An Evolution of Holiday Greetings

I used to try so hard to find the perfect Christmas card-not generic, not preachy, not boring, not something my grandma would send.  Pawing through shelf after shelf of impersonal greeting cards was a tedious task, but, when the perfect box of cards appeared before me, I unhesitatingly snatched them up and sent them out with cheer.  Then, when I met my husband, my Christmas card tradition began to be turned on it's ear.  His entire family was using photo cards long before I had ever heard of them.  Most were sending out the obligatory annual family photo card, however, the "Super Six" were still single, living at home, and living unabashedly against the rules.  The first card I saw them concoct was indescribably ugly-everyone dressed in black with construction paper ornaments framing their heads.  It could only be topped at a later date when I got a glance of the card they had sent out the year before...there certainly should have been no question why none of them had a date for the holidays that year!   

It was fun in our first married years to meld together holiday traditions.  I adopted the photo card tradition and we put our hearts and souls into making sure they were an extension of who we were.  One year we decided to wait until January to send cards and to this day I am in love with the idea of sending New Year greetings.

This year I guess is the year we become old.  We have decided to go the route of the traditional family photo.  The main reason?  This is the first year we've spent the time to find a good photographer and actually think about what we're wearing.  The pictures turned out well and so we're sharing.  The supporting reason?  I found the most beautiful and inspiring holiday photo card on Shutterfly.com.  It melds together the personality of a photo card with the sentimentality of a traditional boxed card.  And I immediately felt it shared our current holiday point of view.

Curious about this card that has inspired it's very own blogpost?  A few of them have already been mailed, a few are waiting for stamps, and I have a stack just waiting for you to tell me you can't wait to see it.  Leave me a comment and I'll get it on it's way!