Holidays are a time for family, but with many of us having to put our holiday visits to family on hold this year there’s never been a better time to connect long-distance with your loved ones. And we’ve got a way for you to do it that’s classic, personal and fun.
Making a holiday greeting card at home is a wonderful activity to get you into the holiday spirit, and a great way to connect with your loved ones who are far away. And you don’t need to get your photos professionally done to end up with a truly beautiful greeting card that shows off your family’s holiday spirit. You can do your very own photo shoot at home, create a card using photos you already have, or make something crafty and unique instead. The choice is yours. You just need to get a bit creative about it, and don’t worry, we’ve got you covered there with plenty of inspiration.
Photo Cards
There are a lot of decisions to make when you’re trying to choose how to take a holiday photo of your family. Are you going to take the photo at home, or in the backyard? In the park, out at the local Christmas tree farm, surrounded by all the Christmas lights you can pack into the background of the photograph? The possibilities and activities and even the outfits you can choose from when it comes to holiday photos are endless, which can make choosing something very stressful. But we’ve got some advice to help you narrow down your options and settle on a photo idea that will fit your family just right.
First, your family’s clothes. Don’t match, coordinate. Unless you’re committed to diving head-first into the realm of kitschy christmassy matchy-matchy outfits, try to aim for something a bit more casual, comfortable and most of all – you. To start, try choosing a single colour or pattern for everyone in your family to include a hint of in their clothes, or dress the kids in your accent colour and keep your own outfits more neutral. If you’ve got a talent for planning outfits, go ahead and decide on a colour scheme. Add in different textures, shades, patterns. The only real rule you should follow is that everyone in your photos should be dressed to the same level of formality.
Second, choose a backdrop for your photo. Exploring your home for the perfect photo spot is a great idea to start with. Pick your favourite place in your home and add a bit of holiday cheer to dress it up for your festive photograph. Pull that red and green throw blanket out of the closet and spice up your couch. Hang some Christmas lights on the wall of your breakfast nook. Decorate the tree and snap some photos while you’re at it. Bake some gingerbread cookies in your pre-cleaned, photo-ready kitchen. There are plenty of options around the home if you look for them, and by their very nature photos you take at home will be very personal and homey. If you want to take your family photo outside, consider local parks, nature paths and activities you can do as a family to give you something to do while you take your pictures. Christmas tree shopping is a great one, but there are lots of fun family activities you can do. Best of all, they each come with the added bonus of making memories this holiday season, and isn’t that the most important part of taking family photos, after all?
Lastly, if reading about all of the effort you’ll have to put into planning a photoshoot left you feeling exhausted already, why not scroll through your phone instead for your favourite family photo of the year? You might just have captured the perfect moment to share with friends and family without even knowing it yet. Spending some time with a photo editing program, adding a filter, digitally touching up your makeup or removing a stain on your child’s shirt, cropping the image and other little enhancements can take a casual photo to something Christmas card worthy in a snap.
Papercraft Cards
If you’re looking to craft something unique and beautiful, layering die-cut elements together into a holiday card scene may be the way to go. There are as many die sets available as there are creative ideas for making cards yourself, but to get you started for the holidays we’ve picked out two great sets that will help you assemble the perfect holiday-themed card this season. This modern fireplace die set, combined with this winter fireplace mantel decor die set will help you build a beautiful holiday scene. If you’re looking for something a little simpler, try out this die-cut card design: a Christmas tree cutout with festive scrap paper backing. This design calls for some embossing and an accent detail for the top of the tree, as well as a steady hand and beautiful handwriting or some equally lovely handwriting stickers or stamps, but don’t be afraid to give it a shot even if you have to make some substitutions to the original design. That’s one of the best parts of making a DIY card after all, you get to make it your own!
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter all that much what type of holiday greeting card you choose to make for your friends and family this year. It may sound cliche, but it’s the thought that counts. As long as your loved ones know you’re thinking about them we’ll all have the happiest holidays.