Personalised Christmas Gifts: Order-By Dates for 2026

We work back from Friday 25 December, so there is time to make each piece, frame it and get it to your door. These are our recommended order-by dates for personalised Christmas gifts delivered anywhere in Australia. Earlier is always safer, because December is our busiest month.

Delivery is free anywhere in Australia. See dispatch and delivery for how we pack and send each piece. Not sure there is time for your order? Ask us before you buy and we will tell you honestly.

A portrait painted from a favourite photo is the gift people keep on the wall for the rest of their lives: the grandchildren, a couple on their wedding day, the family dog. Each one is hand-painted in oils on canvas by a university-trained artist, then stretched and framed in Melbourne.

Order by Tuesday 10 November for Christmas. A portrait takes 21 to 28 days, and every change you ask for adds a little time, so the earlier you send the photo the better. Prices start from $349. See the portrait gallery, or check which canvas suits your wall in the portrait size guide.

For the dog or cat owner, there are two ways to do it. A hand-painted pet portrait in oils: order by Tuesday 10 November. Or a pet print, illustrated from your photo and printed on canvas or paper, from $89: order by Tuesday 24 November. Pet prints come with a free proof first, and nothing is printed until you approve it.

The dog will probably be more interested in the wrapping paper. The owner won't be.

Starry Night, Monet's water lilies, Klimt's The Kiss, or an Australian classic by Tom Roberts or Frederick McCubbin. Every painting is 100% hand-painted in oils on canvas to order, which is why the Christmas date comes early: order by Tuesday 10 November.

Browse famous reproductions, Australian art or the full range of paintings. Starry Night, our best seller, starts from $299. Use the size guide to pick a size that suits their wall, not just the one that looks right on a phone.

Prints are quicker to make, so they are the answer once the painting date has passed. Print your own image on canvas (a family photo, a holiday view, a wedding shot) from $229, or choose from thousands of canvas prints such as coastal wall art.

Order by Tuesday 24 November. Canvas prints take 10 to 14 days and come ready to hang. The print size guide shows each size against a sofa.

Canvas prints: made in Australia.

Two of our Art Guides go through it person by person: Christmas gift ideas for her and Christmas gift ideas for him. The Christmas art gift guide covers what to order and when. The short version:

A portrait of the grandchildren or the family dog, painted from her favourite photo. Order by Tuesday 10 November.

A hand-painted copy of the painting he has always liked, or his dog in oils. Order by Tuesday 10 November.

One painting for the house they share: a family portrait, or a canvas print of the beach where you spent every summer (order by Tuesday 24 November).

A portrait of all the grandchildren together. If the photos are on different phones, send them all and the artist paints them as one group. Order by Tuesday 10 November. For more ideas, see Christmas gifts for art lovers.

If the date has gone, a Direct Art gift card is the answer. Choose $50 to $2,000, add a message, and it is emailed in minutes or on the morning you choose, Christmas Day included. They pick the painting, portrait or print in the new year, with no rush. More on the gift cards page.