I’m not much for all the hoopla and commercialization that goes on for Christmas. It just seems too much greediness and waste is shown so shortly after the wonderful holiday of giving thanks. Are we that quick to forget?
One thing I do love though
Especially if they are accompanied by the annual family letter because celebrating Christmas with family IS a good thing. I love seeing how much children have grown in a year and hearing of the up and downs that every family has gone through.
Our Christmas cards have run the gamut of simple to elaborate. Here’s a sampling of some from the past.
From 2003 this was by far the most elaborate.
It opens up
to display all of our pictures
with the yearly synopsis in the middle.
This is one of my favorites.
It doubled as a birth announcement for Special Dark!
On the back of the girls’ picture was our family newsletter.
The next year I took the regular photo card and glued it to a bigger piece of cardstock, added a scrapbook paper Christmas tree and glued our family update on the back.
Thanks to the advent of digital photography and online photo sites our Christmas cards the last four years have taken the easy route – holiday photo cards. Even though it is easy they are definitely not boring!
We have actually ordered our cards the last 3 of 4 years with Shutterfly. Their selection is terrific. And their service is great (story about that a little later in the post).
Do you prefer religious cards? The one just above is the layout we used last year.
Or how about more playful, colorful holiday cards?
Did you know they even have holiday story cards? Their folded cards can be customized inside for family newsletters! Two for one! We’ll be getting story cards this year, though we haven’t decided on which design exactly.
I mentioned earlier about Shutterfly’s customer service. Several years ago I made a family photo book with old photos from my husband’s grandparents and my husband’s father and siblings when they were growing up. I ordered through Shutterfly. The books came and they were beautiful! Except for some reason three of them had some photos missing from the pages. They just didn’t print at all. I called Shutterfly and explained the problem. Instead of just sending out three new ones. They redid my whole order and sent out twelve more! Because of that experience alone we have stuck with them. Good customer service says a lot.
Giveaway: Shutterfly would like to give three of my readers 25 free 5×7 flat or folded holiday cards! Which ones will you choose?
To enter: Visit Shutterfly’s Holiday Card section and leave a comment here telling which card design catches your eye.
For an extra entry: Let me know in a separate comment your favorite Christmas song and/or Christmas album to listen to. We just picked up Michael Buble’s new Christmas CD and the MoTab 2010 Christmas concert CD featuring David Archuleta and Michael York. Both are terrific!
Giveaway will end Sunday at 8pm PST.
Shutterfly is also having a 40% off sale on all thier holiday cards until Nov. 14th!
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I love the card ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’.
Have you heard Jon Schmidt’s Christmas music? It’s instrumental (piano) but it’s absolutely fantastic and I never get sick of it. I love his arrangement of “I Saw Three Ships.”
I am really looking forward to listening to the David Archuleta/MoTab one though. I had no idea Michael York was in it. He freaks me out. I actually had a scary dream about him last week. He’s played in the villain in too many movies, I guess!
I kind of love the “We Believe” card. It could mean in Christ and/or it could mean in Santa Claus. And my non-religious friends would probably appreciate that. But I mostly like all the cards that don’t require special postage to send out, heh heh.
I love the mod merry ornaments card. There are so many cute cards!
My favorite Christmas song is Oh Holy Night. The two Christmas movies I watch every year are White Christmas and Charlie Brown’s Christmas. I suddenly want to go make hot chocolate!
Wow I love the Christ-filled Christmas!
I have to say Shutterfly is awesome. I have made some book with them to capture memories from our family reunions. So much fun to look at and so much fun stuff they have to offer.
I like the Very Merry Moments one. So fun! Can’t believe the holidays are already here!
I love so many Christmas songs. One that I really like and isn’t as well known is “In the Bleak Mid Winter.”
Our family also loves the Sarah McLachlan “Wintersong” Christmas CD. It is beautiful! Track 3 (“River”) and Track 9 (“Song For A Winter’s Night” are amazing!
Peace and Memories – I love that it has lots of spots for photos so I can do some of each child in the family, maybe in sets of siblings!
My favorite Christmas song is Samuel Tells of Baby Jesus in the Primary Songbook.
