Christmas Cards

So, you know I love working on our Christmas cards every year (which reminds me...if you want a card from us this year, you need to email me your address...do not post it here...because I lost my Christmas card database in one of my hard drive crashes).  Anyway, I love working on our Christmas cards each year.  I loved it before we had kids, I love it even more now.

This year, Shutterfly is doing an incredible special deal with bloggers:  Bloggers can get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly:  http://bit.ly/sfly2010

Can you hear me squealing from where you are?  Yeah, that's me you hear. I really like Shutterfly's design options and like free even more. {smile}  I've used them for post-Christmas thank you notes in the past (it was a fold-over note card of all three girls in front of the tree), and Annie's thank you notes from her 2nd birthday (flat note card with a photo of her looking precious). Our family Thanksgiving invitations were from Shutterfly this year and one of my sister's stocking stuffers is, too.  I've been pleased with them - both from the note card standpoint and the photobooks, too (a wonderful grandparent gift if you're stumped).  One year, a friend of mine lived in Europe, and she had Shutterfly include personal notes in her cards and mail them for her - they did a great job of that. I was impressed that my card had my note - rather than my card having cousin Jenny's note.  :)

I'm trying to decide if I want to go with a multi-photo card or a single photo -- I mean, we are talking about trying to get four children to all look at the camera at the same time, smiling or at least having pleasant looks on their faces. And then, do I want a flat card or a fold-over card?  They literally have hundreds from which to choose!

If I go with a flat 4x8 single photo card (the "traditional" photo card), I like this one:

(I'm seeing a lot of brown in cards this year, by the way)

I really like the bold, graphic look of this "Holly Chocolate" card (though this looks more like mistletoe to me? Am I crazy?)

 Trying to get four or six people posed for a photo to fit this card would be our challenge.  But I do love it...a lot! Our grouping from our "Jingle Jammies" photo last year on Christmas Eve would probably work. 

Oooh, but as I kept looking, I found this one and I love it. I love that I can choose a passage of Scripture to go on it.  It's not particularly "Christmasy" though...

And I really like the folksy, hand-drawn look of this one...not sure how I'd work 3 photos, though...

And then there was this one...simple, one huge photo, the word "Joy" (which is a particular fondness for me at the holidays since "Joy to the World" is my favorite carol), "glitter" (even if it is digital)...Yeah, I think I've found it...

If you've ever received a Christmas card from us, you know I love this quote - I use it every year, and this year will be no different:
And when we give each other Christmas gifts in His name, let us remember that He has given us the sun and the moon and the stars, and the earth with its forests and mountains and oceans – and all that lives and moves upon them. He has given us all green things and everything that blossoms and bears fruit, and all that we quarrel about and all that we have misused – and to save us from our own foolishness, from all our sins, He came down to earth and gave us Himself.

~~Sigrid Undset