A Christmas present that is only theirs
Most Christmas presents could have been bought for anyone. This one cannot: every lit screen in the city shows a photo you chose, and the song playing is the one you picked. It suits the people who are hardest to buy for — parents and grandparents who “need nothing”, a partner who has heard every idea, a family you will not see this year.
It is a personalised (or, if you prefer, personalized) digital gift. It is not a printed photo book, not a gift card and not a video file: it is a small interactive world that opens in a web browser.
- What it is
- A night city made from your photos: they appear on the big lit screens along the streets. They drive through it, or press Automatic and watch it as a film, with your song playing.
- What it costs
- One payment of £14.99, €14.99 or US$14.99, depending on your country. No subscription, no account.
- How you make it
- Add up to 20 photos and one song if you like (an MP3, otherwise our soundtrack plays), then pay £14.99, €14.99 or US$14.99 securely by Stripe. Your world is usually ready about a minute later; a slow connection takes longer.
- What you get
- One small file, usually under 10 MB. We also e-mail you a receipt with the file attached when it is small enough for e-mail.
- How they open it
- In the web browser they already have, on a phone, tablet or computer. No app, no account, and it works offline. On iPhone they open ourspecialworld.com in Safari, tap “Open a saved world” and choose the file. Phones play it sideways, in landscape.
Which photos to choose for Christmas
Pick a story, not just your best photos
Two shapes work well at Christmas:
- The year in twenty photos. One or two photos from each month, January to December: the holiday, the new job, the garden, the dog’s first snow. Grandparents especially love seeing the year they missed.
- Christmases through the years. One photo from each Christmas you have spent together, oldest first, so the drive moves forward in time towards this year.
Put a sideways family photo first
The biggest screen sits on the main square. It goes to the photo whose shape suits it best — a landscape (sideways) photo — and when several photos suit it equally, the one earliest in your order wins. So put your favourite landscape family photo at the top of the list. Portrait photos are never cropped; their screen is shaped around them instead.
Bright beats atmospheric
The city is at night, so bright daytime photos glow on its screens: a crisp winter walk reads better than a candlelit dinner. Choose photos where faces are big; a group of twelve round the table will look tiny from the car.
A song that sounds like your Christmas
You can add one MP3 of up to ten minutes; without one, our own soundtrack plays. It does not have to be a famous carol. A recording of the children singing at the school concert, saved as an MP3, can mean more than any record. If you choose a song, use an MP3 you own.
Make the Christmas reveal easy
You can make the gift ahead of Christmas and keep it for the day. The finished file does not expire.
- Try it on their device. Open the free interactive sample on the phone, tablet or computer they will use. This lets you check the controls and sound before buying.
- Create it, then keep the file safe. Choose up to 20 photos and an optional MP3. Download the finished HTML gift and keep a backup of that file. We do not store a copy of your finished world.
- Give the file with a personal note. Send the actual gift file as an attachment, or open it together on a laptop. For a family reveal, select Automatic and turn on the sound when everyone is ready.
Opening on iPhone or iPad: save the attachment to Files, open ourspecialworld.com in Safari, choose “Open a saved world” and select the saved file. Turn the phone sideways. For grandparents, walk through this together before the big reveal.
A note to send with your gift
“I made you a little world from our favourite memories. Save the attached gift file, open it and choose Automatic when you are ready. Sound on, feet up. Happy Christmas.”
Giving it in person? Put the note in a card under the tree, then open the gift together. Sending it from afar? Arrange a call so you can enjoy their first trip through the city with them.
Watch the gift in motion
Honest answers
Will the city look Christmassy?
No, and we would rather say so. The city is the same lit night city for every gift, with a fireworks finale. What makes it Christmas is your photos and your song.
Will it work on Grandma’s old tablet?
It needs a reasonably up-to-date web browser. The easy test is to open the free sample world on their device first. If the sample plays, their gift will too.
Does it work on iPhone and iPad?
Yes. On iPhone or iPad they open ourspecialworld.com in Safari, tap “Open a saved world” and choose the file from Files. On computers and Android the file opens directly. Phones play it sideways, in landscape.
Can they watch it without the internet?
Yes. Once the file is saved on their device it opens offline, so it works at a relative’s house with no Wi-Fi.
What happens to our family photos?
They are used once to build the world, then deleted from our server once your file is downloaded. If you do not buy, they are deleted when you leave, at the latest 15 minutes after you add them; while you are at the payment page they are kept until the payment finishes or is abandoned, about half an hour at most. We do not keep a copy of the photos or of the finished world.
Can I get a refund?
Each world is made to order and delivered at once, so all sales are final. If you made a mistake, e-mail [email protected] and we will look into it. Refund policy.
Make their Christmas world
Have your twenty photos ready, then it takes a few minutes from start to download.
Add your photos. Add a song. Pay once and it is yours.