My favorite part of the holiday season is getting together with my family and decorating the tree. I have always put much time and effort into the placement of the ornaments so that the tree would look perfect. I also like to buy one or two new ornaments every year and have a big unveiling of the new additions. Since this tradition is so important to me, I thought it would be fun this year to send holiday ornament cards to all of my friends and family.

Everyone who knows me understands my deep love for ornaments. I’m always on the lookout for my next great piece. Whenever I am in a store, or on a trip, or when I receive a catalog, I can spend hours browsing for just the right thing. So this year I spent hours browsing for just the right personalized holiday cards. I wanted something stunning, with a beautiful ornament to represent my love for the holiday season and the traditions that I hold so dear.

I went to The Gallery Collection’s website and I browsed all of the ornament cards. I was shocked at all of the choices I had. There were ornaments in gold, silver, and all sorts of different colors. There were cards printed on green stock and cards printed on blue stock. I could have spent all day on the website trying to decide which ornament would be perfect for my personalized holiday cards. I was like a kid in a candy shop! I could barely narrow my choices down. I knew my decision to send out holiday ornament cards this year was a good one. Everyone would think of me the moment they opened the envelope.

I finally made my choice among the vast amount of cards that I loved, although I have to say, it was tough! There were so many different designs that I wanted; I know I’ll be ordering my personalized holiday cards from The Gallery Collection again next year. I just wish that I could be with everyone when they open the cards I’m sending. A bright, sparkling ornament is the best way I know how to spread the holiday cheer!

When greeting card companies advertise that they carry personalized holiday cards, it usually means that the buyer can pick out the verse he likes from the free ones offered, have a one or two-line imprint included in the signature area at the bottom of each card, and also to have an imprint on the envelopes. This type of holiday card is pretty standard in the industry.

What can separate the usual from the unique is when cards become customized holiday cards. Rather than use standard or “stock” wording for the inside writing, cards can become custom holiday cards when a message pertaining specifically to the sender and/or the recipient is used. For instance, let’s say a professional football team decides to send out holiday cards to its new season ticketholders. By incorporating the name of the team along with some kind of good wishes for the upcoming holiday season, the team has customized their thoughts in a way that combines the spirit of the season with the sport of football. Any similar idea would work as well.

The main idea is that rather then a recipient receiving the usual typical, traditional message, you would think there would be a sense of excitement when a customized holiday card that is tailored specifically toward that relationship is received. And the recipients receiving these customized cards will certainly appreciate the thoughtfulness.

With the United States becoming a melting pot we realize that not everyone celebrates Christmas. The days of wishing someone a “Merry Christmas” are all but gone. Now we say “Happy Holidays” and refer to the Christmas tree as the Holiday tree. In New York City the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center is now “The Tree” – no Holiday or Christmas. We are seeing an influx of winter scenes holiday cards also; a winter scene makes no statement of religious affiliation. Winter scenes are a safe bet for businesses to send to their clients – there’s no chance of offending anyone! With that being said there are some very beautiful winter scenes on the cover of holiday cards. Babbling brooks and deer in the snow make a serene picture that is so nice to see and one can dream of being there to witness Mother Nature at her best. Skating in Central Park is also a delight to see. Winter scenes bring back fond memories of youth when snow meant no school instead of shoveling out our cars to get to work.

When I order my holiday cards, I like to order personalized holiday cards to make sending cards easier, not to say that it is a chore but I always seem to wait until the last minute to send my cards. Each year I promise myself to start earlier but I never do. So again personalized holiday cards are the way to go. I like to sign my cards also and try to dash off a quick note but if I don’t have too much time I don’t have to because I ordered personalized holiday cards! I get the envelopes personalized too…what a time saver! I read that about 20 billion holiday cards, letters, and packages are post marked in the U.S. between Thanksgiving and Christmas so I can’t be alone by ordering personalized holiday cards to save time!

Here are some holiday cards personalized by young students in New York for Operation Gratitude’s “Letters to Heroes” program. These cards will be stuffed in care packages and shipped to deployed service members stationed overseas. There are 21 personalized messages in total, and we strung them together for our rendition of a “21 Card Salute.”

