by Michelle Nahom

Its mid December and you don’t have your holiday card done!  What to do?! You’re certainly not alone. You could send boxed cards but your family and friends have come to expect the photo card! Here’s some card ideas that will hopefully inspire and help you get your holiday greetings out the door quickly.  (Keep in mind shipping time…but don’t worry, I won’t tell if you send them late!  What counts is that you got them out!)

Photo Booklet, from Better Homes and Gardens: Grab some cardstock and photos and follow the instructions on Better Homes and Gardens.  I’d even go so far as to say that all of the cards don’t have to be the same!  If you’ve got some random photos of your kids laying around that your family doesn’t need, use them!

Top Ten Holiday Card, from Shutterfly: Do you write an annual letter each year?  The storytelling is wonderful, but if you’re in a rush, this card option presents a quick way to hit all the highlights and get that card out the door quickly! Put aside a little time to take the pictures, jot down your Top Ten, and you’re ready to go!

Stamp Collection, from tinyprints: If you have teenage children, you know how challenging it can be to get them all in one place, not to mention take a picture of everyone together!  Collage cards are a great thing because you can just use pictures of each individual.  If possible, try to stick to using photos from a single photo shoot to give your card continuity.

Both Shutterfly and tinyprints will mail your cards for you, saving you valuable time. For additional tips on getting your holiday greetings out the door, check out Taking a Last Minute Holiday Card Photo.  Good luck, and Happy Holidays!

Michelle Nahom has been helping people with their photos since 2003.  She’s the Owner of Creative Photo Solutions, LLC and is an avid photographer and mom of 3.  She blogs on photos and memory preservation as well as other topics on A Dish of Daily Life, and you can also follow her on Twitter @CPhotoSolns or @dishofdailylife or Facebook!