Key takeaways:
- Personalized gifts have never been more prized, especially by Gen Z and millennials.
- Pickleball paddle covers, book embossers, leggings, star maps all can carry your loved one’s name, address, coordinates.
- You’re creating a one of one gift—thinking out of the box with the personalization makes the gift that much more special.
If you’re thinking about giving a personalized gift, know that the data is on your side! Research consistently shows that recipients—Gen Z and millennials especially—value the unique and meaningful nature of personalized gifts.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to what you can personalize, as you’ll see in the ideas highlighted below.
Did you know that you could go so far as to add a photo to a pickleball paddle? That’s a possibility, to be sure.
But for practical reasons (your intended probably already has a paddle they like—and that may show on their face when they open your gift!), we lean toward personalizing just a case for the paddle.
We looked for a racquet made of neoprene, a type of synthetic rubber that’s both thick and cushiony and water-resistant. It fits snug but has enough give to cover standard-size paddles. This case comes in five colors and you can choose from six fonts for the personalization. Bonus: the stash pocket on the side of the cover to hold balls.
For the cook on your list, consider an apron embroidered with their name. We like the style of this well reviewed apron available in seven colors (white, black, navy blue, red, royal blue, dark green and “Christmas green).
It’s the Chef hat design that makes it. If that works for you, great.
If you need more flexibility and also want to be able to select your own font, this selection would be the apron to go with.
This is an idea you could really lean into, adding a chef hat or an apron and chef’s hat for a child.
Personalization on the leg, at the waist or at the ankle is available with these leggings. Available in 23 colors and patterns and 18 font color options, they’re made of soft, elastic and breathable polyester with high waist tummy control.
This handmade 14.7 inch x 10.75 inch x 4 inch box—to use as a wine box or just as a keepsake box—can be personalized by your choice of three solid wood options: pine, walnut and mahogany. Pine has different stain options, and the walnut and mahogany are finished with hand rubbed mineral oil. Pine stain colors available: Light, medium, dark, classic grey, natural, unfinished (no stain or DIY).
You’ll need to provide a photo to appear as a dye sublimated photo on the lid, and two lines of engraving are available.
One name, a family name, a mantra or mantra or whatever in lights would be sure to surprise. If you like this idea, just expect to make several decisions—size (starting at 15 inches and three characters long) , color, message, font, remote or no. The price can build fairly quickly once all the options are added.
Neon is much more affordable and available now, thanks to LED neon flex technology. We like this product because it’s one of the thicker signs (8 mm) marketed to consumers. Thickness can make a difference in the shipping, handling and the mounting, not to mention overall life of the sign. A dimmer is included.
Custom book embossers are a lovely gift for book owners at any point in their life. But we suggest you consider this for someone as young as seventh or eighth grade. By that point, they’ve likely branded themselves as a “reader,”something they’ll take pride in their whole life. The gift of an embosser will seal the deal and usher them into adulthood—an adulthood that could involve a lot of tracking down books they borrowed! Seriously, this has the potential to be the most special gift of the holiday.
As usual, there are lots of options to consider. Name or monogram, font, design, logo, message (i.e., From the library of or something else?) If no available pattern appeals, you can supply a picture and the Vstarner will provide a private customization.
The embosser is stainless steel, round and measures 4.92″ L x 2.95″ W x 1.34″ H. A case is included.
Personalize these laser-cut metal signs with names, initials or addresses. The signs range from 12 inches to as big as 32 inches, with the prices climbing accordingly. They can be hung outdoors—they’re made of 14-gauge heavy-duty steel and finished with powder coating that provides waterproof and corrosion-resistant correction. For an upcharge, they can be made of 201 stainless steel.
The signs are available in three colors: black, white and golden.
Just as the nation is slimming down, so are tumblers, have you noticed? For maximum hydration, the 40 ounce may still be king, but this year the trend is toward sleeker, more portable sizes. While the tiny sips (6.7 ounces) may be an overcorrection, the 20 ounce skinny tumbler seems just right.
It’s stainless steel and double-wall insulated. The personalization is done using laser-engraving technology that strips away the top layer of paint to reveal the underlying steel.
You have your choice of 15 colors, 14 fonts and an optional $3 upgrade to a stainless steel straw.
It’s common to see ornaments that commemorate something that happened in a year. But check out the customization available in these marathon bib ornaments. You can personalize to include the runner’s name, the name, date and location of the race, the racer’s number, and choice of favorite quote (50 characters or less).
The ornament is 0.12 inches thick and made from transparent acrylic with the design on one side. They’re available in 3.5, 4.5 and 5.5 inch sizes.
Note: at this writing, we don’t see any reviews of these but, considering the price point, we’d be tempted to give them a try.
How about memorializing a date with this highly customizable star map printed in black and white with a color sky on premium luster paper using the highest high-definition ink quality from state-of-the-art printers? Use it to mark a birth, wedding, anniversary, first date, graduations, memorials, and the list goes on.
The unframed map is available in three sizes and four font choices, any title of 50 characters or fewer, a name, a date and a location. More than 7,000 reviewers give this custom star map an average 4.8 rating.
It’s a stealth kind of personalization, but engraving coordinates of a place special to your intended can seem equally intimate. This Eve’s Addiction men’s bracelet is a stainless steel box chain with a lobster claw. At 0.07 grams, it’s light enough to be worn all day.
Personalized sleep masks can be such a fun gift, especially to give to a group all at once for bridal showers, friends’ trips, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. If only for the photo opps.
These masks are available in your choice of seven colors and can be customized in three colors and 12 fonts. For added mischief, think about using nicknames!
Add your intended’s name to the back of a professional team baseball jersey in a wooden puzzle. You enter the team, the name and number and skin color. The puzzles come in three sizes: 300 pieces (14.9 x 10.2 inches), 500 pieces (14.9 x 20.4 inches) and 1000 pieces (29.5 x 19.7 inches). “Hits it out of the park”—that’s what at least one Amazon reviewer said about the gift.
Personalized wooden puzzles are also available for baseball and hockey teams.
Also see our other holiday gift guides:
- Something for everyone
- Custom photo gifts
- The gifts that seem inevitable for the 2025 holiday season (a work in progress)
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