Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

AIBU to agree that a photo is a cr*p present?!

48 replies

pinkstinks · 10/01/2011 10:49

This is a topic on TWS this morning but it reminded me of xmas, where a relative gave a huge frame containing three huge pictures of their DD to parents. Parents now feel awkward, as they hate huge photos and have small frames of each of other DGC's. Also photos are a lovely gesture at any time of the year, but don't lovely hardworking g'rents deserve a more personal present? I think it is just egotistical!!!!!

OP posts:

KaraStarbuckThrace · 10/01/2011 13:49

Gorionine - I gave a digitial photo frame and key ring to my mum for Christmas with pics of DS (her only grandchild) and she was delighted with it. We only see her every 6 weeks or so as she lives quite far away. We also gave a digital keyring to my Dad who lives in Spain and he was also very pleased.

We also gave the year before a frame with pictures of all of my PILs DGCs, for BIL and SIl with just their 4 kids in. I assume they must like them all as the photo frames are hanging up in their living rooms!

Blu · 10/01/2011 13:52

My Dad shed tears, he was so moved by the pic of DS he was given for Christmas.
It was a carefully chosen pic, with strong resonance, and not ostentatiously framed.

pranma · 10/01/2011 14:28

I absolutely love receiving photos of dgc especially if they are framed so I dont have to find frames.I always display them and everyone [5dc and 9dgc]knows that the pics have been given as a pressie not chosen and nobody minds at all.I tend to use a frame given by a family to 'update' their dc pics and if someone gave me a massive pic each year I'd return the frame with love and swap the pic for the most recent.

SkyBluePearl · 10/01/2011 15:45

I gave the parents/inlaws a photo of my kids taken by a professional. Small to medium in size and classic black and white. We have only had nice comments about it and it was sort of a tag on pressie to their other gift (after shave and creams). All my siblings and SIL's do the same and i know the grandparents love to show off their grand children even if its only a 2D version of them. Saying that my SIL once gave the grandparents a massive canvas of her three children - it was a very large cheesy image and not very attractive colours/outfits/background but took over the room.

meantosay · 10/01/2011 15:53

YABU. A lot of grand parents have reached a stage where they really have everything they need and it takes a lot more thought and trouble to pick out a photo and have it framed than to run into M&S and buy unneeded jumpers and blouses just to have something to wrap up.

lazylula · 10/01/2011 16:00

I have, each christmas given each set of grandparents a photo of the ds' as there present to their grandparents, a cheapish present maybe, but we do buy a present for each of them individually from us. I wouldn't give them a huge picture, but an 8 x 6 one or smaller is fine if you ask me.

Topspin · 10/01/2011 16:22

We bought digital photo frames for elderly GPs. Spent ages finding and scanning pics that would bring back (hopefully!) happy memories and included loads of the DC. They loved them, so I think YABU.

diddl · 10/01/2011 16:28

Is it that it was a photo or the size?

Gave my Dad a photo of our 2 recently as I really couldn´t think of anything else tbh.

And as we´re abroad, he doesn´t see them that often so thought it was appropriate tbh.

SudalivefromHMP · 10/01/2011 16:36

My sister who is totally obsessed with her children to the exclusion of everything else and always commandeers even strangers at a meal recently for example passing round pictures of her DCs - always always gives presents of her kids - nightmare cant move for them. Recently sent me one with note attached saying 'look at that smile that could light up a room'.

Felt like sending one back saying if I have any more pictures of your kids in my room then we will be in a darkened room.

Fimbo · 10/01/2011 16:41

Oh my parents loving getting a school photo at Christmas. Makes my mum's day, she would rather have a photo of the dc and a homemade calendar than anything else.

Rather reminds though of a time when my best friend was given a gift by a woman she barely knew. She opened it to find the woman's son grinning back at her in a homemade frame.

Pixel · 10/01/2011 17:58

Giving photos of children to grandparents is ok, as long as it's not the only thing you ever give them. My dad gave me a framed picture of himself for Christmas. He's pictured on holiday in China, standing next to a random chinese person in some kind of uniform, and the top half of his head is cut off! Goodness knows where I'm supposed to put it.

omnomnomtom · 10/01/2011 18:11

We gave my mum a 'school photo' style photo of DS (taken at nursery) AND a photobox calendar with photos of DS in it as a present from DS. She loves them- in fact she won't write on the calendar as she doesn't want to ruin it and has been showing it to all her friends!

