Heather Gee printed wrapping paper with her 2-year-old field golden retriever Posey on it.
Christina Cardona, a video producer at USA TODAY, printed wrapping paper with a photo of her 6-year-old lab-pittie mix Bean on it.

Pet owners are getting creative this holiday season, printing images of their furry friends on wrapping paper to include them in the festivities and add a bit of personal touch.

"I love personalizing gifts and when I saw this TikTok trend of people printing their pets, children, and loved ones on wrapping paper, I saw it as an opportunity to add a personal touch for my family and friends who love my dog as much as I do," Heather Gee, who has a 2-year-old field golden retriever named Posey after San Francisco Giants Buster Posey, told USA TODAY in an email.

The California-based nurse said it "only felt right" to include Posey in the holidays as "Santa Paws," complete with a red hat.

Gee, who was already a user of image editing software like Canva, initially debated whether to go ahead with the prints. Deep discounts at Staples during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales finally prompted her to take the plunge.

"I am so excited for my loved ones to unwrap the gifts from Posey and me this year," Gee said. Her family loves the wrapping paper so much, she said, that they asked her to design more.

More than that, it was the response on social media to her video documenting the process that left Gee shocked.

"If anything, we were far more shocked by how this video took off and so many people decided to create their own wrapping paper," Gee said of her video that garnered more than 7 million views on TikTok.

Trying something different

Inspired by the trend on TikTok, Christina Cardona, a video producer at USA TODAY, also decided to print wrapping paper with photos of Bean, her 6-year-old lab-pitbull mix, on it.

"I always try to do something fun with my dog during the holidays," Cardona said, adding she usually does themed Christmas cards with Bean. "I dress him up and go all out."

This year, Cardona decided to do something different. When she saw people creating their own wrapping paper on TikTok, she wanted to try it out.

"I love using Canva to make posters and cards, so this was very easy to make," Cardona said. Like Gee, she couldn't resist passing up a good printing deal and decided to go ahead with the project.

While Cardona is yet to give out presents, she said she's already wrapped everything and is excited for Christmas Day.

"My mom is going to love it," Cardona said.

'Sweetest way to celebrate'

Lillian Rainier, a UGC (user-generated content) creator, wanted her first Christmas with her pet to "feel extra special," and putting her 9-month-old puppy's face on wrapping paper felt like the "sweetest way to celebrate her and share that joy with our family."

"Lavender is my miniature longhaired dachshund, and she truly completed our little family," Rainier told USA TODAY. "As a newlywed, bringing her home felt like the perfect addition. I’m honestly obsessed with her. She’s practically my whole life."

Every gift wrapped in the personalized wrapping paper "means so much more because she’s on it," Rainier said.

The content creator said she is excited to be "starting new traditions" for her family and for everyone who has seen her video on social media.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch pet owners add personal touches to their gift wrapping

Reporting by Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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