Christmas Card and Wrapping Tips/Ideas

I know Thanksgiving has yet to arrive but if you are anything like me, I like to have my Christmas cards completed and a game plan for my wrapping ideas before Thanksgiving rolls around.  That way I have lots of time to focus on enjoying the holidays and of course wrapping, baking and just general Thanksgiving/Christmas merriment.

Creating our family Christmas card is one of my favorite parts of getting ready for the holiday season.  And I tend to start brainstorming months in advance.  I love looking at Pinterest and magazines for inspiration.

Below is our card from last year.  I always like to have a saying that incorporates where we are in our lives and have that be the theme of the card.  The saying on this card is, “May the magic of that first Christmas be with you now and always.”  I thought that was perfect as it was Emma’s first Christmas.

I tried to scan in these images for you but it would not let me upload the pdf file (I also edited out our last name, that is why there is a blank space after “love”).

Second, I like to use props and festive backgrounds for photos…such as garlands, Santa hats, pine trees, you name it.  Other ideas could include but are not limited to ornaments, Christmas trees, wrapped presents (or at least wrapped boxes), Christmas jingle bells, pine cones, etc.  Last year I made the Santa bucket that Emma sat in and got her a Santa hat.  The year before it was just myself and my husband; and we stood in front of pine trees holding the garland that I made that said “Be Merry.”

Another idea is to make the card itself an ornament.  The year we got married we did just that and used one of our wedding photos as an ornament card:

While you don’t need to get your card done before Thanksgiving by any means, one of the benefits is that discounts are generally offered.  I also like to leave my card in the cart for a day or so to see if I get another coupon in addition to the discount that is being publicly offered.  This year I also got free shipping!In addition to the Christmas cards, I enjoy wrapping and making the presents I get for people look pretty and special.  Last year was a little tough because Emma was so small and I was so sleep-deprived but I used the photo I that I had taken for our Christmas card and made gift tags from Pinhole Press.  I then put them on kraft wrapping paper and kraft bags with red ribbon.

The year before I had more time and made these adorable ornaments out of oven-bake clay and a paint pen to embellish my presents and baked goods.  As you may notice, I am quite a fan of kraft paper and boxes.

I hope this was helpful to you in planning out your holiday cards and wrapping!!