10 Unique Gifts for the Whole Family

Shopping for the entire family is undoubtedly tricky. It’s difficult to find something that’s meaningful, thoughtful, and affordable while still pleasing the foodie dad and music-loving daughter. Below, we’ll dive into some unique gifts for the whole family along with some general tips so that you can dole out that perfect present with ease.

(This post contains affiliate links. We only recommend products we strongly believe in.)

How To Pick Out The Gifts For Families

Finding unique gifts for the whole family can be challenging since you’re tasked with pleasing multiple people at once. Here are a couple of tips to spark your inner gift go-getter so that you can find the ideal item for your own family and others.

Pick Something Everyone Can Enjoy Together: When finding the perfect gift for a family, try to focus on an activity or an item that everyone can use together. For example, a board game or beloved movie is always a good choice. You can also think of experiences or time-saving activities as gifts. Maybe it’s a certificate to your family’s favorite restaurant or a hammock for the backyard. It doesn’t have to be super fancy to be a great gift— As long as it’s heartfelt, the sentiment will come across.
Think About Future or Past Experiences: If you’re trying to find the perfect personalized gift for families, think about the calendar. Is there a trip they recently went on? Can you get your loved ones something that reminds them of that experience? In the same vein, keep tabs on upcoming events. You could find a present that helps the family enjoy their next experience to a greater degree. If your family loves going camping on a periodic basis, pick out some portable lawn games to play while enjoying the great outdoors.
Inside Jokes: The best kinds of gifts are those with meaning. If your family or loved ones share an inside joke, get a gift that reminds them of the punchline. Gag gifts aren’t just for white elephant parties— A funny family gift can be a big hit.
Consider Home Decor: If you’re getting a gift for another family, don’t forget to take their home decor style into consideration. Finding a gift that really matches the style sensibilities of the home feels incredibly thoughtful. Style-matching gifts also add to the likelihood that your gift will be something the family can actually use and enjoy on an everyday basis.
When In Doubt, Go For Consumables: Are you struggling to find gift ideas for families who have everything? Opt for consumables instead! Fresh-baked cookies from your favorite baker, a gift basket full of tasty snacks, or a box of gourmet chocolates are sure to please even the pickiest of crowds. Your gift recipients will be able to appreciate the thoughtfulness of your gift without having to take on something they don’t necessarily need or have space for.
Pick Something Practical: If you can, find a gift that solves problems. For example, if you’re tired of having endless amounts of cups strewn about your kitchen, you can give everyone personalized tumblers or water bottles. Or, for the tech-driven family, you can find portable chargers that double as flashlights. As your gift idea is something you know the family will use, it’s bound to be a great gift. Just stay away from cleaning and personal hygiene products just to be safe.
Pair It With A Heartfelt Card: Nowadays, it’s rare for people to take the time to write out a heartfelt card, which makes it all the more special. If you’re looking to really tug on your family’s heartstrings, pair your present with a handwritten note. This memento is a gift on its own and will effortlessly convey how much you care.
Get Personal: Personalized family gifts can be loads of fun and really give that extra heartwarming feel. Nowadays, you can personalize just about anything— From towels to toys, get your family of choice something that speaks directly to them. You can also experiment with matching gifts— Gift matching pajama sets so that the whole family can twin while staying cozy.
Don’t Forget Presentation: As with any gift, presentation is important. Make sure you take the time to wrap your gift properly if you’re looking to add some extra flair to your family gift. You can also consider creative ways to give a gift. Can you set up a scavenger hunt? Hide the gift and challenge your loved ones to find it? Little touches like these ones can go a long way.

Best Gifts For Families: Some of Our Favorites

Without further ado, here are some of our favorite gifts for families if you find yourself totally stumped. These presents check all the boxes: They’re heartfelt, thoughtful, and most importantly, they won’t break the bank.

Personalized Portraits

What’s more heartwarming than a custom portrait of the people you love most? Paint Your Life makes this process easy by hiring real, experienced artists to paint a portrait or landscape picture of your choosing for timeless keepsakes you’ll undoubtedly cherish forever. These make great family gifts for anyone and everyone— As you can see from these videos, a custom picture really is worth a thousand words.

Not sure what to get a portrait of? Here are a few of our favorite handcrafted art pieces for families:

Kid Portraits: Kids spring up like leaves, so it’s important to capture them while you can. Portraits of your little ones make great additions to the family home, and also make the perfect present for doting grandparents.
Parent and a Child Portrait: Turn your favorite photo with your child into a piece of art that will give a unique touch to your home and make both your family and the visitors smile whenever they see it.
Your Home: Home is where the heart is. Consider getting a portrait of your home to remember the place where you all began. This is also a great gift for families who move around often— Wherever you go, you can still carry a beautiful piece of where you were before.
Full Family Portrait: The gang’s all here! When in doubt, you can always opt for a custom full family portrait for a gift everyone will cherish for years to come.

The customization process is quick and easy and it gives you total control over your art piece. Choose your favorite medium – oil, charcoal, watercolor, black pencil, color pencil or acrylic, and one of the available artists whose work you like the most.

CLICK HERE to get $55 OFF plus FREE shipping!

Clever, Funny Gifts

Uncommon Goods is an ideal spot when it comes to finding thoughtful, unique gifts for the whole family. The whole store is based around finding items that are handcrafted in nature, inspire creativity, and give back to the community. The shop donates $1 of every purchase to a charity group of your choice and pays its workers fairly. How can you not support this amazing collection of goodies?

Here are just a few of the items sold on the site that the whole family can share and enjoy:

Yard Dice: This rustic, outdoor set of oversized lawn dice is perfect for any outdoor family gathering and looks great on its own when not in use.
Customized Blanket: This customizable family blanket is woven and one-of-a-kind. The printed blanket includes your family’s “founding date”, names, and customized icons to express each of your unique personalities.
Table Topics: Are you running out of things to discuss at dinner with your loved ones? These table topics cards are the perfect way to start bonding on a more intimate level.

Personalized Gift Baskets

If you’re picking out a present for a different family, you can’t go wrong with a gift basket from Design It Yourself Gift Baskets. These unique gifts are handmade to order, so you can make sure that your gift is full of things the recipient will actually use and enjoy.

Each gift basket can be hand wrapped with specially themed paper and ribbon. You can also include a custom greeting card and type in your message online— No pens needed!

You start with a theme, select a container type, and then select the items you want to include. There’s also the option to sort items and packages based on your budget so that you can still give a meaningful family gift without emptying out your wallet. Or, if you need something on the fly, here are a couple of featured gift baskets any family is sure to love:

Coffee Lover’s Basket: This basket comes with a bunch of snacks, drink mixes, and delicacies to instantly transform any home into a bustling cafe. You can also add-on a card game, puzzle, or mug to make the perfect gift for any family.
The Ultimate Picnic Basket: Give your favorite family a chance to enjoy each other’s company amongst the great outdoors. This box includes boatloads of delicious snacks, a classic picnic tablecloth, napkins, vintage cheeses, and more. It has enough variety so that both adults and kids will enjoy the munchies from this masterpiece.
I Scream For Ice Cream!: Who doesn’t love ice cream? This gift basket is stocked with scrumptious sundae supplies like ice cream cones, M&M cookies, wafer rolls, chocolate syrup, and more. Give the gift of a delicious dessert-themed evening everyone will love.

Finding home run gifts for families may not always be the easiest task. Hopefully, these unique gifts for the whole family bring you one step closer to finding a family favorite without too much hassle. Have fun picking out presents for the people you love most.