We all tend to see the same Christmas cards year after year — a Christmas greeting in traditional red and green, perhaps with a festive family photo. But what if you tried something new and different this year? From cheap Christmas cards with funny wording to more elaborate cards that shimmer and shine, we’ve got some fresh ideas for putting a new spin on your annual Christmas cards. Let’s take a look!
1. Include Your Family Pet
Let’s face it — our furry friends are 10 times more photogenic than we are. Why not let them hog the limelight this year? Use your pet’s favorite treat to bribe them to sit still for a shot in a Santa hat or silly reindeer horns. Better yet, catch a candid photo of your pet attacking the Christmas tree like they do every year. At the very least, include your pet in your family photos. It will up the charm factor, and your family and friends will love it.
2. Make a Top 10 List for the Year
Share the highlight reel of your year with a top 10 list of your family’s big adventures, milestones, and achievements. It’s like Facebook, but in convenient Christmas card form! In fact, you can even scour Facebook and your other social media pages for ideas to include that you might have forgotten (because January was a long time ago). Family vacations, graduations, work promotions, and baby’s first steps are all fair game.
3. Send a Booklet Christmas Card
Instead of choosing only one photo for your annual Christmas photo greetings, why not show off all of your favorites? Booklet Christmas cards offer plenty of space for full-size photos from your family’s holiday photo shoot or even your favorite photos taken throughout the entire year. Customize the text for each page to narrate your photos or simply share fun facts about your family under each photo. Booklet cards are a unique way to send not only a Christmas card, but a Christmas keepsake!
4. Include Your Newsletter on the Back of Your Card
Many of us send family newsletters each year in addition to their yearly Christmas cards. This year, combine the two. Share a photo on one side of your card and your newsletter on the opposite side. A newsletter is pretty much an extended highlight reel with more details. Mention the big changes and events that took place over the year along with what you’re looking forward to in the New Year.
5. Send an Ornament Card
Our loved ones often adorn their mantles with the Christmas cards we send them, but wouldn’t it be fun to send a card that doubles as a Christmas tree decoration? Ornament cards are actually shaped like ornaments and have nifty holes along the top that allow your family and friends to easily suspend your Christmas card from a branch on their Christmas tree. It’s yet another way to turn a Christmas card into a keepsake to be used year after year.
6. Use a Unique Photo for the Front of the Card
Far too often, we send Christmas cards with standard, sitting family photos. This year, try something new by taking a unique photo for the front of your card. It doesn’t even have to be professional! It can be as simple as having everyone wear ugly sweaters or Santa hats.
Other ideas might include winter action photos, like a photo of the kids making snow angels or decorating Christmas cookies together. Aside from original candid shots, you might think up a charming posed photo, like a photo of your kids looking up the chimney for Santa or peeking inside their stocking.
7. Include Funny Wording
There’s a million ways to say Merry Christmas. If it’s a picture of your cat, you can say “Meowy Christmas.” If you recently got married, you can write “Married Christmas.” You can even give a nod to the hullabaloo over the phrase “Merry Christmas” and say “Happy Whatever Doesn’t Offend You” or the simpler “Happy Everything.”
One of the funnier ones we’ve come across is a short poem with a dash of bah humbug — “Noses are red, fingers are blue, I’m tired of winter and holidays too.” We’ve also seen a photo greeting of a family wearing fake mustaches with that says “‘Staching through the Snow.” Get creative, and see if you can draw out a smile or two.
8. Try a New Year’s Card Instead
Despite our best intentions, we don’t always get our Christmas cards out in time for Christmas. Never fear — that’s what New Years cards are for! That same photo that you intended to use in your Christmas cards can be used on a card with a warm New Year’s greeting. Your friends and family will be just as happy to receive it, even if it doesn’t arrive by the 25th.
9. Timeline Year in Review Card
Year in review cards are a popular option for Christmas cards, but it can be tricky to compile your whole year into one cohesive message. A timeline year in review is a great option because it allows you to share the highlights of your year in the winter, spring, summer, and fall in chronological order. Don’t forget to include photos for each point of your timeline!
10. Send a Foil Stamped Card
Bling up your Christmas cards this year with foil stamping in gold, red, or silver. Foil stamped Christmas cards go through a special printing process that applies a shiny foil to the design. The foil catches light and gleams beautifully, adding a dazzling effect to your Christmas cards. This elegant touch of foil instantly takes your Christmas cards to the next level and ups the wow factor for family and friends.
We hope these ideas inspire you to send affordable holiday cards that are refreshingly original and just a little bit outside the box.