I personally think that photos are often a very thoughtful present- although of course I wouldn't give photo's to anyone other than immediate family

omnomnomtom · 10/01/2011 18:12

at Pixel's photo of her Dad with random stranger though!

You must return the favour next year Pixel

NinkyNonker · 10/01/2011 18:13

We did this this year, as DD is only a couple of months old and they loved them. Every year then maybe!

Choufleur · 10/01/2011 18:14

GPs get a picture present every year, but also another present. If the picture is in a nice frame though surely that is part of the present.

ifiwereanewyearmillionaire · 10/01/2011 18:22

MIL had been complaining for a couple of years that she can't display pictures of her children/grandchildren because of limited space and she didn't want to show some but not others.

For her birthday his year I organised the whole family to do pictures...with my digi camera...and bought an 8 picture frame (4x6) to include pictures of each family group, her children and all the GC/GGC along with a small photo album of mixed family pics which she can add to.

This wasn't a gift we would usually give but she had spoken to me about it so often that I figured it was something acceptable to give. Some of the family turned up that night to see her open it and she was very emotional about the whole thing.

I usually give a school picture to the GP but all other pics are uploaded for distant relatives to view...if they want to!

huffythethreadslayer · 10/01/2011 18:30

This year I made each of my 5 siblings a photograph book. It contained pictures, old and new, that I'd found at my mums house in February when we cleared out her possessions. She died of cancer (she was in her 80's so it wasn't exactly a shock). I think it was a lovely gift for them...but maybe on some forum somewhere they're posting about how crap photos are as Christmas gifts.

InWithTheITCrowd · 10/01/2011 18:39

It's a tricky one.
my parents love photos of DS, but not in a frame - they don't have photos/pictures up in their house (v minimalist and trendy) and much prefer albums, but I do that for them throughout the year rather than at Christmas. But then, i know other people who love receiving photos as pressies.

Me personally, it's getting a bit tiresome now. For the last 4 years, (since our niece on DH's side, was born) we have had a framed photo of her for Christmas, MY birthday and DS's birthday. We have 12 framed photos of our niece!
Unfortunately my lovely cousin also felt that we needed photos of her 3 DC every Christmas for the last ten years.
I can't move for photos of other people's kids

(That's not true. most of the photos are in the loft!)

InWithTheITCrowd · 10/01/2011 18:40

The above post should have read
"for Christmas, MY birthday and DH's birthday" not DS's

OracleInaCoracle · 10/01/2011 18:49

we have a £5pp max limit for the afults in our family, so give the gp's framed pics of ds and gave sil a lovely photo that i took of her dcs when we were making christmas cakes. we cant afford to spend a fortune on presents. I also love getting pics of my neice and nephew, we are very close to them, there is only 3m between ds and my nephew and we proudly display pics of them. they are our family.

CrapBag · 10/01/2011 19:53

YABU.

I think they are nice presents, especially to GPs.

bumblingbovine · 10/01/2011 20:27

MY parents love pictures. My mother burst into tears when my sister gave her a collage type frame with photos of her (sister), me, , my other sister (now dead) and one each of the three grandchildren.

She asks me for a picture calendar (one with a family picture on each month) on the years i don't get her one. She still has HUGE framed school photos of my niece and nephew up (now aged 19 and 17 years old).

The walls in my parents' living room are covered in photos. I rather like it as a lot of the photos are of dead (long dead in most cases) relatives and DS often like to talk about who they are. I think it helps ds to understand his place in the family IYSWIM.

TheManWhoSoldtheWorld · 10/01/2011 20:40

We got a local photographer to take a picture of all of the grandchildren (mine and my DSIS's children for our mum, MIL and Grandmother). We also got lovely frames to fit in with their individual decor.

It was in no way cheap and MIL cried (I hope out of happiness now!) but they had mentioned wanting all of the grandchildren together, so we knew it wouldn't be unwelcome. My Mum and Grandmother haven't had theirs yet and I can't wait.

Having the photo taken was an afternoon I wouldn't want to repeat though.

Flip

1 2