But consider this, I am a photographer hence Christmas cards are a favorite part of my year. I love sending them and I REALLY love getting them (Oh please oh please pop one in the mail for me I would LOVE to have one) As far as I know I am the only family/ portrait photographer on the island, I could be wrong but I am fairly sure. I am not that good with a tripod, nor do I really like that stoic of pictures (don't anybody move until the red light goes off!!! ha!) So my one shot is while we are on vacation in a bigger city. Add into that it takes six Weeks for us to get mail (on average) and then six weeks for it to go back to the states.
That is a 12 week turn around, not including the wrist breaking amount of time it takes to address, write notes etc. So we are 15 weeks to make Christmas cards. I know crazy huh. So, here is my questions for you:
Do you like receiving cards with a letter or no letter?
Do you like one single simple picture or a collage of the crazy things you have done
Do you appreciate a little hand written note or do you just want a card so you can add to your collection on your fridge/door/ strand of ribbon holding cards?
There are no wrong answers here I am genuinely curious. Maybe it is my innate need to please but I want people to enjoy the Christmas card they receive from us, not gag at our letter thinking we are bragging, or squint at pictures or think the one picture is totally pretentious... maybe I am over thinking this.
Now for you fun friendly readers in the great state of UT. If I could get my family Christmas pictures done by someone there it would be hands down Leah Miller. You can check out here website HERE. I am telling you this girl is a GEM!!! She is crazy cheap with her prices (I keep waiting for her to bump them up, I swear it is not going to be long) She is responsible for the photo in my profile and the one in my header. I know she will start booking up with family sessions so I would jump soon! When I couldn't figure out what to give my little sister for graduation I thought BING! A session with Leah for she and her friends! (You can check out the results HERE). This is totally not a {paid} advertisement, I have paid full price for all my sessions and will do it again as soon as we are back in the states, she is just that awesome to work with. For you fellow budding photographers she does lots of cool tutorials on her blog teaching post processing etc. The pictures scattered through out this post were done by my very talented friend Nicole, here site is HERE. She is located in Williamsburg VA and is already booked clean through the holidays. I thought I would include them because they were our Christmas card the year before last (Didn't do one last year, to frazzled, and it did NOT include the one of just me ha!). So, let me know what you think because crazy as it sounds I gotta get going!
Cheers
Kelly
Oh I am so happy to hear I am not the only one who loves Christmas cards, starts way ahead of time, and thinks all year what we should do for next years card. :)
ReplyDeleteI already bought the dog his Christmas sweater for this year pictures. lol
I am not a fan of the brag letter, but I do love a good picture or two, and I always feel so special when there is a personal note
ReplyDeleteI LOVE a brag letter. One big family pic is my fav! A little handwritten note is nice too. But do I do all of that...not usually! Just a card with a big family portrait with some generic "Happy Holidays". Funny thing, I too was thinking of Christmas portraits too just this weekend. My favorite photographer upped her prices by like 300%! No joke! So I'm bummed and am now on the hunt for a new photographer!
ReplyDeleteNext time you are in Utah I am giving you a free family session. :-) Thanks for the referrals!! I think you did a great job with your own.
ReplyDeleteI love to receive cards with one family photo and a short message about the family. I get tired of the fake brag letters trying to make their family seem better than mine. I think I'm shallow! lol I don't like cards that are so busy with pictures and info that I can't quite figure out what I'm looking at at a glance.
ReplyDeleteYour photographs are beautiful. I'd love to learn more about photography. It's a handy skill.
btw- I LOVE getting Christmas cards. No letter...I'll confess that I never read them. One professional picture is the best. I hang all of the cards we get across the stair railing in my living room. I like to print my cards on thick linen card stock paper (front and back).
ReplyDeleteI love to get cards, but I really only like one picture and a short little message. Obviously just by getting a card I'm being thought about, and in turn cared about, and that's enough for me. :)
ReplyDelete@ nuh huh Leah. You are runnin' a business and your biggest fan is paying full price! Maybe if I didn't feel like I got my moneys worth (Which has totally happened with other photographers) but I always end up crying when I see the pics you took. Plus I have got at least a year to save up (and pick our clothes-- I need that long). I just feel like if you know something awesome, you should share it, and you are awesome.
ReplyDeleteOh I love christmas cards, easter cars, voyage cards...any cards really!! and can be simple, just a phrase and I'm really happy!!! :)
ReplyDelete(don't you miss a kid in the first picture???)
Beautiful pictures! I actually love to get lots of photos and a little personalized note. It's nice to think that someone took the time to write a special note just for you and not just addressed a bunch of envelopes.
ReplyDeleteI like a personal letter with my cards. I don't like the generic letters very much but I do understand why people write them. I'd rather get that than nothing for sure.
ReplyDeleteI write a handwritten letter to people who are very special but rarely see, a short note to those I see often but love a lot & just sign with a short closing, maybe a verse to everyone else.
