What to get for the person who has everything? Something personal

What do you get for the person who has almost everything? A personalized gift might be just the thing.

One place to start is DNA 11, an Ottawa-based company that creates art from a person’s genetic code.

“This is guaranteed to be something they probably don’t have and is going to create a huge surprise for them,” said Adrian Salamunovic, co-founder of DNA 11.

It can take up to six weeks for the completed DNA Portrait to arrive, but the DNA collection kit can serve as the present under the tree.

For a personalized gift without a cheek swab, Christie Lance-Reaume turns photos and fingerprints into accessories. She founded Lovelinx to sell handmade jewellery, everything from necklaces to cufflinks.

It’s especially popular with parents and grandparents who want to keep their loved ones close.

“It’s kind of their little brag book that they wear around their neck or their wrist,” says Lance-Reaume.

For a truly tangible memory, lifecasts make popular gifts. Lisa Freer, owner of Memories Made, uses the dental alginate, which dentists use for teeth impressions, to cast hands, feet and even pregnant bellies.

“Pictures are wonderful, but you don’t get the 3D,” she said. “You can’t touch it.”

Her biggest customers are new moms and dads freezing a moment in time with their babies, some as young as two days old.

“If the dentist can put it in your mouth, you can put it on your baby’s hand,” said Freer.

Personalized gifts can be practical too. Embroidering a name, especially those with unique spellings or special characters, can turn everything from backpacks to teddy bears into prized possessions.

“We all remember as a kid that excitement of seeing a pencil with your own name on it,” said Rebecca Lander, co-owner of You Name It Baby, a boutique that specializes in personalized items for children.

Grown-ups can join in on the fun as well with monogrammed robes and throw pillows.

“It’s something that becomes very special to them and many times an heirloom,” said Lander, “something that they keep for a very long time.”

Whatever your approach, you won’t have to worry about duplicates when you opt for a personalized gift this holiday.