I am a huge believer in Christmas cards. If you don’t send me one, you are not in my tribe. End of story.

I am kidding (but am I tho?) I love the excitement I feel checking the mail all of December.  Disclaimer ** I send mine out the day before Thanksgiving, around 2pm so they arrive on Black Friday or so.**   I like getting mine out, done. I have send my holiday cheers early, checked something off of my to do list since every one has such a long one around holidays. And I like being the original, so if someone has an identical one, I send mine first.  I use my cards to decorate my cabinets by hanging them up with thick velvet ribbon. I enjoy looking at them all month long. My family even saves years past and put them all in a basket to look through. At family dinners, we all take turns pulling out a card and saying a prayer, a memory, or what that family means to us.

Photo courtesy of Allie Wilson Photography

So when I say I believe in them, I really mean it. And my years are limited. At what age do you stop sending photo cards? I don’t think when my boys are in their 20s and not even living with me, I can send them so why not enjoy it now.

But as much as I love getting cards and keeping them for years, the agony that I put myself through for months leading up to getting the card done is madness.

I say every year that I will get my family picture taken by July so I won’t have to torture myself. But I don’t. I love fall light, and all my favorites are in the October sun so my kids have to deal with outfits, starting in September. I usually have family pictures taken around then, but I often like to do my own pictures with my boys for my mini sessions as a backup.

My Landon entertaining me….

Once I actually have the images in my computer, the real fun begins. I am so indecisive.

Should I go one big picture of us all on the front? Or should I do individual pictures of the four boys?  What designs do I like?

I search all the usuals suspects (mpix, minted, tiny prints, shutterfly, etc.), plus Etsy sells templates that I can buy and add pictures. I have found that I prefer 5×7 flat cards.

I have 4×6 cards from last year that I ordered but decided I didn’t like so they never have been sent. Maybe in 15 years, I can do a throw back Christmas card, since I have 100 sitting right here.

This year, foil is super popular. As is keepsake ornaments that pop out of the card.

I have done a year in review, but I don’t think people enjoy those much, and calculating miles driven or milk gallons bought is no fun! I sometimes do multiple styles and send to different levels of people. If you are in my tribe and care about your cards like I do, you get the favorite one, but if you don’t care or don’t even bother sending me one, then you may get my other styled cards.

ONCE I have done all the torturing and changing my mind, I am hopefully happy with my decision. I like to make the envelope pretty so I head over to Pinterest for all the script options that give me inspiration or good ideas for creative address styling.

As I sit down usually one night and bang these puppies out, I swear I am going to have them typed up for next year or even use postable.com so I can be done quicker.

So if you are one of my tribe and understand my craziness, leave a comment that I am not alone.

Below are some of the proofs from last year that I was undecided about.

Photos by Kristina Elizabeth Photography

I am in the midst of my madness this year.

Will I go card, foil, ornament, etc.??? Possibilities are endless.

Stay tuned to see what I come up with!!