For photos, I like one really nice photograph more than a set unless it's someone very special like nieces & nephews.
Well, I am a fan of the letter because HELLO - not everyone has a blog or checks your blog and they want to know what you are up to. Obviously they tend to be a little braggy, but if you don't want to read about my family and what I am up to then why am I sending you a card in the first place? I think a short personalized note is nice, but time consuming...as far as the picture goes, you have to have at least ONE with everyone in it. I don't want to see just your cute kids - I want to see YOU too and I hate it when parents leave themselves off for some reason. Yes, the kids are cuter than the parents, but I am not friends with the kids, am I? I am friends with the adults...so make sure you are on there :)
ReplyDeleteI love christmas cards and really want to take some for our family this year! Your photos are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteLook how little your boys are!! What cuties. I am glad you mentioned Leah's name in your post because my little sister is getting married in November and is desperately looking for a photographer. I have contacted Leah - we'll see.
ReplyDeleteBTW - Thanks for making me think about Christmas cards. That was the last thing on my mind and now I need to get my act together since it may take me about the same amount of time to get everything together. I love a good family picture to see how everyone is growing up with a little what's up on our life letter. The hubby writes our card and it is totally off the wall and borders on ridiculous. I love it.
I love Christmas cards. We don't receive nearly as many as I send out. I love seeing the pictures of everyone's family. One or multiple is fine. I also like letter updates, even if they are generic.
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to remind us again 6 weeks to Christmas to get our cards in the mail for you!
rachel-thelifeofriley.blogspot.com
I love Christmas cards and photos! I like to be remembered, so even if it's just a card with a signature, that's better than nothing for me. Of course, I'd really love to see an entire family scrapbook complete with pictures and captions, but I realize not everyone has the time/money/inclination to share their life stories with me, so I'll settle with just the brag letter and pic. :) Our lives usually change a LOT over the year, so I send out a "brag" letter (more of an update-where-to-find-us-what-we're-doing-now letter) and a photo. :)
ReplyDeletePS I haven't forgotten you, I'm just having trouble coming up with a big enough box (or two boxes) to send it all in. Good thing school starts on Wed - the copy room usually has a bunch of left over paper boxes. I'll need a few...
ReplyDeleteCute outfit!I love the one with you kneeling by the brick!
ReplyDeletei love a good photo like you have of course :) with maybe just a little comment at the bottom of it. sweet and simple
ReplyDeleteAmanda
I love getting Christmas cards. I send a Christmas card to almost everyone that ever meant anything to me even if I don't really keep in touch with them in any other way. I love the letter because it's a way to catch up on what's happened in their life. And if they brag a little - so what? I'm glad that they are proud of their family. I'm certainly proud of mine! As far as pics go, I think I like one big picture - easier for me to display!
ReplyDeleteHave fun and at least you will have one thing checked off your Christmas to do list!!
:) Clair
I love the family letter! It let's me know what's going on and reminds me that other folks are busy too. Plus it's great fun to read them years later. My girls love reading the letters from family that are now gone that I've talked about. They're little pieces of family history!!!
ReplyDeleteI love getting Christmas cards with a picture and a personal message!
ReplyDelete-Julie
The Wanna Be Super Mom
You are not the only one! I started my Christmas picture season last week! :)
ReplyDeleteI love any kind of mail!! And I love your dress!!
ReplyDeleteKelly I have lived in NZ for 5 years and have the card saga, too. The best way I have gotten cards to the US is to do it via hallmark.com. Upload your pic and you can upload your address book. Make your picture card and they will STAMP and ADDRESS your cards for no additional charge. So that means you don't have to have them sent to you. I have done it every which way and this keeps me sane! Now all I have to do is get the pressies in the mail before the second week in October and I'm golden!
ReplyDeleteThis is what I think, you can take it or leave it! :) I love getting Christmas cards that have multiple pictures of what the past year has entailed. I don't mind getting a generic letter explaining how everyone is doing and how the year has been, but I especially love when there is a personal note at the bottom or something. You are smart to think ahead, most of the time my Christmas brain comes about 3 weeks before the actual event, and by then I get so overwhelmed with everything I should have already done that I just give up! Ha ha!
ReplyDeleteI'm the WORST mailer (is that a word?) of Christmas cards/presents/you name it. haha, it's a running joke in my family really. :)
ReplyDeleteYou are BEAUTIFUL by the way.
new follower...I just booked our photo shoot for November for our family chirstmas cards! Love your blog.
ReplyDeleteYou've inspired me to get my Christmas cards out early this year! And by early, I mean before Valentine's Day!
ReplyDeletelove, love, love the dress - is that something you made?...i prefer lots of pictures of the family and a short personalized note. My favorite Christmas card was from my SIL - she's an artist and turned one of her paintings into Christmas cards.
ReplyDelete