Christmas Card Ideas
Some Interesting Christmas Card Ideas
Out-of-the-ordinary Christmas card ideas can mean a lot to the recipient, and can be lots of fun to send as well. We at times get in a bit of a rut, sending every one the same card from a box of 50, signing each card, then grumbling a bit about the time taken to address the envelopes and the cost of postage. We've sent cards like that, and received them too. At times the envelope we get even has a printed address label with our name on it, and we're not certain if we're getting Christmas greetings from a friend, or a large corporation.
Write Something - Of course we can claim that life is too busy to do much else, often legitimately, and those sending us cards can probably claim the same thing. After all, it's the thought behind the card that counts. Still, even if Christmas card ideas don't go much beyond a hand written sentence or two, in addition to the message on the card, that's an improvement. One idea, that's not a bad one at all, is to purchase a box of attractive cards which are blank on the inside. That almost forces you to write something, even if it's noting more than "Have a Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for the New Year". Not a terribly original message, but a nice start.
Some folks like to put together a letter, often with a few photos incorporated, telling what they've been up to the past year. That can be a very nice greeting to get, and you can write a single letter, and send the same one off to everyone on your list. Unless you write a novel, the postage won't be any different either. Just be careful it isn't a "brag letter", thought those admittedly can be fun to read at times. Since everyone is getting the same letter, it's always nice to write a sentence or two at the bottom and address the recipient by name as a personal touch.
Dr. Seuss Can Help - Nowadays you can have a special photograph printed on a card, along with a greeting and a little space to write a few words. It used to be that you were somewhat limited as to what the printed message would be. Usually it was pretty standard fare, with only a few religious or a few secular greetings to choose from. Now you can take your Christmas card ideas into your local camera shop, stationary store, and even some retail stores, and have a card custom made with the photograph and inscription of your choice. A favorite, that Dr. Seuss probably would not have minded at all your using on a card, comes straight out of the mouth of the Grinch. "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more." Owning a Mac or PC and the right software application opens up all sorts of possibilities for make-your-own cards. The software doesn't have to be as fancy as Photo Shop, which certainly has all the bells and whistles you'd need, just something that allows you to print an image on some photographic paper and gives you a nice choice of font types, colors and sizes to choose among for your greeting. You can mass produce one card, make several different ones, or with a few keyboard strokes, personalize each card a tiny bit. The proper image, and a beautiful, original, or even goofy phrase, will brighten up the recipients holiday season for sure.
Family Photos Are Great, But Don't Stop There - Where you used to have to choose among several not-quite-the best-quality photographs to work with as Christmas card ideas, the advent of the digital camera now allows you to take a gazillion photos to choose from. No longer do your friends get a photo of your family with either you or your spouse having one or both eyes shut. And if you have several small children you know the difficulty in getting them all to look at least partially normal for a split second. Spend a little time browsing the Internet and looking at what others have done in the way of photos to incorporate in their Christmas cards. You'll probably be amazed at what you see. Sure, some ideas are a little tacky, and some photos aren't all that great, which just goes to show that you can probably do better. But some of the ideas you'll come across will really get you to thinking.
The family pet, be it a dog, cat, horse or hedgehog is often a good choice. A Santa hat work wells on dogs and horses, not particularly well on a cat, and is impossible to put on a hedgehog. Antlers look good on some dogs. But the dogs either look like dogs with antlers, but not much like reindeer, or just look humiliated. Still, with the pet, a little patience and a digital camera, you can eventually get a great candid shot, the unplanned poses are often the best. Got two or more kids? Two or more individual photos can be very much better than one. Snow scenes, decorations on the tree, and candles make good subjects. For the first two you may have to plan ahead, taking some pictures during the holiday season for next years Christmas card ideas. Go to the department store and get a picture taken with a teen age daughter, or the wife on Santa's knee. That's often a good choice. Not so good probably with a teen age son or Dad sitting on Santa's knee. But you never know. (continued...)