A Case for Holiday Cards

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years or Festivas, celebrating your life at any stage.

It seems that year by year I get less holiday cards in the mail. Maybe I have less friends, or maybe since we are marrying less and having less kids we aren’t sure if gathering for a photoshoot and making cards to send out is something we even do anymore. At any rate, here’s my case for photographs of you, you and your pets, your family members, you and your roommates, you and your comic book collection, your blended family, your straight family, your queer family, you and your sister wives or brother husbands, you and your kids or all 85 cousins you have over during the holidays.

  • First, holiday cards do not have to be printed and mailed. If you’re into saving money and trees and time mailing holiday cards, make a digital version and email, post it to your social media accounts, etc. Maybe even use a local printer and print just a few for relatives that aren’t as tech savvy and might prefer to get a hard copy of your holiday design with your picture.
  • Secondly, sending a card gives you a soft deadline for getting a group photo. The year that I separated from my kids’ other parent was the first year I thought there was no way I could send a Christmas (the winter holiday we typically celebrate and send cards for) card. I always included a proud update on each us on our cards with our family photo, what was I to do now? My ex and I got the kids together and photographed them together and sent out a card that year with just the kids on it. We were too heartbroken and hurting that year to talk to many people about our impeding divorce, but having a card to send out gave us a deadline to make sure we came together to photograph the kids and each other with the kids.
  • And on that note, there is and please hear this loud and clear NO PERFECT TIME TO CELEBRATE YOUR LIFE WITH PHOTOS. It is not when you have a big expensive dress or have a baby, or loose weight, or find someone special or after you’re not in grief or depression. The time to celebrate your life, the way it is today, is now, you are whole, your life is whole.
  • My final point on my case for not giving up on holiday cards is that they can be so much fun. Last year I got the chance to photograph the Wests and their new kittens. The day we did these they were all sick and some thought it might be impossible to get three sick humans and three animals in a holiday card photo, not so! We were so glad we did it, it was a huge hit to everyone who saw it.

Looking to get some photography done before the holidays? We can plan a fun and wacky or simple and sweet session to fit your life and even design your cards, both for digital and print! Drop us a line in the contact section!