A Shutterfly Christmas Review

As I get older and busier with child-related responsibilities, I'm always on the lookout for ways to cut corners and save time.  And with Christmas looming on the horizon (can it really only be a month away?!?) my thoughts keep gravitating towards gifts.

My heart's desire is to make homemade gifts for everyone on my list.  But that is so not going to happen.  Instead I'm aiming to make at least one homemade something-or-other for each person on my list.  Probably just a small item like an ornament, picture frame, napkins, or baked good.

Enter Shutterfly!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE that I can quickly and easily create a personalized photo gift online.  Lately I've even been creating a card, typing a message AND addressing and paying for postage through their site.  Especially nice when there's a free promo code for just one card (keep those promo codes coming, please).  It's been a fabulous way to keep in touch with the kids' grandparents while simultaneously sending them recent kid pics.

And because all our family members enjoy photos of our darling progeny, photo Christmas cards are a no-brainer.  Here's what I like about Shutterfly's holiday photocards:

• Search designs by number of photos.  There are several ways to search through their extensive photocard collection.  Search by number of photos you want to use, format (flat or folded), size, price, color or designer.  I personally like the search by number of photos option.  We NEVER get a single shot of our family where everyone's smile is captured nicely.  And since I can't go "To the Cloud" I can't switch out picturesque grins for nonexistent ones.  (That cloud commercial is both annoying and sad to me.)  Last year I opted for the 2-4 photo option in order to get true smile shots of each of our family members.  Shutterfly has over 370 designs for multiple photos.  Yeehaw!
• Unexpected color palettes.  Browsing the photocards I was immediately struck by some surprising and fresh color palettes.  My favorite color combos included:
  - Brown with colorful accents (Check out Christmas Cookies, Framed in Color)
  - Turquoise with red accent (Check out Pretty Package)
  - Bright rainbow multi-colored (Check out Brightly Merrily, Mod Snowflakes)
  - Dark red with sky blue or black accent (Check out Family Ornaments, Royal Elegance)
  - Clean white with simple graphics (Check out Wishes Whirl, Retro Chic
• Christmas letter options.  Several flat cards had substantial space for including a brief Christmas letter blurb.  Those blurbs are just right -- not too long and not too short.  Again, I love that I can type in my family highlights without having to spend the time writing a hand-written note.  Don't get me wrong I thoroughly enjoy writing a personal message but this year I won't have time!  Check out these fun Christmas letter style photocards: Top 10 Moments, Family Letter in Blue, Christmas Letter in Green

My only disappointment with Shutterfly's site is that you can't sort to easily find religious cards.  But after a little more searching, I found a host of religious cards.  Usually the religious cards section is slim picking and disappointing when compared to the other modern card designs.  Shutterfly has a better than average selection of nicely designed ones.  Check out the religious photocard section here (I'm leaning towards using In His Name, Good Blessings, or Joyous and Blessed).

Tis the season to make photocards!  Happy creating!

What do you usually send out for Christmas card?  Letters, photocards, postcards, or traditional folded cards?  Or are you opting not to send cards this year to save money?

If you're wondering, yes, Shutterfly is giving me something for writing the above review.  50 free photocards for me!  Woo-hoo!  If you're a blogger, check out their offer.