I love them all! too many to choose from. I would have a hard time choosing between some bold funky one and a more sophisticated one. – the kids as baubles from the “on our tree’ one is cute
One year I swear I’m going to get organised and send cards (its really losing its appeal in australia – I get maybe 5 cards these days – postage is pretty pricey) I do email nice family photos cards that I make but ones but a card sent in the mail is so much nice
Whee! I love their cards. The design I like this year is Still Believing. It has room for several pictures – a must since I doubt I can get one picture of all of us.
Wow, so many cards to choose, it’s hard. But I liked “Time To Rejoice”
My favorite Christmas song is “Away in a Manager”, its just so simple and sweet.
I love the With Love design.
We are Christmas music junkies, it is already playing nonstop around here. We really like CD’s with kids singing but right now our favorite has to be Martina McBride White Christmas CD. Her rendition of Away in a Manger and O Holy Night are amazing!
I just bought the Michael Buble’ album too! I’ve been saving it – we try to wait until after Thanksgiving before starting up on Christmas, but we’ll see how long I last! 😉
I like the Christ-filled Christmas card. We always listen to the Bing Crosby Christmas CD and a cute one by the Von Trapp children. Of course the Messiah and Mormon Tab Cds play all day on Sundays. I love Christmas music, but like you don’t enjoy the greedy commercialism of the season. I love sending and receiving Christmas cards with a bit of family history happenings from friends and family we don’t see often.
I’ve had the Snowflake Ribbon Card on my Pinterest board for a couple of weeks now! I love how it has room for a family shot and one of each of my three kids!
I would choose a card that says JOY! With a new baby in our home, that is what I feel this year!
Silent Night is my all time favorite Christmas song.
I like blossoming Joy
I love to listen to the King Singer’s Christmas songs
I like the “Joyful Joyful” card. It has enough picture spots to include our new baby, who will be here any day, I hope 🙂
I LOVE, LOVE Mannheim Steamroller’s Christmas music!! I don’t usually make it until after halloween before I break the Mannheim Steamroller CDs out!
I love the starlight snowflakes card.
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One of my favorite Christmas songs is mannheim steamroller’s silent night. so peaceful and beautiful
I really like the card “merry montage” I think that is the card that I will be ordering this year…..
Lots of really great ones to choose from, but I really like “Picture Tree” – something different and fun!
I love the soundtrack from the movie Elf – my all time favorite Christmas movie!!
I enjoyed all of your ideas and thanks for the information on Shutterfly.
Our choir is learning Candles and Carols, a musical setting of choice readings with updated melodies of classic sacred favorites. Did that make any sense???? It’s beautiful.
Love the blessed family card!
I love the “Merry Memories Collage” I like to be able to put more than one picture so each of the boys get a little highlight.
I love, love, love… Amy Grant’s Christmas. That’s a staple in our house for me. I love the songs and the way they make me feel.
My favorite is the Snowflake Ribbons card!
I absolutely love Christmas music of all kinds! Some of my favorites year after year are the Amy Grant albums!
I like the top 10 reasons card… it would save me time writing a letter too!
So your first super elaborate card was AMAZING! How did you find time to make all of those?
Also, for my entry, my favorite design was Bright Holly Jolly.
Also, my favorite Christmas song is What Child is This, because I love playing the Greensleeves melody on my violin.
Hmm, that is always a hard decision. I think I like For Unto Us.
Silent Night is my absolute favorite Christmas Song!
I like the “Shades of Peace” that you posted – its fun!
The Christmas album I like best has got to be any of Sufjan Stevens Christmas music.
I like the “favorite things” card that you showed in the post
my favorite memories of Christmas growing up are listening to my mom’s Perry Cumo and Johnny Mathis (sp?) Christmas albums
I like festive plaid and family wall, but it would be hard to choose…
i love all things motab, john schmidt, and jim brickman…i’ve been looking for a good album for this year…
I love the card “We are blessed.” Sometimes amid all the commercialism, we forget all the things we DO have. I also look for cards that don’t require extra postage!
I love the baby announcement/Christmas card!
My Christmas music includes Harry Connick Jr., Jon Schmidt, Eclipse, and The Forgotten Carols. I want to get a Josh Groban and Michael Buble albums too. What amazing voices!
I like the Believe In Christmas Religious Card. Lots of pictures, and a religious message.
I’m a Bing Crosby fan. I like the old classic Christmas songs.