Calendars provide an effective and efficient way of organising time around the world with people of all nationalities. There have been many versions in many cultures over many years, and all have differed in the way they have segmented the seasons. The official version in use at moment is the Gregorian, or Christian calendar. It is a globally accepted way of delineating time in a way that is most fitting with the natural cycle. However, the connotations with Christianity pose a problem with some cultures, and rather than using the term BC and AD, BCE and CE are used instead; representing Before Common Era and Common Era respectively. Incredibly, there are still an additional forty calendars currently in use by various countries and cultures alongside the western Gregorian version.

We take this system of organisation for granted in our daily lives, from applications like Outlook Express, organisers on our mobile phone and even settings on the TV. Despite this digital leap, the traditional paper versions adorn walls in kitchen and bedrooms, and desks in offices around the world. We use them to plan our every move and barely consider what a great feat it is and what we might do without such a time tool. Sometimes even the practicality is overlooked, and the common calendar is a novel way to give a personal gift.

Around Christmas time, specialist shops pop up selling every permutation under the sun, whatever your hobby or fancy there will be a calendar to suit your taste; Johnny Depp, an Andrex puppy, Johnny Depp with an Andrex puppy... really, anything you could desire!! The latest trend has been to create personalised versions for friends and family from stocks of digital stills on hard drives the world over. This has massive potential for creativity, on a par with the finger painted calendars children bring home from playschool. You can create a year's worth of embarrassing photos from drunken nights out, make a montage of children growing up or simply show off your own photography skills.

There are many types of planner available and the process of making your own is actually quite simple. Most online print studios will have their own version of a Photoshop style software available to download. This will work with their exclusive templates so that your digital photos can be uploaded and dropped into the relevant sections before editing. Layering, cropping and contrast can be adjusted, and the real beauty is that you can see the results on your computer screen before you decide to buy. The possibility to play all day creating personalised presents for friends and family is crazily tempting, especially if you have access to a great stock of photos. The proliferation of the photographic medium means that even the most random and surreptitious shots can be obtained for a great gift idea if you don't already have what you want.

It really is a great gift for all the family and for your friends, and the pictures can be saved once the year is over. So pack away the finger paints and get out the memory stick to get creative the digital way; there's no excuse not to, creating your own unique work of art is not as challenging as constructing a calendar system!