How To Send Stylish Season's Greetings

The holiday season has begun, whether we’re ready for it or not.  I’m not sure how official it is, but the radio stations have started playing Christmas carols, so it looks like the holidays start in November.  Despite my personal belief that no one wants to hear Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer over a month before Christmas, I guess it’s always best to be prepared for the holidays rather than be caught off guard.  Plus, now you can think of a million better ways to send holiday cheer to friends and family than a premature Christmas carol.

Sending holiday greeting cards is a considerate and simple way to show your friends, family, and coworkers you care, without adding too much stress to the already hectic Christmas shopping period.  If you spend some time getting organized about a month before the holidays, you can send fun and cute greetings that are more personalized and meaningful than the boxed batch of smiling snowmen from a department store.

With digital cameras being the norm and many Photoshop programs being simple to use, it’s easy to create your own holiday card using photos of yourself and your family.  (Just be sure to avoid Elaine’s wardrobe malfunction greeting!)  Depending on whom you are sending the cards to, or what appeals to you best, there are many options for turning the same old holiday card into something a little more memorable.  You could take a hint from David Letterman and use a little humour to put a smile on friends’ faces.  He sends out greeting cards with a photo of himself and other people who aren’t his family members saying, “Seasons Greetings From The Letterman’s!”   Another cute idea is to dress your pet up in holiday gear and have their photo on a card, with some kind of groan-worthy, but cute, greeting like Have A Purr-fect Holiday.  Cheesy yes, boring, no.

If you want to skip the silly stuff and go for a more sophisticated and elegant approach, there are plenty of beautiful cards and additions you can add to cards to make them a more significant gesture.  Small touches like using a gold pen, or a gold seal on the envelope can add a more polished look.  If you have enough time to prepare, you could also have a studio photo taken of your family and the company can work with you to create the greeting card you desire.

It will most likely be difficult to find one card or style of greeting that is appropriate for all the people in your life.  You might want to use different approaches or templates for friends than for coworkers, for instance.  It could end up being too time-consuming trying to create something personalized for each different person in your life, so there are some stores you can use to cheat a little, especially because many of them offer unique and interesting varieties of cards.  Urban Outfitters and small shops along Queen Street in Toronto, like The Paper Shop, carry a wide selection of interesting cards and stationary from across the world.  If you try checking out smaller, funkier shops, you will have a better chance of finding cool cards that are more fun to send and receive.

If you do want to take the time to create some unique cards for special friends and family members, it can also be a fun craft to do alone, or with young children.  Gather up all kinds of typical craft materials like construction paper, sparkles, ribbon, and lace, and just let your imagination go free.  Some fun cards for kids to make include creating a big Santa or Rudolph, for which you will need cotton balls and coloured felt.  This is also a great way to keep children occupied when company might be visiting during the holiday season.  Make sure that all the products are non-toxic and proper supervision is provided if children are under the age of 10.

Whether you are looking for unusual greeting cards you can buy, crafty cards you create at home, or personalized cards that send a laugh or some love, the holiday season is a great time to reach out to the people in your life with a small symbol of your appreciation and holiday cheer.  Try to avoid any mass email greetings as they come off a little bit lazy and not very thoughtful.  Sure everyone appreciates a funny joke, or a quick hello, but even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, the holiday season comes once and year and is meant to bring everyone closer and celebrate the year that everyone has shared together.  Take a few moments to let your coworkers, friends, and family know you care with fun, warm, quirky or cool cards, and then you can get back to the turkey and presents!