Early one morning in November many years ago, my sister Marie called to remind me of a pact the two of us had made the year before involving photo Christmas cards. We had decided that when my youngest child turned two we would take our kids (her two and my three) to have their photos taken for each family’s Christmas cards. It would mark the beginning of the end, so to speak, of our kids’ babyhood. They were now old enough and mature enough to sit while taking photos for a professional photo session. Or so we thought!

So off to the photographer we went…Marie with her two toddlers and me with my three little angels. Marie’s kids went first and in less than ten minutes they were done! The photographer was happy as a clam with the digital photos he had taken. He told Marie that he wished all children were as easy to pose when taking pictures as hers were. Marie was absolutely beaming!

Then it was our turn. Where do I begin to describe the nightmarish scene that followed? Should I start with my youngest, who for some unknown reason took an instant dislike to the photographer and screamed bloody murder whenever he got within ten feet of him? Or should I try to explain what happened when my middle one, at my insistence, removed his baseball cap. Now I was the one screaming. “What happened to your hair?” I yelled. Before he could answer, my oldest chimed in with “I cut it for the picture, but he kept moving so it’s a little crooked.” I was flabbergasted! “A little crooked? A little crooked!” I cried. You can understand my shock when I tell you that there was a chunk of hair missing that was half the size of his head! I wanted to tell him to put the darn cap back on, but it didn’t exactly match his little blue suit!

What can I say? The rest of the photo shoot was a disaster. The youngest one never did stop screaming (but I did, eventually). The middle one pouted his way through taking photos, and the oldest – the hair stylist – smiled easily, secure in the knowledge that she would look the best of the three of them in the family photo Christmas cards.

When we finally emerged from the studio, Marie, who had been waiting outside with her perfect little darlings, basking in their successful photo taking experience, asked innocently, “What took so long? What happened?” Worn out like an old dish rag, the only response I could muster was an almost inaudible, pitiful whimper. Did Marie know some secret photo tips for photographing kids and not feel the need to share that information with me? Sometimes it’s impossible for parents to predict how their children will behave when taking photos, especially the younger ones!

P.S.  Much to my surprise and delight, the photo cards turned out really cute and it was the beginning of an annual tradition!

What makes you choose a photo for photo greeting cards?  There seem to be lots of occasions for which, looking back, I realize that I’d forgotten to bring the camera or (I sincerely hope I’m not the only one who has done this) actually did bring the camera, carried it around all day, and never once remembered to take a picture!  The most extreme case of all (please don’t tell anyone I did something so empty-headed) was when I was snapping away while my visiting relatives posed, only to discover later that there was no film in the camera and no photos to mail to them.  Mortified?  Believe it!

So, what can you do with all the photos you do have, besides (if you’re organized) putting them in albums or (if you’re me) putting them in boxes until you “find time” to organize them?  With birthday photos, I’m thinking you could make a neat collage, something along the lines of those “school days” frames where you install the child’s school photo from each grade, with their high school graduation photo in the middle.  No reason you couldn’t do that at home with birthday photos, right?

With more than one child in the family, you could do a wildly immense collage, and throw in some photos of the old folks from their childhood birthdays.  (Got any old photos at your house with someone seated atop a pony?)  By the way, making a collage is a great way to save and display photo Christmas cards, whether for yourself or as a gift for someone else.

One way to treasure, save, share and display your favorite photos is to have them made into photo cards.  It’s so easy now to upload or scan photos for the face of your photo cards, made to say whatever you want inside of them (for instance as birthday cards or birthday party invitations), or to be blank inside for multi-purpose note cards.  Let your imagination run free and think of all the photo ops you have seized and how the resultant photos would make great thank you cards, anniversary cards, get well cards, and definitely some cool welcome cards or congratulations cards!  The possibilities are endless when it comes to photo cards!

I love receiving photo cards of my friends and family. Really, I do. I love that more and more people are sending photo cards as the way they say Happy Holidays or as invitations and other imaginative uses. Really, I do. It’s great to see photo Christmas cards of the little ones and how they grow so much from year to year. Often times, with friends and family that you aren’t as close with, it’s the one chance you have to actually see them. Photo cards of babies are especially cute to see when they are first announced to the world or used as party invites. It’s even become standard practice to send photo thank you cards for weddings and other occasions in which gifts are given.

But as with most things, there is a line that can be crossed and my friends and family seem to be oblivious of the line, let alone the fact that they have crossed it, leaped over it, in fact! I know pets are like children to some but do I really need to see a photo card of your pet snake “Rattles” wishing me a Merry Christmas? Or a photo card with a picture of your house? Not the house you just purchased (which would make more sense) but the house that you have lived in for 20 years and I have been to 1,000 times! And if you are going to do that, at least clean up the toys on your front lawn and maybe take some time for a little power-washing on your siding to make it look a little more put together when you’re taking pictures for your photo greeting cards

Oh and please, take a good long look at your photo before you decide to send it out as photo greeting cards to hundreds of people. In fact, have someone else look at the photo card just to make sure. Some of you may recall the Seinfeld episode with the photo card Elaine sent out? I have received photo cards of children with fireplaces in the backdrop that made it look as if the child was on fire. And how about photo cards with so many people in the shot that I can’t even tell who they are. This photo was actually posted up on my fridge for a few days before I realized that the photo card was sent to us in error and we actually didn’t know anyone in the photo! One birth announcement that I received had such a strange cut-out of the baby’s photo that it appeared as if the baby was suspended in air. This may not sound that strange but it was really eerie!

In closing, don’t stop sending me your photo greeting cards, just pay attention to “the line” and try to stay on the safe side. Check back for my next installment when I talk about crossing the line with your “informative” Christmas newsletters…

Some pictures used for photo cards are traditional and elegant while other photos display fun and creativity.  I’ve received many photo Christmas cards over the years but I just received a photo card from my great niece that I will treasure for the rest of my life.

It is a photo card of her two boys, baby girl, and three dogs.  I wish the whole world could see these rascals as they are portrayed!  The oldest boy, Jim, is shaking the paw of Sunny the retriever, and holding a sign saying WE.  The middle boy, Drew, is hugging Sunny’s daughter Belle and holding the sign saying LOVE.  The baby, Alexis, is giggling heartily and is trying to hold on to Snoopy the 5-month-old Beagle pup and the sign saying YOU!

The caption for the photo card was, “Signs, dogs, girl & boys – How many ways to wish you JOYS.”  What a cute idea for photo cards.  I’m sure everyone who received these photo Christmas cards from the family were impressed with their originality.

I am very busy now trying to come up with something creative for the photo cards for my sister’s 65th birthday party invitations.  Sifting through the old family photo album will surely inspire me.