I love receiving vacation photos on Christmas cards. My friends and associates travel much more than I will ever be able to. Photo Christmas cards with digital prints of some exotic locale, featuring the families of the people I know make me feel as though they had brought me along. It may be freezing cold outside, but the warmth of the tropics seeps through these pictures into my living room.

Of course, another reason I love these digital photo cards at Christmas is that it’s like the gift that keeps on giving. The photos are promptly put on my refrigerator at home, or on my desk and wall at work. Sometimes when it gets particularly hectic, it helps me when I look at the photos, especially the kids and pets.

Here's an idea - send vacation photo Christmas cards featuring a picture from your last trip.

Your pictures do not have to be of people. If you have a talent for photography, you can use shots of scenery or events that you saw while on vacation. The roaring ocean, a simple shell, a native dance, or a glorious sunset will make your one-of-a-kind vacation photo the card most treasured by its recipients.

Someone remarked that it would be a great idea to have one made for our company to send to clients, vendors, and employees. I have proposed just that to my superiors, and they are considering choosing a digital photo from our company picnic for this year’s Christmas cards.

So whether it’s for business or pleasure, hop on to the vacation digital photo train and put your skills to work.

Something happened these past few years
   that has caused me to shed quite a few tears…
The things I knew and always trusted
   got so very old and rusted!

It seems that overnight my camera had become
   some thing dated and really quite dumb.
Photo greeting cards had become the rage
   and digital cameras were space age.

I was now forced to learn this new technique
   because Christmas photo cards were really quite neat!
I considered my options and decided to jump in;
   otherwise this just wasn’t going to happen.

Off I went to the internet to buy me a camera,
   but I didn’t realize I’d need so much stamina!
Different sizes, different shapes, dpi? – oy vey!
   What would be my fate?

It took some time for me to decipher,
   but I finally got it done and mastered.
Now I can take pictures of my beautiful grandkids,
   and order photo cards to show off my talents!

It doesn’t take much to make a small gesture go a long way when it comes to maintaining the bond in all of your business relationships. Corporate Christmas cards can connect client and consultant, doctor and patient, executive and office worker…the list goes on. The holidays are stressful as it is; add in the ongoing economic climate and it’s enough to drive anyone a little crazy. A simple goodwill message in the mail can ease the stress of the busy corporate world and let the recipient know that someone is thinking of them.

My dentist is a perfect example of someone using business holiday cards as a tool to keep connected with his patients. Each year I receive a beautiful Christmas card with an enclosed letter updating me on the lives of everyone that works to make that dental office run smoothly each day. Dr. S has traveled across the country to speak at dental seminars; my hygienist is pregnant with her first child. The receptionist who always confirms my cleaning appointments sent her son away to college this fall. And even Dr. S’s daughters are keeping busy – girls who have made appearances in the annual newsletter for years are now about to graduate college! The holidays are the perfect time to take pause and realize how far we all have come as another year has come and gone, and a holiday card is a perfect way to remind us all to stop and breathe for a moment.

Design #896CW, Prosperity Box Holiday Cards, is the perfect corporate Christmas card to send out from your office to your clients and customers.

Business holiday cards don’t have to be stuffy or fit into a stereotype, and there is a wide array of designs that will suit any taste. In these uncertain times, the act of getting those corporate Christmas cards out to your waiting audience is a constant that I’m sure we can all agree is well-worth the time and effort! I appreciate Dr. S’s annual card and I’ll be sure to tell him so at my next cleaning!

Every year, my family and I spend the week between Christmas and New Year’s at the beach. It is the only time of year that we all have days off from work, school, and other responsibilities, and can all successfully coordinate a vacation together without too many headaches (missing luggage excluded, of course). We also send beach-themed Christmas photo cards every year to other relatives and friends and this is an opportune moment to take the family picture without any added hassles. One year we tried taking a scheduled family picture at a studio, and between people running late, crying children, and a novice photographer, it turned out to be a complete disaster!

In addition to seeing my family all together and actually enjoying each other’s company, the highlight of my winter vacation is taking beach photos. There are so many photos that a person can take at the beach over the course of any day. Sunrise is always different than sunset, high tide differs from low tide. No two pictures ever look the same! Sitting and watching the tide come in is not only a great time for rest and relaxation and a time to commune with nature, but also an excellent time for photography practice.

A photo of the sunrise at the beach makes for memorable Christmas photo cards.

Taking pictures of the tide coming in and going out is a good time to practice with different camera settings as well. In addition to experimenting with different camera speeds, different settings such as landscape or motion, you can experiment with whether or not to use your flash. Capturing the perfect moment can take years of practice and even the most experienced photographers still do not take the best pictures every single time they take a photo. Since I live in a relatively urban area, going to the beach is always a special experience and a good time to take a break from the busy day-to-day “ebb and flow” of life. The pictures that I take are a pleasant reminder of a restful and relaxing vacation filled with good memories that will last a lifetime.

You know that you are taking a lot of (possibly too many) digital photos when a two year old sees you with your camera and then sweetly asks, “You want to take my picture?” This is what my grandson said to me recently when he noticed me spying on him, trying to take a cute candid shot with my digital camera. He then put on his sweetest smile and then gave me the perfect pose. He’s a natural (when he wants to be)!

I have another grandson, who when asked to sit with his brother and sisters, will tell them to just smile for one minute so I can get the picture. He knows that I will try to get the perfect photo and if they will just cooperate, they will get to escape sooner. Now this child of 11 years knows the routine! Unfortunately, for him and those of us trying to get a decent picture for our photo Christmas cards, this is no easy task. You see, he has four sisters, ranging in ages from two to nine, and a younger brother of three years. Have you ever tried to get six kids to sit for more than a few seconds? Don’t even think about trying to get them all to smile while facing the camera! I don’t think there is one among us who can’t relate!

Some of my favorite family digital photo Christmas cards are the ones that aren’t “perfect.” They show the one child folded in half, trying to get away while dad is holding him, grimacing as he tries to contain the slippery little devil. Or they show mom with the “look” on her face as she tries to will her daughter into submission. Now we all know the “look” just doesn’t work.

The moral of this story is that there is no perfect picture. Just imagine the future conversations that will arise when going back to these photo cards. I bet that the real conversation pieces will be the ones that weren’t absolutely perfect, but the ones that just happened!