You’re probably wondering why you need tips for creating a perfect Holiday Card; you just choose a photo, write a quick season’s greetings message and send it out, right? Well, actually, there are some things that you’ll want to keep in mind when you’re making plans for your Holiday cards this year. The first thing to consider is what type of audience you are sending your cards to. Are you sending them strictly to friends and family? Or are you a business owner who is sending out holiday cards to colleagues and clients? Next, you’ll want to think about the style of your card. Do you want a very formal vibe or something more playful? You also need to decide who is going to be included in the photos for your card. If it’s for your business contacts, you may want to have your staff in the picture. If your card is going to friends and family, you want to think about if you’re going to include pets or extended family members. Another thing to consider is what type of card you want to send. Are you sending a simple postcard or the traditional folded card so you can add a personal message inside, or do you want to go all out and send booklets with photos from the whole year? You should also think about what type of posing you want for your photos. Do you want a traditional pose, or are you more interested in photos of your family doing a fun activity together? There’s a lot more to sending holiday cards than you thought, right? Let’s tackle a few of these considerations so that your holiday card will be the star of the fridge this year!
Your Audience:
Deciding who to send holiday cards to is definitely a personal decision, but we can discuss the most common recipients to help you choose! In some cases, a Holiday card is the only time that distant family members and friends can get an update on the family and how your lives have been over the previous year. So it’s always good to include those people on your list of holiday card recipients. You can also include your kid’s friends and family too! Adding the families of your children’s friends to the list is a fun way to help those families get to know you a little better! You can also send your Holiday cards to important members of your community such as your kids’ teachers, doctors, your hairstylist, your local police and fire departments, and your favorite work friends! So maybe this year, when you create your holiday card mailing list, you could add one or more of these recipients into the mix!
Your Subjects:
Determining who will be in the photos depends on whom the card is being sent (personal or business contacts). If you’re working with a list of personal contacts, then you’ll want to include your spouse/partner, your kids, maybe even your pets. If your family is particularly close, you might want to have extended family like parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins to your photo. For tips on making the most of your family photo session so that you can get the best pictures for your holiday cards, check out our Top 5 Tips For Family Photos.
If you’re working with a mailing list of business contacts like colleagues, clients, and industry peers, then you should consider including a staff photo. Keep in mind that a professional holiday card should be personal but not overly religious unless your business is a religious organization that only deals with others of the same religion. You should also avoid making it into an advertisement. Save that for another time.
Your Style:
The different ways to style a holiday card are as varied as the people who send them. Some people prefer a very formal holiday card. They even go as far as wearing black-tie attire and full glam hair and makeup. Then some go ultra-casual wearing matching pajamas sitting in front of the tree in their own homes. Most people choose to fall somewhere in between. The most important thing to think about when selecting the style of your holiday card is how the photo will represent you and your family. If your family loves the outdoors and is playful and fun, you might want to consider a holiday card photo outside having a snowball fight or building a snowman. If your family is made up of homebodies who prefer to snuggle up with a movie or a good book, you can take a cozy photo cuddled together in front of a warm fire indoors. Whichever way you choose, make sure to have fun picking a style that lets your personality shine through!
Your Posing:
We touched on this a little bit in the style department, but posing can make a big difference in your holiday card photos. Tons of amusing posing ideas make for a great holiday photo. One example is the “silent night” pose; this one involves tying up your kids with Holiday lights and covering their mouths with sticky notes saying “Silent Night.” This pose is a funny and simple way to feature your kids on your holiday card, always a crowd-pleaser. If you’d like to be a bit more active, there are many great options for that too! You can have photos taken at your local tree farm and have pictures taken of your hunt for that perfect holiday tree! Another activity that photographs adorably is baking cookies. Pop on some festive aprons and let the flour and sugar fly! For a cozier feel, you can opt to wrap your family up in a large blanket with cups of hot cocoa for a heartwarming shot of family bonding. Just like choosing a style, choosing the posing is all about reflecting who you are and what you and your family enjoy doing together, so have fun with it and be yourselves!
Did you find any of these ideas inspiring? If so, we would LOVE to help that inspiration become a reality this holiday season. Contact us today to schedule your Holiday photo sessions! Don’t wait. The holidays will be upon us before you know it!
