I love picture gifts - I admit it. I love to give them and I love to receive them. This may have a little something to do with the fact that in the three years since becoming a digital SLR fanatic I've logged over 20,000 images on my various hard drives. (Don't ask me how many of these actually make it into print, because the percentage would be very, very low. But the ones that have? Priceless.)

Photographs done right - capturing a moment in a family or a friendship, handled with care and presented with love - can hit just the right note. And with excellent image quality accessible in increasingly affordable digital cameras, this kind of gift can be literally in your hands, often at a more affordable price than your average mall kiosk tchotchke.

But what can you do with your photographs to turn them into meaningful holiday gifts? Lots. Herewith, a few ideas to trip your creative cord when you're just getting started:

1. Make your gift list, and check it for photo lovers. Decide who among the lucky winners on your shopping list would appreciate a photograph or 20. It won't be all of them, but it will probably be at least a few. Pay attention to special events that might warrant remembering in pictures. Were you in your best friend's wedding? Did your parents have a milestone anniversary or other event that was captured on camera? A vacation with your brother or close family friends? Revisit those sets and see if there are any images worth framing and giving as a holiday gift.

2. Go through your photo library. See it through your eyes, and your loved ones, to see what might fit. I sat with my mom today to show her some photos of my trip to see my sister in California and she said, "Oh, I want that one for my desk!" at least three times about photos I probably wouldn't have chosen for her. Maybe it was because I hadn't been through this pile of pixels in three months, but more likely I just hadn't considered them as gifts yet and maybe never would have.

I filed away her suggestions, so hopefully she won't be too surprised when they're staring up at her from a frame on Christmas morning.

3. Consider photos of inanimate objects - not just people. Sure, I framed the photos of my best friend and me from her wedding for gifts later. But sometimes some of your other shots might be great for cool gift ideas. I think I'm going to enlarge a photo of a cafe I took on the pier in San Diego and frame it for my friend's kitchen. I have another triptych of sorts that I'm working on from my last ride on the New Orleans trolley that I think my sister might like. Fine art is in the eye of the beholder so some of your shots might be appropriate for gift-giving - and decorating - too (Just don't be too upset if people don't automatically put them up - even if it's just when you come over. Like I said, fine art is in the eye of the beholder, but hey, you tried.)

4. Pose. Is every grandchild represented in a single photo at Grandma's house?If not, and it's at all possible, get everyone together for a group photo. Note: You do not all have to match or even be wearing contrasting colors on a scenic sand dune. This is more about the family relationships than it is about the perfect colors. My cousins and I did this for my grandma several years ago and we're a tough group to assemble who will certainly never wear matching clothing, but she still comments on the large portrait that hangs on her living room wall.

I guarantee you'll have a better time if you hire a photographer to do it, ideally a volunteer from among the family ranks who will elicit genuine smiles and donate his or her services. We went to that place in the mall with the props and strange low-to-the-ground chairs and employees who clearly didn't know how to handle a group all over the age of 5. That alone was a holiday memory, though. You do what you have to do.

5. Scanning is an option. If you have a pile of old black and white shots languishing in a drawer, this is a perfect opportunity to play around with old photos and give something meaningful to someone who appreciates that kind of thing. Sites like Kindred Connection give great guides to digitizing and restoring old photos on your own. Warning: potential time suck, but if you've got a little extra, this can be a real hit.

Once you've got your ideas in hand, where to go?

1. DIY. I still love going to a local crafts store or even Target, picking out a cool frame, and creating a display of one or several shots. Whether you print images at home, through a local chain like Ritz Camera or an independent shop or mail-order service, you can have the photos in hand in usually less than 24 hours and put them in frames. Easy.

Be careful of print jobs at local shops, though, and don't be afraid to send them back if they're truly not well-done. Also, trim the photos carefully if they don't quite fit, and be careful of digital sizes, which can be a little off from the frame. Do not do what I do and think "jamming this in will make it PERFECT." Patience is not my virtue.

2. Make a photo book. My friend Lauren is making her parents a book from Blurb for Christmas. Seems easy, although I've admittedly never tried it: download their "Booksmart" book-making software, add images and text, and order.

There are sample books in their "Get Inspired" section. This can be a great remembrance of a special event like a wedding or anniversary, or a scrapbook of a relationship. I made my sister a photo-heavy book of the paper-and-glue stick variety when she graduated from high school and she loved it. I've got a few Blurb books in my mind for this season.

3. Make pretty much anything else. Companies like Shutterfly can take your photos and make pretty much anything out of them, including magnets, mouse pads and aprons. Interesting options include the canvas print, which will set you back about a hundred bucks (with shipping) but will print your photo with archival inks on artist canvas and hand-wrap it on a wooden frame. Imagekind is a Flickr partner that will also put photos on canvas or on greeting cards, and provides a "frame simulator" that allows you to view how photos will appear in certain frames before you purchase them.

Zazzle will put photos on tennis shoes (seriously), HP (another Flickr partner) can do posters and photo cubes and QOOP throws in luggage tags and photo wrapping paper. Moo is a London company that makes business cards out of Flickr photos in addition to mini-cards, sticker books and postcards. (Note: these companies overlap a lot with products. Check their Web site for availability and pricing.)

Many of these companies make greeting cards as well, so if you don't want to do your holiday cards on your own, check them out- but make this move soon since time is running short, if you can believe it, to get them shipped to you and mailed out again.

3. Buy photos someone else took Artists are hard-hit in tough economic times,and there are nearly 80,000 pieces in Etsy's photography category alone. Collages, Polaroid and black & white - there is a lot to choose from here.

4. Photoblog it If you're short on funds, are environmentally concerned enough to restrict printing, or just want to send a true Web 2.0-style message, set up a photoblog for someone. Just make sure you know whether they - or you - expect to maintain it. Monotone is a new WordPress photoblog theme that changes with the colors of the uploaded photos, or you can try a multimedia-friendly blog setup like Vox. iPhoto and iMovie '08 make slide shows relatively easy, as does SoundSlides ($40 for basic, about $70 if you want to include audio.) They can be e-mailed or placed on a Web site for long-distance photo sharing as well.

5. Organize - for someone else. If you have a time or organization-strapped friend or family member with a picture library to match, offer to fix up their photos online. Purchase a pro account from Flickr and put them together in searchable sets with tags, correct them for color and exposure in iPhoto or Photoshop.

6.How about a camera? Buying a gift for a child or a new photographer uncomfortable with fancy equipment? Squawfox has a good guide to buying a camera for a beginner. CNET lists 171 cameras at the moment for under $100 - check the reviews for some guidance there.

Some other cool ideas and online resources for the digital photo enthusiast:

HP's online activity center offers hundreds of projects and templates.Check it out - I was actually amazed by all you could do on the site.

Vanguard Ultra-compact Full-Size One-handle tripod. - Steady photos, anywhere.

Smilebox has hundreds of slideshow templates.

Design-a-photo-mosaic.com

Great Greetings - Shutter Sisters' October-December series on how to take great photos and incorporate them into equally outstanding holiday cards. There's a Flickr group too.

Please share any ideas I missed in the comments.

Laurie White writes at LaurieWrites and is slowly catching up with summer and fall on Flickr.