I have always loved receiving holiday cards. It reinforces the feeling that somebody, somewhere, is remembering me and my family, even if it is just for the few minutes it takes to fill out and address cards. Likewise, I really enjoy sending out holiday cards to all my friends and loved ones. Until recently, though, I wasn’t a big fan of Christmas photo cards – or at least, of those early versions. They were not foldable, so propping them up was a nuisance. The subjects in formal studio poses often looked a little stiff. The cards came in shapes and sizes hard to insert in photo albums. However, ChristmasCardsDirect has a truly amazing variety of designs and print options, combined with digital technology, which totally won me over when I realized the fun things one could do with them!

Holiday photo cards no longer have to be about Santa hats or snowmen. You could share with your friends and extended family your latest vacation experience by downloading one or multiple pictures of the vacation on your card. The multiple-display options and the incredible variety of designs available to showcase these is one of the best things to happen to photo cards! You can include individual snapshots of the members of your family on your holiday photo card, or of events like picnics and festivals your family took part in throughout the year.

This year the subject of my holiday card is going to be a little different, my house. We recently lost our house to a fire, and had to rebuild it from scratch. It took a while to overcome the trauma and the memories, and surprisingly, our new house turned out to be the best healer! We now enjoy seeing the seasons change around our new home, admire the variety of flowers in our newly-landscaped garden, while my husband and I have developed whole new hobbies around the house as handyman and interior decorator! So, as a token of our new passion, and our friends and extended family know it well, I am thinking of downloading a photo of our house, or perhaps multiple shots of it from different angles and different seasons, for our holiday photo card this year!

Dashing through the snow
In a car, or plane or sleigh
Through the year we go
Taking digital photos while traveling all the way!

Kids doing Snow-y things
Making our spirits bright
What fun it is to travel and sing
A traveling song tonight.

Jingle Bells, Photos tell
What we did along the way
Oh what fun it is to take
A photo about our stay, O
Jingle Bells, Photos tell
What we did along the way
Oh what fun it is to take
A photo about our stay.

A day or two ago
I thought about holiday photo cards tried
And soon my vacation photos
Were close to my side;

The photos were bright and swank
Fun seemed to be the lot,
I chose a photo to thank
And then I ordered my holiday photo cards alot.

Jingle Bells, Photos tell
What we did along the way
Oh what fun it is to take
A photo about our stay, O
Jingle Bells, Photos tell
What we did along the way
Oh what fun it is to take
A photo about our stay.

Traveling through the year
In a car, plane or sleigh
Through the year you go
Take photos along the way!

Bah! Humbug! There, I said it. I don’t intend to sound cynical. The holidays usually bring such stress; shopping, crowds, decorating, wrapping & cooking. Some spend months preparing and it’s over barely after it began. That’s why I love photos. In a world where moments come and go in the blink of an eye, photos last forever. They capture more than words could ever express and all the advances in technology have really given us so many options in sharing our memories. Holiday photo cards give us a new passage to bragging rights. No more sitting in front a blank wall while Dad attempts to get the slide projector going listening to “Holiday Road” over and over on a loop…pass the eggnog please.

My family and friends live in different parts of the country, most near, but some far. Any time I get to spend with them I cherish. However, I don’t always get to see them during the holidays. We’re grown ups, (I use that term loosely, we’re really still kids at heart) we have other obligations to adhere to. So when I received a card from my brother, wholeheartedly prepared to toss it in one of the ubiquitous piles of redundancy I had been acquiring, you could imagine my amazement when it was a digital photo card of my new nephew. He’s so cute and it’s so clear! I can see the speckles of gold in his green eyes. It immediately warmed my heart and put me in a jolly spirit. A few days later, another one! This time from my best friend and her husband in front of their new house in Arizona, I can’t wait to visit.

Digital photo Christmas cards are so uplifting. They share great personal moments at a time when you can get wrapped up (pun intended) in the hustle and bustle. So remember to smile, because next year you may wind up posted on someone’s fridge.