I recently began cooking and baking as a hobby. Last year, I started a new tradition by baking Christmas goodies and making fudge and other chocolate treats as Christmas gifts. It was such a success that I would like to extend this tradition even further, and be able to send homemade goodies to my family and friends both near and far. That is why I am going to include my favorite recipes in the custom holiday cards that I send out this year.

I had never made gifts before, so I was nervous as to how the recipients of these gifts would react. Would they think I was just cheap and/or ran out of shopping time?! My fears were all unfounded, as it turned out that all the recipients were overjoyed, or at least seemed to be! Cooking or baking something special for someone can show how much you care for them, and taking time out during the already-busy holiday season to do so is an even more meaningful gesture.

I would like to send this sort of gift to more distant relatives and friends this year. I thought of perhaps baking the items myself and shipping them, but for the sake of freshness and quality control I thought better of it! Besides, sending the recipes themselves rather than finished products would allow me to tailor the “gift” more to the individual recipients. While I don’t really have time to make 50 different things for 50 different people, I can certainly pick 50 different recipes to share! Custom holiday cards are so convenient and afford me some extra time – time which I can use to select the special recipes to enclose in my cards. I’ll have the time to dig through my recipe box, or just to dig through my memory to figure out which recipe to send each person. Also, they then hopefully keep the card and the recipe and think of me whenever they prepare the dish.

While I was sorting through my Christmas cards earlier this year, I put all the delightful holiday photo cards to the side as keepers. It took me quite a while to return to the photo cards but since it was raining this weekend, I decided I would spend some time putting the greeting cards in my photo album.

In this world of digital cameras, printed photos have almost gone out of style. It was such a pleasure to look at the photo cards that I received last Christmas. There were photo cards of family and friends from near and far; some of children that I have yet to meet in person. What a wonderful way to keep our friends and family close though the miles separate us. Digital photos are a great way to keep us up-to-date but how often do we keep these holiday greeting cards to look back on over the years? There is nothing like photos to bring loved ones to mind and to watch young ones grow as the years go by. Whether the photos are included in photo cards, albums or even in a box, they become treasured keepsakes.

Most of the photo cards I received were the traditional pictures of the children of friends and family. However, two of the holiday greeting cards opened my eyes to other uses for photo cards. How often do we say to ourselves “I wonder what that person looks like today?” One of the photo cards was a picture of a couple I had known as a teenager. What a great idea! I no longer have to wonder what they look like today.

Another one of the great personalized holiday cards I received came from friends who live across the country. It was a photo card of a picture of my friends with their new grandchild. I haven’t seen them in 20 years so it was a thrill to admire the new addition to their family and put this photo card in my album along with photos of the child’s father when he was young.

I have to say, people have gotten pretty creative with their holiday cards and messages over the years but how many people have gotten creative with who delivers those holiday messages? I always look forward to the variety of custom holiday cards I receive as the holidays approach, with one favorite in particular.

For over 10 years, I received a holiday card from Ben, one of my favorite creatures. You might be thinking “creature” is an odd word to describe a close friend or relative but Ben was my cousin’s dog and I always playfully referred to him as her first born, considering how much he was babied over the years. What can I say, I babied him too since I was the go-to person for dog-sitting Ben while I was in high school. We were all attached! Every year as I received holiday cards from friends and family, this unique holiday card would arrive with his info in the return address and a paw print signature. Enclosed in the holiday card would be a detailed newsletter describing the happenings of his favorite “pets” from the past year, my cousin Sheila and her husband Greg, and in later years his “kid pets,” Anna and Danny.

Now you and I both know that Ben was not writing the letters but it made his greeting cards stand out amongst the other holiday cards. This tradition was something the entire family looked forward to every year. Ben’s perspective had a spin to it that everyone enjoyed reading. However, 2007 was a very difficult year for my cousin’s family and the unpleasant and emotional decision of putting their 13-year-old adored pet to sleep had to be made. It is not easy putting your pet’s pain and suffering to an end knowing it is going to be the beginning of your own.

