Having worked for ChristmasCardsDirect for a number of years, I’ve seen the digital Christmas photo cards market grow tremendously. What used to be a small portion of our business with photos of families or just the kids has expanded to include everything and everybody. Now you may receive a photo card from Spot and Fluffy just as easily as you have from the Jones Family.

With that in mind, you have to understand that I am electronically challenged.  I’m from the generation that thought the Kodak instamatic camera was a miracle of technology. If I want to take a picture now, I have to have my daughter explain the camera to me practically every time I use it.  So, you can imagine my surprise and delight when I received a call from a potential customer who wanted to order holiday photo cards from us using a picture that her niece took of her and her husband at a family wedding.

Great, no problem. Au contraire! It seems that in the background of the picture was a man. Nobody knew who and she didn’t want him on her Christmas cards. Could I help her with this dilemma?

After asking a few questions, I bravely explained to her that she would need to contact her niece and ask her to upload the memory card from her camera to her computer and using photoshop, erase the stranger out of the picture. She could then send a clean image to her aunt, who could then upload it to our site.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I was thanked for my “expert” advice. I had to chuckle when I got off the phone.  When I arrived home, I couldn’t wait to replay my heroic actions to my daughter. All I got for it was a rolling of the eyes. Kids!

Ever since the start of popular social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube reaching out to people and staying in touch has been more important than ever. The digital medium that people prefer nowadays is either the computer or the cell phone because you can quickly get an update on your emails, Facebook statuses or surf the internet and check out the latest news. We are a society where the focus is on personalization. We customize our wallpaper to our favorite pictures on our computers, we build our social networks on LinkedIn through people that have touched us, we individualize our photos on Facebook and we tweet with others about pretty much anything that’s on our minds. The common thread that is shared between each of these social media sites is that YOU make it as you like, meaning you create the look and the feel of your page or your video and YOU decide who to share it with. The same idea stands behind photo greeting cards — YOU decide what it will look like, who it gets sent to and what personality you want the card to display.

One of the best features of digital photo greeting cards is that you are capturing a still moment in time, a precious memory that can now be shared with family and friends. For photo cards the possibilities are endless! They can be easily be mailed to family and friends so that they too can share in that special memory or moment that you have captured. In the end, you and your chosen ones will have a product that is special and memorable.

Photos of the beach make me a little homesick. I was born and grew up in a waterfront city in Maine. At one time the waterfront was a bustling fishing and commerce port. The horse and buggy and pedestrians alike traveled on the cobblestone streets. It is still a very active fishing and commerce port, but with the exception of a couple of horse drawn carriages for the tourists, the horse and buggy no longer travel the waterfront streets. However, even now, you can still see the cobblestones on some of the streets. There are restaurants and condos and refurbished buildings and just beyond is the harbor.  Much has changed over the years, but I imagine that our forefathers enjoyed seeing the bountiful nature as much as we do now. Besides the boats, a fort and a glimpse of some of the islands, you will see several species of birds. As you look out in the harbor, you just might catch a glimpse of seals on one of the buoys.  I never get tired of seeing what nature has provided for us. There are numerous opportunities to take great nature photos.

Just south of my hometown is a small resort town. It boasts one long pier and a wonderful, sandy beach complete with a play land of amusement rides. As you walk under the pier, you can see the remains of Sand Dollars, crabs and such. Walk down the beach a ways and you will enter a rockier part of the beach. Beyond that, the marshes appear. You will find little pools of seawater that stay behind when the tide goes out. Take a moment to explore these little tidal treasure pools and you just may fine some wonderful subjects for digital photo cards. Live crabs, mussels, sea stars, barnacles and kelp are just a few specimens you might see. Explore the marshes and you will find many species of birds.

You might expect to receive digital photo cards that show people playing in the surf, but if you just explore a little, you can photograph many unique subjects that this big old earth has to offer. You may still want to pick up some postcards, but nothing can replace beautiful nature photos that you snapped yourself.

Now that Christmas has passed, I found a good way to keep the business relationship strong is, at your next meeting or phone conversation with the sending company, mention to them that you received there card, and of course thank them.  I had a pleasant surprise last year when I did just that and was immediately offered a ‘special discount’ aimed towards customers who mentioned the receipt of a card. Now I can’t say this will happen to you, but it’s worth a shot! Not only did this validate the companies cost and effort, but it allowed me to save some cash that I already had designated towards the purchase.  So, in regards to business Christmas cards I definitely see it as a win/win situation.

