2021 Gifting Trends & Home Decor Inspiration

In light of the pandemic, many of us understand the importance of maintaining social connections and most will be looking for ways to make festive traditions more central this year. So, this year, expect to see a lot of Christmas gifts and home decorations customized with strong sentiment and meaning.

Even with more opportunities for socializing, the home will remain a focal point, with festive decor, activities, and entertaining items essential to seasonal gatherings. Read on for customized Christmas gift ideas to help you create presents with added significance, spread much-needed joy, and even sprinkle a little extra sparkle this season.

a lovely young girl holding a 2021 year sign in her hands

The festive season is fast approaching and the next several months will offer plenty of fun shopping and gifting opportunities, from hosting Halloween parties, Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings, to celebrating New Year’s Eve. As you map out your seasonal to-do list, read our blog on starting Holiday shopping early, consider the key festive dates below and start thinking about your own festive decor and Christmas gifts!

Important dates:

  • 31st October: Halloween
  • 4th November: Diwali
  • 25th November: Thanksgiving
  • 26th November: Black Friday
    Remember to check out all the latest Snapfish deals
  • 28th November – 6th December: Hanukkah
  • 28th November – 24th December: Advent
  • 29th November: Cyber Monday/Week begins
  • 6th December: St. Nicholas Day
    Why not start a new tradition and inspire some early Christmas spirit by leaving a custom notebook for those last minute letters to Santa, or other festive gift, customized from St Nicholas, on the breakfast table for your loved ones that morning?
  • 24th December: Christmas Eve
    Why not start the Christmas magic early by creating a custom Christmas Eve box full of festive treats, like unique photo tree ornaments, or personalised Christmas stockings full of chocolate tree decorations to add to the tree before bedtime? Another idea is to plant personalized Garden Flags or custom Yard Signs into the front yard to show Santa the way to your kiddos stockings!
  • 25th December: Christmas Day
  • 26th December – 1st January: Kwanzaa
  • 31st December: New Year’s Eve
    Remember, you can order your New Year party invites, personalized with your details on Snapfish
  • 1st January: New Year’s Day

As the pandemic continues to drive social and economic uncertainty, people are looking for sentiment in their presents. Themes related to togetherness will be key this holiday season, as people hope to see loved ones in person this year. Even for those who can’t physically gather, finding creative ways to connect will be top of mind.

Sentimental gifting: Within this trend of extra thoughtful gift-giving, personalized and unique Christmas gifts are sure to shine. Top favorites each year include photo books, calendars and mugs.

a Christmas photo book, calendar and a mug presented on a surface with golden ornaments and stars

Focus on experiences: Shoppers may be increasingly focused on experiences and activities that help them make new memories together. Gifts like DIY recipe photo books, cutting boards, stone trivets, tea towels and fabric placemats to personalize the home with friendly faces will likely be very well-received.

a personalized recipe photo book, a cutting board, tea towel and a coaster placed on a kitchen counter with star cookies on it

Novelty items: How about a fun magnetic photo bottle opener, or a custom keychain that doubles up as a fun label or bag tag? Magic mugs are a perennial favorite as the picture is only revealed when the hot drink is added! Photo Booth Fridge Magnets and Heart Shaped Photo Tiles will make your mini family art gallery look totally unique and can easily be swapped out as new memories or drawings are made. Kids will love the puzzles made out of family memories, fun colored pencil sets or button pins printed with a fun picture or photo.

A selection of personalized Christmas gifts: a magnetic bottle opener, a magic mug, a heart trivet, magnetic photo booth strips

Key Looks For The Festive Season

A cottagey aesthetic continues to reflect a move towards nature, as people spent the last year seeking out the outdoors for calm and escape. Designs and digital embellishments featuring branches, dried flowers, foliage and woodland creatures will bring nature into home décor products like custom pillows and personalized blankets.

Matching personalized Christmas pillow and blanket

Nostalgia is a common theme around the Christmas season, and we have some gorgeous, cozy holiday decor designs reminiscent of a cherished grandparent’s house.

An expanded colour palette brings Christmas cheer to life. The holidays will feel extra fresh thanks to jewel-toned teal and warm golds, as well as white and silver sparkles. Check out our newest Christmas card designs.

a merry Christmas card presented on a pink surface with little white stars

Expected Best Sellers For Christmas 2021

Custom and personalized portraitsframed prints, photo canvas, metal and acrylic prints for the wall or table-top, or even your own mini magnet portrait gallery on your fridge!

a selection of Christmas wall art placed above a fire place

Personalized name signs: create personalized placemats for the kids and holiday themed serving trivets for an extra special dinner table seating arrangement for your guests, or even personalized stone coasters! Don’t forget to help your guests find your party location with customized garden flags!

