Image credit: Storydo

Like most parents these days, I have an embarrassing number of photos on my phone.
At the time of writing, it’s 38,595. I know this because I checked (with a mixture of pride and panic). Most of them are of my daughter, from the moment she arrived in the world to the messy, hilarious, fleeting moments that make up our everyday life.

My phone throws me little “memory” reminders now and then, which is lovely… until I remember I haven’t backed up my iCloud in years. The thought of losing my phone or my laptop quietly terrifies me. So many memories she won’t remember on her own. So many photos I’ve taken with the best intentions and done absolutely nothing with.

This year, while thoughtfully curating my Christmas gifts, I decided to change that. I want to give something that won’t end up being donated or outgrown.

We’ve already gone through the cycle of outgrown toys, donated books, clothes that lasted all of three months. I’m learning quickly that most things we buy for kids have a very short life span.

But a book about her life? Her family? Her beginnings?
That feels different. That feels like something she’ll keep forever.

So when I came across Storydo, a platform that helps you turn your family story into a children’s book, I thought it might be the perfect Christmas present — something more meaningful than another toy I’ll inevitably step on before it goes into a donation bag.

Creating the Book Felt Surprisingly… Therapeutic

To my surprise, making the book became a chance to finally sort through my mountain of photos. I deleted duplicates, blurry shots, and random pictures of food. And along the way, I rediscovered moments I’d completely forgotten. It took about a week to put it all together — each day I dedicated a little time to sift through the thousands of photos — but somehow, it actually felt good. Once you log into Storydo, you can work at your own pace, dipping in and out whenever you like, which makes it easy to take your time and get everything just right.

Image credit: Storydo

The process itself was incredibly simple: you upload photos, answer some questions about your family, and the system starts shaping the story for you. You can edit the text, reword things, or keep it as is. I liked that it let me stay positive and warm, but it also gently asked about big life moments if I wanted to include them.

What I appreciated most was that the platform clearly understands that families come in all kinds of shapes — single parents, same-sex parents, blended families, adoptive families. It wasn’t assuming anything about us, which was refreshing.

Once you finish, they print the book and send it to your home. Mine is on its way and I genuinely can’t wait to see my daughter’s face when she realises the story is about her.

Why This Felt Like the Right Gift This Year

Maybe it’s the environmental guilt of adding more plastic to the Christmas pile. Maybe it’s watching my daughter grow faster than my camera roll can keep up. Maybe it’s the nagging fear of losing everything to a technical mishap.

Whatever the reason, this year I wanted to give her something she wouldn’t grow out of — something she might keep and cherish forever. This felt like the first gift in a long time that won’t be forgotten on a shelf.
It’s a story.
Her story.
And I think that might be the one thing worth keeping forever.

*I received the book as a gift, but all opinions here are my own.