Parenting Pointers: Holiday Cards

My husband and I like sending out photo cards for the holidays to show people how are little girls are growing. When I was growing up, photo cards pretty much were all the same; a single picture with a white box that had the holiday message. The main differences were horizontal vs. vertical, and changes in the wording.

Now, there are so many different ways to create your own personalized holiday cards. There are designs to match every winter holiday (or just "winter"), and you have a lot more choices for number and placement of pictures. It makes it possible to send holiday cards with a deeper message about what you value during the holiday season, by picking a theme that matches your feelings about the holidays (whether that's religious, social, or fun).

I still like the classic single-photo option. I'm glad that there are so many nice backgrounds to use for that nowadays, but I think a single photo really helps make sure the photo gets seen.

There are also variants on the "photo strip" design. This can be great if you have several kids and want them to each have their own picture, without any picture being bigger or smaller than others.

The next type of card is one that has a collage of pictures incorporated in the design. Some options are ones that turn pictures into ornaments, or gift boxes, or other small things.

Another way to make a personalized photo card is to match the picture to the theme of the card. For example, if you choose a design that has Santa, kids could dress up as elves. A design based on the nativity could incorporate an angel's halo on your child. Matching the clothes with the color of the card is also a nice way to make it look very coordinated.

You can also have your holiday card serve double-duty, if you have a baby born towards the end of the year - combine holiday card with baby announcement, using a "gift" themed card!

For the ultimate in personalization, though, how about designing your own holiday card? This is a new option I've only seen at PurpleTrail.com at this point.

It's never too early to start thinking about holiday cards - the earlier you get them ordered, the more time you have to send them out, if your family does holiday cards!


I am participating in a giveaway for PurpleTrail.com and writing this post makes me eligible for a PurpleTrail gift code.