Now if you sent out corporate Christmas cards, and are not in the business of providing goods that can be discounted, maybe you could come up with a different type of reward for those customers.  After all, isn’t that why you send them in the first place, to foster a better business relationship?  And what better way to help that along then by recognizing those who help keep your business in business.

Over the years I have received a number of photo Christmas cards.  I have collected them from friends as well as family members.  Every year I receive in return at least 10  photo cards. Last year my favorite was from my son who took his family on a cruise. The card was a picture of him and his daughter dressed in their formal attire right on the deck of the ship. This is a card that I will always cherish.

I am not normally an animal lover, but my son does have the cutest dog.  Before his daughter was born he sent me holiday photo cards of this little puppy sitting in a small trash can wearing a red Santa hat with his paws on top of the can and his head popping out. That is another card that I consider a keepsake.

I also have photo cards from family and loved ones that passed away some time ago.  It’s good to pull those out and reflect on memories of the past.  One is of my grandmother who was dressed in Christmas attire; red hat and all. This card is priceless.

My favorite cards are the ones I get every year from my grandchildren. Most of the time they are dressed in red with big smiles on their faces. I also receive a  photo card from my friend’s son whom I watched grow up.  He is now married and he still remembers to send us a card of him and his wife.  I think that is special just to be remembered by the young people once they grow up and move on.

Sometimes we sit and ponder over what to give someone who has everything.  Get creative and send holiday photo cards to them.  For both your friends and family members go through that old photo album and pull out some of your most treasured holiday photos, especially those with everyone smiling and turn them into photo cards.  They will treasure these more than any gift.

Three years ago, our family brought a new addition into our home – a Maltese puppy! After what seemed like years of begging and pleading from our daughter, we finally relented. Months of planning went into finding just the right breeder. In late November, our little puppy, Boo, finally arrived. We decided to send pet photo Christmas cards as a means of spreading holiday cheer, but also as an announcement of sorts about our new family pet.

One early December afternoon I embarked on the journey of creating the quintessential Christmas photo card. Like me, my daughter Sara wanted to capture the essence of the holidays and carefully chose a festive red dress, flat ironed her hair and skillfully applied her makeup. My free-spirited son Adam, on the other hand, grimaced when I suggested he wear a white dress shirt and cheerful red tie to match his sister. Little did I know that this was just the beginning of the theatrical show that was about to commence.

Excited about the prospect of creating a Christmas masterpiece, I had even purchased a Santa Claus outfit for Boo. With the Christmas tree twinkling in the background and candles framing the shot, I found just the right spot to capture the moment. With my camera in hand, I began to direct my kids and curious, wound up puppy in a manner that would have made even Steven Spielberg proud. Spielberg, however, did not try to direct an overly excited puppy and a son who thoroughly enjoyed the havoc Boo was creating. At every turn, the uncooperative puppy would chew Adam’s tie, leap from his arms, or pull his Santa hat off of his ears as I frantically made whistling noises and bribed him with promises of treats. After nearly a half an hour of exasperation, Adam suddenly picked Boo up, sat him on his sister’s perfectly groomed hair, faced the camera and laughed. Quickly, I snapped the photo and – voila! – the moment was captured! Sara’s look of surprise and Adam’s pure enjoyment of the pandemonium caused by Boo made for a whimsical, lighthearted photo that epitomized both their personalities. I found a fun, colorful design to complement the spirit of the photo and when I received my order, I was delighted with the results. I planned on creating the perfect, traditional card when I started out that early December afternoon. Instead, I stumbled upon an amusing moment that will remain a treasured family memory forever. Sending photo cards for the holidays is meant to bring joy to those who receive them, and in this case, it brought them a bit of laughter as well!

As soon as December arrives, I am on the lookout for the holiday photo cards that flood my mailbox.  It was not always like this.  For many years, the standard holiday cards would dominate my mailbox real estate but in recent years the photo card variety has taken over!  I love to receive these photo cards and am embarrassed to admit, get much more attention than the traditional variety.  I look forward to the perusing those precious pictures of smiling kids, adorable pets and hot vacation spots. But each year, I am on the hunt for  unique digital photos from Christmas; one that wins the best picture of the year in my book … I have had a few good and memorable winners over the years!!!