A personalized holiday table setting

Wall art printed with cherished pictures and sayings: photo tiles are available as singles or in sets, and are perfect for rooms where you can’t or don’t want to bang nails into the walls! Check out our new heart-shaped photo tile format too.

a set of photo tiles with images of a young family, presented above a fire place

Festive decor: Christmas ornaments , (you can use personalized ornaments for holiday door décor), custom tea towels for the kitchen and festive placemats for the table as well as personalized table runners from Spoonflower.

A selection of Christmas ornaments next to a placemat with a couples image and a personalized kitchen towel

You can even create a festive table with personalized cutting boards with matching tea towels and pot towels for serving charcuterie at your festive parties.

A matching set of a cutting board and a kitchen towel presented on a kitchen counter

Mugs of all colors, sizes and shapes can be customized for Christmas cheer when printed with festive photos and designs. Don’t forget matching custom coasters and check out our new personalized pint glasses and can coolers!

a selection of personalized Christmas drinkware

Personalized Christmas Cards. Our Christmas greeting cards are perfect for sharing custom holiday updates with friends and family this year.

a Merry Christmas greeting card presented on a surface with Christmas gift, ornaments and lights

Customized Stocking Fillers: custom keepsake boxes or personalized valet trays make the perfect container for your personalized jewelry present (which is a Christmas favorite) safekeeping and organizing year after year. Customized notebooks are ideal for their New Year’s resolutions, and phone cases will protect their most precious devices from accidents with a smile! And what’s not to love about personalized playing cards, button pins, puzzles or reusable tote bags printed with favorite photos?

a personalized journal and a phone case on a surface with golden stars and leaves

Festive Home Décor Ideas

New hosts: The recent boom in new home ownership has led to first-time hosting needs and housewarming gift demand. Offer entertaining essentials like personalized cutting (cheese) boards, holiday placemats and coasters, festive kitchen tea towels and matching mugs, or edible treats presented in fun personalized products (such as when they are wrapped in custom tea towels or gifted in a reusable tote bag). Custom coasters make the perfect home-warming gift and can be personalized to match any room décor, and wooden block easel calendars are stylish enough to be displayed on a mantel or side table.

a light blue wood block calendar customized with photos

Return to entertaining: Those who haven’t hosted in a while may also be looking to spruce up their go-tos. Custom tableware (placemats and mugs), and soft furnishings (pillows and blankets) are likely to be a popular gift as people welcome guests back into their homes.

lovely smiling woman putting custom pillows and a blanket on the couch

Remote working: It doesn’t look like the return to the typical 9-5 work life will be happening any time soon, so gifts that brighten up that office desk will always be welcome. Think photo mousepads, notebooks, leatherette desk sets, paper weights and office coffee mugs!

a personalized mousepad, 2 Christmas mugs and a spiral notebook with images of a lovely family

Don’t forget jewellery! Jewelry and accessories play a pivotal role in helping people complete their Christmas looks, or accent their everyday ensembles. Silverplate photo necklaces, silver locket necklaces and even leather photo charm bracelets printed with favorite pictures can be made in minutes and will delight them for years. Personalised valet trays add interest to the gifts, and printing their name on the tray will make these especially unique and make an added keepsake gift for them.

Travel helpers: As travel becomes possible for many again, think about gifting custom leather luggage tags, personalized water bottles, and beach towels to make their vacations even more special.

a personalized beach towel, leather luggage label and a customized water bottle

Outdoor emphasis: Pandemic-fueled trends like drive-by parties, and garden movie nights could stick around through the season, so help them stay warm and cozy with blankets and pillows, and match them with custom travel mugs or insulated bottles to keep their hot drinks warm for longer. Don’t forget the yard signs to show guests where party venue is!

a personalized blanket and a pillow on an outdoor red bench

Need inspiration and ideas for Christmas gifts? Browse through our Christmas Gift Catalog.

Which 2021 holiday gifting and decor trends are you excited to try? No matter which ideas you end up choosing, you’re sure to inspire warmth and wonder this season. Remember to tag your creations on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest with #snapfish or @snapfishUS so we can see what you’ve created!

Posted in Uncategorized