Christmas Carding

I decided many moons ago that this year Eric and I would be sending out Christmas cards. We have opted not to send birth announcements when the mancub gets here in part because I figured we can probably do a Christmas card every year, but we may not be able to do birth announcements for each kid. That may sound backwards since we will definitely have fewer kids than Christmases together, but I just anticipate that life with a newborn can get kind of crazy, and then all of a sudden you have a five-year-old you never announced to the world. But a Christmas card? Sure! And if we miss a year or two, no biggie. Most people will not notice, and those who do notice probably won't care. (You won't notice or care, will you?)

So you can probably imagine that when Shutterfly announced that they are giving out 50 free Christmas cards to anyone willing to blog about their excellent Christmas card collection, you can bet I jumped on the deal. If you are into sending out Christmas cards, you should do likewise.

I've used Shutterfly before - namely, to create a book about our near-year in New Zealand. We love that book, and we show it to just about anybody who is willing to look at it. And let's face it, most people who are invited to our apartment are polite enough to act at least a little interested in our book. (Thanks to those of you who have been coerced into looking through our New Zealand book.)

I'm a huge fan of Shutterfly calendars. Every year one of Eric's cousins makes a calendar for Grandma L. featuring the great-grandchildren. I'm thrilled that this year we will have a child of our very own featured in said calendar. Although, to be honest, we are BARELY meeting the deadline. (Look at all the problems your tardiness is causing, Mancub.)

I think the real deal for me, though, is the sheer quantity of Shutterfly Christmas card options. I am not artsy. Sadly, I do not do Photoshop, so the idea of mocking up my own card and having it printed is not really feasible. Fortunately, Shutterfly employs people who are good at such things, and there are a gazillion card options. I definitely prefer some over others, and that's the way it should be! Other people will prefer ones that I am not thrilled about, which is great because boy golly I'd be embarrassed if umpteen people sent out the exact same card as me. (Clearly, I have my priorities straight here.)