People started sending Christmas cards to family and friends in 1843. This is a tradition that we still do today, and not all that much has changed about the content of a typical Christmas card. The newest innovation with Christmas cards comes in the form of eCards. Sending a Christmas card to a relative through email is a good way to keep in touch.
There are two basic styles of Christmas eCards. One is the type that feels somewhat traditional. These are the ones that show nativity scenes, and images of snowmen and Santa Claus. The other style is absolutely non-traditional, (and might even offend some of your relatives). I will leave it up to you to decide which type of Christmas eCard will make the people in your family smile.
Some people feel that an eCard isn’t a “real” Christmas card. They would rather have an envelope sent to them in the mail, that they can open, and hold in their hand. However, eCards still preform the same function that paper cards do. It is a good way to maintain a connection with your relatives that you won’t get to see on Christmas, especially if those relatives are ones that you only communicate with through email, or Facebook.
Starbucks has four, cute, animated, holiday eCards that you send. It doesn’t cost anything to send one. You can pick out which animation you want to send, and type in the message you want the card to have. When you are done customizing the card, you can send it to your relative by email or through Facebook.
Ancestry.com has a “Retro Family Holiday Card” that is also free to send to your relatives. This one is great for genealogists who want an excuse to go through their boxes of old family photos. You can put the faces of your family into one of several vintage Christmas photos. Choose the background you like best, type in a message, and you are ready to send it to your relatives.
Hallmark used to have a bunch of eCards that people could send for free. Sadly, that is no longer the case. However, they do still offer a couple that can be sent for free. The free ones are cute, and somewhat traditional. If you would like to access a wider selection, then you have to subscribe. I haven’t been able to figure out what that costs.
American Greetings also has a wide selection of Christmas eCards that range from traditional, to cute, to amusing. If you want to send one to your relatives, you can get a free trial that will allow you to do that. I cannot find anything that states what the membership will cost you when the free trial is over.
Image by Paul Wells on Flickr