So this year, much like every year, I anxiously check the snail mail box every day starting early December for those oh-so-adorable Christmas cards. I love watching families grow, exciting announcements and I oh-so-love getting cards that showcase our photography (of course!). This year though, this year, I was forced to keep the poop-scoopers and dentist’s card just to fill my card tree. (insert sad emoji face here). All things considered, I’m just so sad for my mailbox to be so empty. I was starting to worry, what was wrong with 2019? I talked to some friends about my disappointment and to my amazement they were thinking the exact same thing. So it got me thinking, is 2019 an outlier or have people really stopped sending Holiday cards? Of course I have to blame the Millennials and their digital way of life, but it probably is so much more than that.
Did Millennials Kill the Christmas Card?
Here’s my card this year. A first for super cute matching PJ’s and an adorable one year old. We had a blast shooting this session with our good friend and fellow photographer, Polly. It’s a tradition to visit her studio at least once a year. She’s been capturing our miracle baby since our maternity photos in 2018. I really love making an extra special occasion out of Christmas photos and getting to design our card. However, even we were a little late to the game this year.
{I say this as it’s the 21st of December and our cards are in my purse waiting for a trip to the post office}
This got me thinking of how time just flies…and how this might actually be the reason we didn’t see as many Christmas cards this year. So let’s just make an official public service announcement and a timeline to successfully sending Christmas Cards – that even we can follow for next year.
October 1st – Start to dream about those Christmas Cards
Ok, I know you’re thinking, Kelly there is no way I can start thinking about Christmas cards in October but, it’s the perfect time to get *some* of the details in order to ensure a smooth end of the year. We suggest the before the “Holidays” officially hit, start doing some research into the Photographer you would like to use. Check out their pages for Mini Session announcements or dates. See if those dates will actually work for your family and have a backup just incase.
As photographers we try to publish the dates near this time since we too have a lot of planning and preparation to do. Message us early, get your preferred date and time book and you’ve already officially ahead of the game.
November 1st – Logistics and Locations
Halloween is officially over and all things Pumpkin Spice are amongst us. This is a great reminder to start thinking about your Holiday outfits and the theme you would like. It’s important to already know the location you’ll be shooting as well as the time of day in order to make sure your picture-perfect outfits are just that, perfect for the picture. Here in Florida we particularly have a problem since most of our Holiday sessions are shot in 70-90 degree weather. This means that matching sweaters might not be the solution. Embrace the weather and focus on more of color theme than a certain type of clothes.
November 15th – Prepare for the session
Before Thanksgiving takes over your life and kitchen, start talking about the session with your family. Make sure everyone knows how important the session is and how you can make a fun event out of it. We see families all of different dynamics at the mini-sessions and the ones who have the best time, make a whole day out of it. Spend time in the am getting ready, perhaps schedule the session just before dinner time and enjoy a meal together after. Promise the kids they can run in the playground after or even go for (dare I say) ice cream. Any way you can celebrate the ages and the attention spans of all involved and schedule the session around the time the best fits your families personality and let us handle the rest!
Talking about the session early allows the entire family to be involved, to make decisions about the day and to eliminate the panicked rush of just one more thing to do before Christmas.
December 1st – Deadline dilemmas
If you haven’t had your session by the beginning of December, we highly recommend not waiting much past the 10th. This will give you enough time to get the photos back, choose your favorites, find the right card design, customize, order, print mailing labels and make it to the post-office in time for your friends and family to actually enjoy looking at the card before the Christmas decorations come down. If for some reason you are unable to shoot before the 10th, we highly recommend picking out a few designs you like for cards. This will give you an idea on portrait vs landscape images and color patterns. This way as soon as the photos come back, you can pop in your favorite and off they go to production.
and if all else fails…
Send a New Year’s Card
its the perfect alternative for the Holiday cards and totally makes you look amazing as you welcome in the New Years!
Looking forward to next year’s Christmas mini sessions? Make sure to sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know and to get exclusive discounts.
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