Tips on Making Homemade Annual Family Photo Christmas Cards

It's that time of year again. As Thanksgiving is nearing you may be thinking about your annual family Christmas cards. If you don't consider yourself to be very "crafty" you may just order your annual Christmas cards through a photo printing service or website. The problem with these types of family Christmas cards is that you are limited to the designs each service or website offers. However, going homemade may seem like a difficult task. The truth is that you will have a lot of fun printing and making your own Christmas cards, which can be especially fun when there are kids involved.

The first thing you need to think about when making your Christmas cards is the picture you will use for it. You can use one of your pictures last year, would be a fine option if you don't have children who grow like weeds, or take a digital photograph so that everyone can receive an updated photograph to compare to years past. When taking a new photograph for your annual family Christmas card keep in mind the theme that you want your cards to have. Playful poses would go great with a snowman or kid friendly themes. You may choose one by the fireplace or in front of a Christmas tree (or wreath) for a more classic shot. Or to change things up a bit you could snap a shot of your family baking Christmas cookies together or bringing home the fresh Christmas tree from the farm. These types of shots allow your friends and family to feel like they are actually taking a look into your family's life. For a little variety you can take several shots and send out a different one to each person.

Now that you have the picture you want for your family card it's time to think about printing them out and decorating. Most home printers would do a great job of printing your photo out or you could choose an online or in store digital photo printing service to print out your Christmas family picture. If you need a large order of photographs you may want to consider an online digital photo printing service. Many of these services have coupon codes for new customers which usually includes free prints. For example, SeeHere.com (Fuji) is offering new customers 50 free prints (just pay shipping) when they enter a special coupon code. When considering whether or not to print your photos at home or through a service you want to think about how much ink and paper costs vs. what the printing services are charging (including shipping).

Once you've printed your photographs it's time to decorate. Looking for a cheaper alternative? Try using construction paper and your favorite Christmas themed family photo. Simply fold a rectangular piece of construction paper in half to make the card, making sure it is big enough to fit your picture and then cut four angled slits on the front of the card to insert your photo. After cutting the slits you can start to decorate your card using glitter glue, think foam decorations, stickers, etc. This would be a great idea when kids are involved in decorations. If you don't have kids, or yours are too small or grown, you can use card stock instead for a more sophisticated look for your annual family Christmas cards.

One fun way to make your annual family Christmas cards is to use magnetic photo frames. You can find these rather inexpensively through your local dollar or drug store. Find ones that are clear on the front so that you can decorate them yourselves using Christmas themed stickers (which can usually be found for cheap at your local dollar or drug store). This idea gives your friends and family a way of displaying your annual Christmas photo card in their home. You can use colored permanent markers or number stickers to place the date at the bottom. Use colored permanent marker or alphabet stickers to place your family's name at the top.

You can also decorate your Christmas photos on your computer with software such as Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro. You can add frames and decorations without worrying about ruining your photos with art supplies. Your Christmas cards will look for professional and you can edit your photos to fix any problems with your photograph.