Make memories all year round: personalised calendars to make every month special

Wondering how to make the perfect personalised calendar? This one’s for you. Get the creative juices flowing with these insider tips. 

Why are personalised calendars so popular?

A calendar is a household staple, regardless of what shape or size it comes in. But when you personalise your own, it becomes so much more than a way of pencilling in your plans and keeping track of what you’ve got coming up.

Customised calendars have a lot more personal significance to their owner, whether it features their favourite people, pets or places. If you manage to resist peeking ahead after the initial flick-through, you get a fun surprise at the start of each month, as you’re reminded of some of your fondest memories — and you get to reminisce on them all over again whenever you go to check the date.

They make for a brilliantly thoughtful gift that doesn’t break the bank — or you can get just as much satisfaction out of making one for yourself. 

Get ahead of the game with custom calendar gifts

Naturally, there’s a time of year when it makes sense to get a new calendar — but when you’re personalising your own, you’ll want to dedicate a bit of time to it, and that can be a squeeze in the run-up to Christmas. 

Get organised early and get a calendar for the new year, and you’ll thank yourself later. Digging through the archives and deliberating on your favourites is a much more enjoyable process when you’re not in a rush. Then when year-end comes around, you’ll already have one of the presents ticked off your list — or you’ll get to rediscover the masterpiece you made for future you.

Choosing your 12 calendar photos: themes and design ideas

With a never-ending selection of photos to hand, you’re forgiven for feeling overwhelmed with where to begin.

The best place to start is by establishing a theme for your calendar. Not only will this make narrowing down the photos easier, it’ll give the finished product a much more coherent feel. 

Here are a few of the most popular ideas to consider. Settle on the one that speaks to you the most, and the rest should fall into place a whole lot more easily.

Seasonal family photos

With January comes winter walks. In April, there’s the Easter egg hunt. August, you’ve got fun in the sun abroad… and October, your most spooktacular Halloween costumes. Seasonal calendars are a wonderful walk down memory lane. And displayed in your home, they double up as a nice piece of seasonal decor.

A sentimental throwback to what you were doing that time last year, it’s a theme you can’t really go wrong with. It’ll go down well with any of your friends and family, but especially with parents and grandparents of young children. As the kids grow up in the blink of an eye, these snapshots in time can’t be celebrated enough. 

All-time favourites

Everyone has those photos they just love. It could be that they remind you of a particularly happy memory, or that they never fail to make you laugh. If it sparks joy, it’s worth finding a special place for it — and a personalised calendar is the perfect way to do just that.

Try to pick out 12 of your favourite photos. The real showstoppers. You’ll be buying yourself plenty more smiles in the year to come. 

And this theme needn’t be a struggle if you’re putting one together for a friend. If you’re hesitant about what would make the cut, scroll through what they’ve shared on social media, or just pick the ones they look particularly good in. A little flattery hurts no one.

The natural world

Featuring photos of your friends and family may seem like the obvious route to take, but you can actually make a calendar just as personal, focusing on places rather than people. 

There are a couple of paths you can go down with this one. One is to focus on places that mean a lot to them - say, a snowy scene in their garden, or a particularly stunning viewpoint. Or you can prioritise the quality of the photo itself. The latter is a good option if you or the recipient fancy themselves as a budding photographer, as you create a space to showcase shots of striking landscapes and fascinating wildlife.

If there’s an overlap between the two, all the better.

Travel destinations

Have you tried the seasonal route and realised that most of your favourite photos are from holidays gone by? As you experience exciting places, it’s only natural to get more snap happy with your camera. These are bound to be some of your best shots, so go ahead and show them off. 

Jot down a variety of places you’ve travelled to, pick out your top photos each, and then whittle them down to your final selection.

And don’t feel you have to limit yourself to places you’ve already visited. If you’ve got a couple of spots on your travel wish list, you can feature them too. It could even be what prompts you to book that spontaneous flight.

Pet portraits

They’re called fur babies for a reason. Our pets are our pride and joys — and you’ll know that anyone with a pet simply doesn’t tire of looking at them. The cute photos of them, that is. When they’re on their cheekiest behaviour, it can be another story.

Photos from when they were a small pup. Meeting the family. The first time they saw snow. Adorable moments snuggled up on the sofa. As you sift through the images, you’ll find some absolute keepers to put in there. 

Childhood artwork

While some fingerpaint art might survive on the fridge door for months, it can be tough to find space for all your little ones’ creations. A calendar allows you to display the different pieces that tug on the heartstrings the most. 

Compiling them into a calendar, you’ll also give these delightfully messy creations a bit more of a polished look, so you get to enjoy them in pride of place without worrying about blue tac peeling off the paint on your walls.

Collect 12 of their creations and scan them so they’re converted to digital images. If you’ve not got a scanner handy, you’ll be able to find one at a nearby printing shop, and it should only take a couple of minutes. 

Create personalised photo calendars with myFUJIFILM

You’ve picked out your photos — now for the next steps.

At myFUJIFILM, we offer four different types of photo calendars for you to add your personal touch to:

• Hanging Calendars – ideal for the kitchen or study.
• Premium Calendars – enjoy 250gsm silk paper and a smooth semi-gloss finish.
• Photo Desk Calendars – why not add a bespoke element to your desk at work?
• Wooden Block Photo Calendars – the stylish and contemporary way to keep on top of events and appointments.

Looking for a gift? Which calendar you choose will largely depend on the recipient. Desk calendars are perfect for busy professionals, for example, whereas hanging calendars have more of a family feel to them. 

Once you’ve settled on your choice, there are yet more options for customisation. From changing the size of the calendar, to switching up the design. Some designs even allow for more than one photo per page — so maybe you can squeeze in some more from the shortlist, after all.  

Browse our collection of Personalised Photo Calendars to get started.