It was difficult for the couple who had spoiled a dog for the nine years of marriage prior to the arrival of their first child. The kids had taken over the focus of attention for four years but Ben was always a beloved member of the family and his loss was deeply felt. The house was quieter, free of the black dog hair and the endless trail of chew toys and stuffed animals. Everyone felt something was missing. The most trying moment came when it was time to send out that year’s holiday cards. Who was going to account the happenings of the family this Christmas? Ben was definitely missed.

One day when I got home from doing some Christmas shopping, I casually rifled through the day’s mail, which included some Christmas cards. I noticed a greeting card envelope with two small paw prints on the front. Curious, I opened the greeting card to see a great photo of our Ben and additional photos of my cousins’ family (the kids were cute too!) Enclosed was a newsletter similar to what I had received for all those years but with a slightly different perspective. This holiday card was from Jackson and Sawyer, two lab puppies (one chocolate, one black) being given to the “kid pets” on Christmas Day. The letter ended simply: “With love from Jackson and Sawyer, in loving memory of Gentle Ben 1994-2007.” I had a good cry after reading the letter. A new pet can never replace a pet that is no longer with you, but it can be a great way to honor their memory. Well, that and the tattoos but we’ll save that story for another day!

Should I buy a box of business Holidays cards and fill them out myself? Or is it worth it to spend a little extra money for personalized Custom Holiday Cards? Are personalized holiday cards perceived as being more professional or do they come across as being too impersonal? These are the questions that fill my head when purchasing Holiday cards to send to my clients and vendors. One thing that’s for sure is personalized holiday cards will certainly save time. Hand signing over 200 Christmas cards is just not something I want to do, and I don’t think there’s anyone I dislike enough to ask to do this for me either.

Do personalized holiday cards seem too impersonal, though? I suppose I could hand write a note on the cards of those extra special customers. That will make my holiday greetings seem even more personal since I took the extra time to write a note in addition to having the cards personalized. That could work.

Personalized holiday cards can really make an impression and show how professional your company is. It’s rather impressive to receive custom holiday cards that are personalized. Custom holiday cards should be the way to go for any business. The extra money for the custom imprint is definitely smart investment. It’s really just a few extra dollars…a few extra dollars well spent. If it helps to set you apart from your competition and emphasize your professionalism, then it’s worth it!

I began pondering this question when I received my holiday cards last year. First, I received a holiday card from a salesman at a car dealership I had visited with an unintelligible message and signature written inside. A few days later, a holiday card from my dentist’s office showed up; this one with an imprinted greeting but an equally baffling scrawl below. These well-intentioned efforts to express holiday cheer got me thinking… wouldn’t it be better for businesses to order imprinted holiday cards to send to their clients?

Now I understand the thinking about adding a personal touch to holiday cards to make it seem like more time and thought was put into your selection, but if the person receiving the holiday cards has to struggle to read it or if things just aren’t pleasing to the eye, it’s kind of a moot point.

Having your holiday cards printed with a greeting of your choice and your business name will not only save you time, but will present a neat and professional image. Choosing a greeting to imprint that is appropriate for all recipients is an efficient time-saver, and the professional printing will leave an elegant and tasteful impression with your clients.

So consider having your holiday cards imprinted. Just think of how much your hand and wrist will thank you. And if you continue to get that uncontrollable urge to make things more personal, there’s still plenty of room inside to jot down your own comments (just try to write legibly!).

GalleryCollection.com has recently introduced a new design to our already extensive Christmas cards line-up – 086CS Frosted Merry Christmas Die-Cut Holiday Card. It is the sixteenth addition to our ever popular Die-Cut Christmas Cards line extension.

The friendly card design is sure to put a smile on any recipient’s face. It features nine giddy snowmen holding up a banner that reads “Merry Christmas from All of Us.” Beneath the snowmen is a die cut window that will showcase your company name, leaving a lasting impression in the minds of your customers, vendors, and employees.

Design 086CS is embossed on environmentally-friendly, white matte paper. The paper stock is not only made from windpower energy, but it is also FSC certified (SW-COC-002530). Additionally, the paper stock is Green-e certified, which means that renewable energy has been verified and approved for use in the manufacturing process.

If you’re looking to spread some joy this holiday season, what better way to do so than with design 086CS. This premium quality die cut holiday card will speak highly of your company, your taste level, and your eco-consciousness.