One year I received a holiday photo card with three pictures on the front – on one side was my girlfriend and on the other side was her husband who were newly married.  In the middle was a picture of, how shall I say without being too explicit, a picture of something that announced to us that they were expecting their first child!  (I will let you use your imagination!)

Another year the winner of my holiday photo card contest was the picture of a friend’s toddler crying with a bowl of macaroni and cheese dumped over his head…the funny part was that the baby was being so miserable that particular day that my friend, thoroughly frustrated and overwhelmed,  was the one that actually dumped the bowl on his head!  What a photo moment!!!

The holiday photo card tales can continue but, in reality, each digital photo card from Christmas that I receive is unique and special and I truly enjoy receiving every one.

For me, the sending of Christmas cards is a way to communicate with family members and friends who I may have lost touch with during the year. I love sitting around the kitchen table with my long list of relatives and personalizing each Christmas card with a special sentiment. It is the one time of the year that I get to reach out to distant cousins, uncles and aunts and let them know they are in my thoughts during the holiday season and beyond.

Although I had sent holiday photo cards before, typically these involved a family shot, usually sitting around the Christmas tree. With the advent of digital cameras, Christmas photo cards suddenly offered new opportunities. Not only were family shots possible (and available in much greater clarity than before), but Christmas photo cards soon became a way for me to express my joy with the season and share that joy with others.

Last year, I decorated my house with lights and garland. It was picture perfect and looked like a real life gingerbread house. I took a few shots with my digital camera and was ready to order some Holiday photo cards online when shortly thereafter, a dreaded ice storm passed through my area. If you ever had to drive in one of those storms, you’ll know what I mean by dreaded. However, if the storm happens to fall on your day off from work, you know that an ice storm can create some of the most breathtaking scenery. And, sure enough, there in my front yard were trees glistening with nature made icicles. The holiday lights from my house shimmered off the icicles and looked stunning! I quickly grabbed the digital camera and took some of the most fabulous holiday photos I have ever seen. Now I had the perfect photo for my digital photo Christmas cards.

When I sent those photo cards out last year, the responses from my relatives were overwhelming. They called to ask me where I had gotten the Christmas cards from. When I told them it was a photo of my house, they were amazed and in disbelief. It took quite a bit of convincing to get them to accept that I was the photographer and that the photo was indeed of my house. Truly the Christmas photo cards are a way for me to share my special holiday with those family members I normally don’t get to see. I really made me feel good to be able to share a piece of my life with my relatives. I will certainly continue to send out Christmas photo cards every year though I think the effects of the ice storm will be hard to top.

I have recently found out that a great way to share your vacation with family and friends is by adding your vacation pictures to your photo Christmas cards.  I can’t say that I came up with this idea alone.  In the past few years, I have received a few photo Christmas cards from friends and family showing a nice family portrait of them sitting on a beach.   I know that many of our family members wish that we could all vacation together but not everyone’s schedules permit it.  It is also not that easy to find time to share your photo’s with everyone as well.  I have decided that I would start adding my vacation photos to my holiday cards as well.

I know as a parent to two young children, it is not easy to get them to pose for pictures.  I have found that on vacation, many candid pictures seem to come out great even without making them pose.  I can kill two birds with one stone by showing off my vacation while sending out my Holiday Photo Cards.   This concept seems to receive a very positive response.  Many of our friends and family were very excited to see just exactly what we were up to on our little trip.  As long as my family goes away on a vacation, I think I will continue this tradition.

For years I have admired all the photo greeting cards that I am the happy recipient of at holidays or other special occasions. I have often wondered; how do these people: relatives, friends and even obscure acquaintances manage to get their spouse, children and pets to 1) sit nice and still 2) smile and 3) dress in matching colors or clothes!? Granted, as technology has advanced and digital photo greeting cards have become more readily available on the internet, a family “portrait” is not as much an effort as in the past.

Well last year, I decided that we should send a holiday digital photo greeting card showing off our ever growing clan of children and grandchildren. What a fiasco! I had determined that since I was not likely to get this crew to sit still and smile nicely; I would take a somewhat candid shot at a summer birthday gathering. Screaming children, wet hair and all, it was who we are.

Fortunately, the photo card that I had produced was so well made and such a great design that it made even this motley crew look good! I received many compliments on our holiday photo card. Who knows what we can come up with for this year! I do know everyone had a lot of fun posing for this one and I look forward to this being an annual round of laughter for the whole family.