Why an old photo beats another sweater
Ask most grandfathers what they want and the answer is "nothing". What he can't buy is the photo of himself in uniform without the crack across it, or the only picture of the truck he drove for thirty years, big enough to hang in the garage. A restored photo costs little, and it is about him rather than about something he has to find room for.
BeforeAfter8 gift ideas
- 1
His service photo, restored and framed
Military portraits are often the most handled photo in the house, and the most cracked. Restore it, print it at 8×10, and frame it, ideally with his unit or ship written underneath. Restore old photos sizes it for the frame in the same step.
- 2
His wedding portrait, for both of them
A faded wedding photo restored and framed works for grandpa and grandma together, and it is the one most likely to make it to the mantelpiece.
- 3
His first car, truck or tractor, enlarged
A small snapshot of the car he was proudest of, enlarged to 11×14 or 16×20 for the den or the garage. Small prints need enlarging properly to print sharp; see why photos print blurry.
- 4
His parents, in color
A black-and-white portrait of his mother and father, colorized. Give the original alongside it, since the colors are a careful guess.
- 5
A then-and-now pair
A photo of him as a young man next to a recent one, or the old family house, farm or shop beside how it looks today, in a double frame.
- 6
The team, the crew or the band
The old ball team, the work crew, the fishing trip. Group photos are where the faces are smallest, so restore it, enlarge it, and add the names underneath while he can still tell you them.
- 7
A photo book of his life
Twenty to thirty restored photos in order, from childhood to grandkids, with a line under each. Ask the rest of the family for the photos they have.
- 8
A 2027 calendar for the workshop wall
Twelve restored photos, one a month, with family birthdays marked. Most photo printers make calendars and ship them well into December.
How to get the photos without him noticing
- Ask grandma, or another relative. They usually know which box the photos are in.
- Photograph prints on a visit. Lay them flat near a window, flash off, phone straight above. That is enough to restore from.
- Check frames on the wall: the photo can come out, be photographed, and go back in a minute.
- Look in shared family albums and genealogy sites, where relatives often upload scans.
When to order
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| November | What to do: Find and scan or photograph the photos. |
| By late November | What to do: Restore and colorize them. With Resly each takes about 20 seconds. |
| By early December | What to do: Order prints, books and calendars. Photo printers get busy and slow in December. |
| Mid-December | What to do: Frame the prints, or pick them up from a local print shop if you left it late. |
Check your print service's own holiday deadline. Local same-day print shops are the fallback for a last-minute print.
BeforeAfter