A few years ago, our family stopped sending traditional Christmas cards by post.
The cost of stamps and cards and concerns about the planet and our paper consumption made us look for paperless alternatives. I do sometimes wonder if our non-traditional Christmas greetings lack the personal touch of a handwritten card, but we have tried some different things over the years.Here are a few of them:
1. A quick Internet search reveals hundreds of websites offering free Christmas e-cards that you can personalise and send with the click of a button. Our favourite for beautiful animations is Jacquie Lawson and for design, Paperless Post.
Paperlesspost.com
Pine cones
2. One year, we painted pine cones collected from the local park and dipped the ends in glitter. Tied with a handwritten note on a ribbon, many of our friends added our Christmas cones to their tree or festive displays, and the kids loved making them.
PeachyCheek.blogspot.co.uk
Etsy
3. The craft website Etsy has lots of beautifully designed Christmas labels available for download. You can print them off and add them to bottles of bubbly or your own home made goodies with a personalised Christmas greeting. Save 5% on all your Etsy purchases using KidStart!
Mooreminutes.com
Edibles
4. Edibles such as biscuits and cakes iced with holiday greetings are a great option – just don’t expect your holiday good wishes to last for long as they will end up in someone’s tummy!
Personalised audio/video and messages
5. Smartphones have made making personalised audio/video and messages so much easier. Gather the family round in Santa hats for a quick recording session for friends and relations around the world. You can even upload videos to a private Vimeo link and let recipients know the password.