Starting in early November, the avalanche of family holiday cards start to trickle in, and you start to panic, realizing that you have barely unloaded your smartphone’s photos, let alone scheduled a professional photo session with the overpriced family photographer to show off your adorable loved ones. Never fear - you can still get away with making holiday cards that pop and snap, with a few tricks.
Upload Your Smartphone Pictures Already
It’s not an absolute rule that you have to shell out hundreds of dollars for a professional photography session in order to have great pictures of your family. Besides, do you really want to have the exact same poses in the exact same soft sunlight as the rest of your friends? You have a billion pictures of your kids and your spouse already, give or take a few. They’re just all on your smartphone, waiting to be uploaded and organized and edited and properly sorted into photo albums.
Just kidding! Upload your pictures, and let iPhotos or whatever photo organizing software you have do the work. (Don’t forget to upload your spouse’s photos, too.) Pick a few pictures from the same specific event - reunion, party, vacation, and set those aside for editing. There are a lot of powerful editing tools that are free to use that can really help your pictures pop.
Make Your Cards Simple & Sweet
The days of the family newsletter are dying out, and really, they’re kind of redundant in the age of Facebook and Snapchat. Use a photo service like PSPrint or Snapfish, that can provide you with lots of choices to decorate your pictures. Keep the themes simple - go with the classic red and green Christmas borders, or go for a more neutral general holiday design. And of course, use your words! Sure, everyone knows that you’re wishing them happy holidays, but what about your family? Do you have any great news to share? Use the captions to share an amusing anecdote, great accomplishments, or any great achievements the kids made.
Personalize Your Cards Further With Handwritten Notes
Don’t you find it a little frustrating when all you get from your loved ones is a plain card, without even the courtesy of a signature? For really close friends and family, include a handwritten note. It’s the time of year to express gratitude and appreciation for them on pretty stationery. Include for them a recounting of a treasured memory from the past year, or tell them what you’re looking forward to doing with them in the upcoming year.
Make Your Kids Write Thank You Notes
Some traditions are worth bringing back. Get your kids (yes, both the girls and boys) in the habit of writing thank you cards for the gifts they received over the holiday season. Need inspiration? Check out these great and memorable thank you notes from eleven famous people. As with the holiday cards, keep it simple and sweet, and make sure your kids sign the cards themselves for a truly personal touch.
Thank you for the post. It got me thinking and moving on my cards.
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