Personalised Christmas gifts for Mum: a star for every child

Updated
Personalised Christmas gifts for Mum: a star for every child

The personalised Christmas gift Mum keeps is the one with her children on it: their names, a star for each, or a photo of her with them. Choose a mug if she likes something she can use every day, an ornament if she loves the tree, or a print or blanket for a bigger present. Everything below is printed to order in the UK.

In short:

First, what does she call herself?

Mum, Mummy, Mam or Mama: every family has its word, and the Mum's Stars mug and ornament let you choose it. Use the one the children actually say. If the gift comes from grown-up children, that may not be the word they used at five.

Then collect the children's names, spelt as they spell them, and decide on the order. Oldest first saves an argument on Christmas morning.

The Mum's Stars mug: a star for every child

The Personalised Mum's Stars Mug with Children's Names is the simplest gift here, and the one she will reach for first. Choose Mum's, Mummy's, Mam's or Mama's, type the children's names, and the title is printed in our serif with the word Stars in small capitals beneath it, then a row of terracotta stars, one per name, and the names in a line under them.

The names box takes up to 80 characters, so a big family fits, and the type shrinks to suit. Add the year if you want to mark when the list was this long. It is printed on both sides of an 11oz white ceramic mug, dishwasher and microwave safe.

The same stars for the tree

The Personalised Mum's Stars Christmas Ornament with Names carries the matching design on a round ceramic ornament 7.5 cm across: the title, the word Stars, a terracotta star for each child and their names beneath, on one or two lines. The same design is printed on both sides, and it comes with a red ribbon for hanging.

Give the mug and the ornament together and they make a set. When the family grows, a new ornament can hang beside the old one. It is a decoration, not a toy.

A photo of her with the children

If Mum is the one taking the photos, there may be fewer of her in them. If you have a good one, the Personalised Mum Photo Christmas Ornament puts it on the tree. The photo is printed inside a thin cream ring on a round ceramic ornament 7.5 cm across, with both names curving along the base and the year just above them. It is printed on both sides and comes with a red ribbon.

The names box takes up to 30 characters, such as Mummy & Isla. Choose a picture with both faces near the centre; a square crop from a phone is ideal.

For the kitchen, the Personalised Mum Photo Mug with Name and Message sets a photo of the children, or of her with them, in a round frame, with the name she goes by (up to 15 characters) and a caption from the children (up to 30) beneath. The design is printed twice around an 11oz white ceramic mug, so it faces out whichever hand she uses.

A bigger present: the photo blanket

For the main present, the Personalised Mum Photo Fleece Blanket with Names prints a photo of Mum with the children large on a soft polyester fleece blanket, 30 by 40 inches. A caption such as Our Mum sits beneath in serif (up to 20 characters), with an optional line in small capitals for the names and the year (up to 30). It is a throw for the sofa rather than a bedspread, printed on the front only with the reverse left white.

A blanket this size needs a large photo, at least 2,040 pixels on its shorter side, so use the original file from a phone or camera, not a copy saved from a messaging app. Group photos with every face near the middle print best. Our guide on how to choose a photo that prints well covers light, focus and cropping.

The rest of our ideas for her, from prints to totes, are in our Gifts for Her collection.

If the gift comes from small children

Small children cannot order a mug, but they can choose. A few ways to make it theirs:

  • Let them pick the photo from two or three you have already checked are sharp.
  • Let them decide the caption on the photo mug, within the 30 characters: Love from Isla and Theo, or something only your family would understand.
  • Let them hand it over. A mug with a star for each of them is easy for a child to explain.

Before you order

  • Check every name against something written down. We print your wording as you type it, some designs set a line in capital letters, and we do not send proofs, so read it twice before you pay.
  • Our Christmas order deadlines page gives the last order date for UK delivery before Christmas. Check it before you order, as the date can move earlier if the print partners get busy.
  • To send it to her directly, enter her address as the delivery address and yours as the billing address. The parcel does not say who it is from, and we cannot include a gift message, so send a card separately. Our FAQ explains how gifts are sent.

Christmas gifts for Mum: questions

What is a good personalised Christmas gift for Mum?

The Mum's Stars mug, with a star and a name for each child, is the simplest. For the tree, the matching Mum's Stars ornament or a photo ornament of her with the children. For a bigger present, the photo fleece blanket.

Can I choose Mummy, Mam or Mama instead of Mum?

Yes. The Mum's Stars mug and ornament offer Mum's, Mummy's, Mam's or Mama's. The photo mug takes any name up to 15 characters, so it can say whatever she is called in your house.

What is the limit for children's names on the Mum's Stars mug?

The names box takes up to 80 characters, and the type shrinks to suit, so a big family fits. There is one star for each name.

Which photo works best on the blanket?

The largest, sharpest one you have, at least 2,040 pixels on its shorter side, with every face near the middle. Use the original file from your phone, not one sent through a messaging app.

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