questions

My parents don't color. Is this still a good gift?

Yes. Many keep it as a keepsake album to leaf through rather than color. Just seeing their grandchildren on drawn pages is enough.

Can we use older photos of the grandchildren?

Yes, as long as the faces are clear enough. Scanned prints work if they aren't blurry.

Can the book be shipped directly to the grandparents?

Yes. The delivery address is whatever you enter when ordering, so it can be theirs. The name printed in the book is the recipient's, and yours only appears if you fill in the “from” field. Let them know a package is coming, without saying what's inside.

Can we mix old photos of the grandparents with photos of the grandkids?

Yes, and the lookalike game goes down well: grandpa at 6 next to his grandson at the same age, grandma as a young bride, the family home then and now. Old prints can be scanned, or photographed with a phone lying flat with no glare. Keep the faces sharp and well lit.

Can grandparents and grandkids color the same book together?

That's how most families use it. The color page acts as the model and the line art page gets colored next to it. A grandparent can guide a little one who goes over the lines, or each takes a page. With several grandchildren, the 24-photo format leaves something to color on every visit.

Our personalized books made from your photos

Three ways to turn your family photos into an activity book, from free coloring to guided play.

Ready to create your book?

Every page is checked before printing.

Create the album for grandparents

The Christmas gift grandma and grandpa weren't expecting

A few examples that work for this case

What Christmas gift should you get grandma and grandpa?

1.A coloring book of their grandchildren

2.A photo calendar for the year ahead

3.A digital photo frame, already loaded

4.Time together

5.Something the grandkids made

6.A book of family recipes or stories