I don’t mean to sound like a grump, but it sure is hard to be original when it’s time to send out Christmas cards. Maybe you feel the same way: the cards start pouring in around the end of November and after a while they all start to look the same, and you barely notice who they’re from anymore. So I was looking for a new idea to spice up the Christmas tradition when someone mentioned to me that vacation photos make great cards. That was it, I had my solution.

Vacation photos are fun and interesting and make people smile. At least mine do. That’s what I want! Add a personal message and you’ve got the perfect holiday photo cards. I’ve always got lots of great photos to choose from too. Last year I had one of the whole family on the beach around an awesome sand castle. Another with all of us at a lighthouse on a cliff, with the Chesapeake Bay in the background. So far the frontrunner for this year’s card is a candid shot of everyone splashing in a mountain stream on a camping trip. A little unconventional, I know, but then so am I!

I guess some folks would like to send holiday photo cards that are a little more serious and formal, or maybe with everyone in Santa suits or reindeer antlers. Whatever! No matter what you do, they’re unique. And that’s what makes photo cards the perfect choice!

I love getting photo Christmas cards every year. I especially love getting ones from our friends and family who we don’t get to see often during the year. I even keep the photo cards each year and can see how the children are growing up. I’m not going to say that I can see the adults are “growing up” too! Why can I see other families “growing up” but not my own? I guess that I don’t want to admit that my children are growing up and my husband and I are just getting old!

It’s nice to see how creative everyone can be with their holiday photo cards. We get all kinds, some traditional, some families are on their vacation, some are in front of their new house or on their new boat, some with their graduation cap and gowns on. We get some with the children wearing their sports uniforms, ballet costumes, Halloween costumes and some of my favorites include their pets. Why not? They are part of the family too aren’t they? We did get some very clever ones. We had one family including dad, mom and 2 children dressed up as sugar plum fairies all snuggled up in bed.

One year, when my children were much younger, I had them dressed up in Christmas sweaters and put reindeer antlers on them. Stella, our Chihuahua, was dressed in a little Santa Claus outfit and hat. Stella was in back of the sleigh while our children were in front pulling the sleigh. It was really cute. Well at least I thought so. My father in law didn’t think so too much. He didn’t like the idea of including our dog in the picture with his grandchildren! Like I said before, “Why not? She is part of our family”.

When I think about photo Christmas cards, images of children in their best Sunday clothes, couples on their wedding day, or adorable pets come to mind.  Not to say there’s anything wrong with that!  But this past Holiday season, I received a few photo cards from friends on their vacation.  Even though I was in freezing temperatures, I loved seeing my friends on their worldly (usually warm) adventures!

I thought using a vacation photo was a really cool and new take on what kind of pictures you can use on holiday cards.  But that’s exactly why I love photo cards; you can use what ever picture you want to share with family and friends!  It’s a really great way to let your loved ones know what you have been up to in the past year, while also sending them holiday wishes.

One friend sent me a photo card of him on the beaches of Puerto Rico. The design of the card was teal starfish and it looked so contemporary and unique.  Once again, photo cards are changing the way holiday cards are supposed to look.  It was so great to read his warm holiday wishes to me!  Another friend sent me a card of her and her husband on their trip to Greece.  The picture on that card was beautiful!  It was of them standing on a mountain side overlooking the majestic-blue ocean.  That sure did take me away from my winter wonderland back home, if only for a moment!

Next time I go on vacation, I will make sure to bring my digital camera.  Not only will I have those pictures as a keepsake, but I could also use them to create photo cards.  It goes to show that you can use those vacation photos in so many ways!

Every time we have a family get together someone takes pictures and those family photos are probably the most valuable memories we have.  My favorite is the photo for the family photo Christmas cards. What we do is take a picture of the entire family and my oldest sister has a photo card made. Then she sends it to all of us as her Christmas card. Sounds weird but it really is great to see the picture of all of us with our kids on the face of a card. Since these cards can be personalized she also like to add the year. This way we can keep track of the aging process!

I love that technology is so advanced that we can do all of this online; we only have to upload a photo, choose a design, add some text and voila!, within minutes a family photo Christmas card. Our family is quite large and to get everyone to cooperate at the same time is a challenge so the hardest part of all of this is getting the perfect picture. However, over the years we have learned to relax and know that it is the picture of all of us together that is more important than if we all matched.

