Tips for Sending Christmas Photo Cards 

Christmas photo cards are Christmas greeting cards that are custom-printed to carry your personal photos along with your own personal holiday message. You can contact your local Walgreens Photo Center for price quotes.

As with store-bought, generic Christmas cards, there are certain rules or protocols that may have to be observed when sending them out to friends and family. Here are some of them:

Send your cards early

Send them early enough so they’ll get to your recipients by mid-December. Mailing via traditional snail mail takes time.

If you’re in an area where winter months usually comes with bad traffic, better be ready to start the mailing process immediately the day after Thanksgiving. Remember that the post office will be vary busy this time of year so don’t delay more than you have to.

Use your own handwriting on the outside of the envelopes and for the signatures inside the cards.

As much as possible, never send a card without a personally signed customized handwritten message or greeting. This will show your recipients that you care enough about them to take a few minutes of your time to give your cards some personal attention.

Write notes on each card that will be appropriate to the recipient. For some of the people on your mailing list, a handwritten generic “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings” may suffice. For others, some more personalized message from you and your family may be preferable.

Don’t send digital Christmas photo cards

Especially to close friends and family members. Use real, tangible printed Christmas photo cards that they can actually hold in their hands.

Digital or electronic cards are a poor substitute for printed hard copy greeting cards since all you did was click on a link and transfer a photo file from your computer to send them out.

They won’t convey the same kind of feeling of caring that a real card can evoke.

Proofread All Envelopes

If you have a long mailing list, be sure to proofread all envelopes and salutation clauses before sending out your cards. It can be embarrassing if you have misspelled or have inadvertently interchanged some of the names in the cards.

Edit Your Mailing List

Especially if they number in the hundreds, do make the effort of editing your mailing list in advance. Remove those from your card list who have not mailed you a card in return for say three consecutive years.

Their lack of response may be an indication that they do not wish to participate in this traditional way of exchanging holiday greetings. Add the names of friends who you may have newly made to your card mailing list.

Keep it Simple

State your personal message for the holidays concisely. Keep it simple and focused solely on the positive. Don’t use your Christmas photo cards to share your personal and family issue or to vent grievances about anything or anyone.

For co-workers or co-members at your gym or at the PTA in you children’s school, make sure that you mail their cards to their homes. Avoid handing them out personally at the office or the other public places since someone there may take offense at being left out.

Write Your Return Address

Don’t forget to write your return address on the upper left side of the card envelopes. The return address will allow the return of any cards that have not been delivered to the recipients. It will also ensure that your recipients know your most current mailing address.