Winter is coming...do you have a holiday card plan?

Every day is one closer to the most wonderful time of the year... holiday cards! I am in the prime of the holiday card years right now. Between 3 sets of school classes and friends with little ones, we receive a couple dozen holiday cards and I absolutely love it. December starts slow and then bam! A couple cards a day add up quick. I meticulously hang them all on my cabinets until they are covered then I display the late comers around the house. Not only that, I frame, hang, and display each and every card I've sent over the years. Why am I so into it? I look at these cards as family signatures -- a glimpse into their lives this year with a photo(s) that is typically held back from social media to keep the card special. A great card has emotion, color, and a clean shot of the family. An amazing card makes my top 10 and gets a wow vote for one reason or another. Whether its the photo itself or the creativity of the display, I like a few cards each year for their ability to stand out among the rest.

Here are my tips for a solid holiday card season.

First, plan the date you want your card to arrive. Are you a first-one-out kind of family? Or figure you'll grab a photo from the summer and hit Walgreens instant print? I aim for a December 10th arrival.. Not the first to arrive, but not in the back of the pile either. I spend money on the photoshoot, the cards, stamps, and time so I'd like it to arrive on the earlier side and not in the last minute.

Once you know when you'd like the card to arrive, work backwards from the send date. Local friends will get your card in 3-4 days in the mail, while further addresses can take 5-7 days. Now we are a week from arrival. Do you plan to use a photo website (Minted, Shutterfly, Simply to Impress) or local printing (Walgreens, CVS, etc)? The top websites have a dozen deals through the holiday season with the most favorable discounts the earliest to accomodate demand. Some sites offer last minute printing and shipping but for a big charge ($25+ on top of the cost) Give yourself at least a week to 10 days to receive cards from a branded site. Walgreens and CVS have same day options but your quality and options are limited. Now we are about 3 weeks from arrival (stuffing and stamping can take more than a day!)

Now the big question: are you planning to have the photos taken, take one yourself or use a picture from your phone? If you're going to have the photo taken, now is the time to start researching. Photographers are scheduling mini sessions to cover multiple families in a weekend in order to keep their post processing time in check. Those sessions take time to cull, edit, and present quality photo galleries which means less days for scheduling and more single day appointments. AKA, you're not going to get the best day that works for you and your family in this crammed season. You're on their clock (especially if they are in demand!). Allow 2-3 weeks for photo galleries returned for these photos. Its not like other seasons where your photos may be ready in under 2 weeks. ...Now we're in early November.

On to the photographer... are you looking for a holiday themed mini or a fall photoshoot that will have photos that you can frame in your living room? Many photographers offer mini shoots with holiday accessories that are perfect for sweet cards, but you can also find fall photo shoots that produce frameable prints for your living room display that is up all year round. I have flipped year to year, some are holiday themed photos, some are fall photos I use to update my frames with current pictures. What better time to capture these kids growing than with dreamy fall foliage? The leaves are turning and are starting to fall and the crisp air is a perfect temperature for layered looks with lots of texture. Now we're into October.

Can you get a photo out the door in mid-December? Yes. But can you maximize this investment with a family session using the fall background to get a great holiday card AND long term prints that can hang in your home for the next year? BIG YES. Start your research now, slots are filling up fast and the holidays will be here in no time. More to come on how to stamp and seal your holiday cards in record time...!