With economic times the way they are sometimes it’s not possible to come up with a great gift idea without spending a lot of money. Remember that fun vacation you and the family went on?  Vacation photo Christmas cards can be the gift to give that special someone to cherish forever.  They’re not your typical gift wrapped in a box with a neatly tied bow, although they could be, but they are the kind of gifts that you can sit out on your table in your favorite room and admire for years to come.

Perhaps your grandparents or dear friends have come from far away to spend some time with you and the family and giving that vacation photo card could make them still feel close by each time they take a glance at the picture. Gathering in the family room around the holidays on the big comfy couch laughing and enjoying the company of friends and family is always a special time. Why not capture that special moment with Holiday photo cards?  Who doesn’t enjoy reminiscing and feeling warm and fuzzy inside?  We all need our spirits lifted from time to time.  A photo card can do just that for you.

Before we used to keep our pictures in those little containers waiting to get them developed.  Now some are stored on our digital cameras or on memory cards.  Pick out you favorite photos, choose a nice border, personalize them, and make a nice gift out of them. If you don’t want to put them in a small gift box the high quality foil lined envelopes still keeps the integrity of the photo cards.

It’s always better when you take the time out to make your gift giving extra special. I remember receiving a hand-painted ornament with my family’s name on it and I knew thought and time went into it.  We use it year after year and it’s one of our most treasured gifts.  There is nothing like seeing someone make use of or enjoy a gift you’ve given them.  Seeing the photo Christmas cards you sent someone displayed brings pleasure to both the giver and receiver.

This year I decided to try something different with my holiday photo cards. I usually wait until the last minute to get that forced smile out of my kids while they are dressed up in their holiday clothes. All parents know it can be a challenge to get kids to stand still and co-operate for the yearly photo. Gathering the kids for the same old photo scenario became a stressful event each year, for me as well as the kids. The holidays can be stressful enough with all the rushing around. I grew as tired of posing the kiddies in front of the holiday tree year after year as they did. If this event sounds familiar, I’m about to share a great solution!

Thankfully, I thought to grab my camera before heading to the beach this summer. I had taken tons of great photos while on vacation this summer. I decided to showcase my favorite vacation photo on our holiday cards this year. As a result, I was able to create some wonderful vacation photo holiday cards. The vacation photos reflected the happy time we were having as a family, and gave the cards a very casual, natural and comforting look, instead of the usual forced, uncomfortable smiles. Also, I feel by creating vacation photo holiday cards, my family members will be able to display and enjoy the photo all year round. It gives the idea of holiday photo cards a greater purpose, since they can be used throughout the year as a memento of good times. I started a new tradition this year by taking casual, natural poses while the kids are having fun in the sun. There was no stress involved. Sending vacation holiday cards was a pleasure!!

Last year, I’m proud to announce, my very own mother joined the 21st century.  After years of me pleading with her, she let me buy her a digital camera as her Christmas present.  For the first time in who knows how long, she did not go out and buy a disposable camera to use during our annual Christmas Day family dinner.  She even impressed us all a bit with how quickly she picked up on how to use it.  Sure, there was the occasional picture of the ceiling or accidental video taken, but for the most part the pictures looked pretty good.  By the end of the night, we had a good amount of digital photos from Christmas that year.

Now let’s fast forward to present day where we are gearing up for another holiday season.   Not only has my mom improved her skills with the camera, but she has found a lot of great uses for it as well.  This year, my Mom is using her digital camera to take the family picture for our first ever holiday photo cards. While standing by the Christmas tree waiting for your picture to be taken with four other people isn’t the most exciting thing to be doing on a Saturday afternoon, we understand how important it is to my mom.  The combination of having a digital camera and receiving photo cards from her sisters’ families last year was almost too much for my mom to handle.  All year she has been itching to send out photo cards of us.   After an hour or so of repositioning ourselves, my mom was satisfied she had the photo she needed and once the actual card was created, she couldn’t have been happier.

A simple present to make my mom’s life a little easier turned into a way to show off how proud she is of her family.   Of course she has other uses for it, but using the digital camera to take a picture for that year’s Christmas card was, in my mom’s opinion, its best use yet.