When my sister left for her overseas military duties, her biggest fear was missing out on all the special occasions: cookouts, birthdays, Thanksgiving, and even worse – Christmas. Every Christmas season our family comes together for our yearly custom Christmas cards strategy session. Each year we come up with a new Christmas card as a family; this was a tradition my grandparents established in our family. The fact that my sister was going to be absent from that holiday tradition, but even worse, not there for the Christmas season, was very upsetting for me. I have a very close relationship with my sister and the 2008 card would not be complete without her input.

My youngest son saw how heartbroken I was. He would look at me confused and ask, “Will Aunt Sophia be there?” I didn’t have the heart to tell him that she wouldn’t be there and that he wouldn’t see his favorite aunt for a very long time.

I attempted to cancel the Christmas card meeting but my attempt was met with a slap across the back of my head; I became the family Grinch. So when the day for the gathering came and everyone was together in my back yard lined up, I decided I wouldn’t participate. Sure I was creating a huge argument with my wife, but it was a matter of principle. Then, as I watched everyone discussing across the lawn, I saw my son holding up a picture of my sister. He waved at me and said, “I told you.” The gesture was heartwarming and I felt embarrassed for my behavior and the 2008 card was born – a family photo card. We took a photo of the entire family, my center in the center holding my sisters picture.

Off course we needed to make this card happen, so we went to our favorite personalized holiday cards website – The Gallery Collection. I chose a very festive card design that let me place our wonderful family Christmas photo as the front cover. I knew my sister would love it because it would show her that we all missed her that day and she would now have a complete family photo to comfort her.

When she received the card, she and her troops were astounded by the quality and perfection of the card. I wouldn’t expect anything less from this site. They always come through and this time they provided me with a way to help my sister feel a part of the moment.

Which would you prefer to receive…a custom Christmas card or the increasingly-popular holiday newsletter? Some say custom Christmas cards, with an imprinted holiday message and the name of the sender on the inside, are impersonal. I disagree. I think a customized imprint actually reflects the care and thought that you put into choosing your holiday card. When I have ordered such holiday cards, I always take the time to address them to each recipient and sign each individually…this is a simple way of making your holiday correspondence more personal.

Personalized holiday cards are distinctive and beautiful, often with embossed designs with shiny foil details. In the past, I have been told by friends and family that my cards are the prettiest…so pretty that they kept and stored my card with their other holiday décor instead of just discarding it like the other holiday cards they received.

I find the holiday newsletter (or the “dreaded holiday newsletter,” as I often refer to it) to be quite impersonal. What is so thoughtful about writing down all the events that have occurred in your life in the past year, printing it on some cheap paper (often with faded holiday designs), and photocopying it 50 or 60 times to send it to your nearest and dearest? If they were truly “near and dear,” they most likely already know about all the things you wrote about, especially in the age of email communication. If they do not know any of it, then perhaps they are not so near and dear after all and sending them such a newsletter will just reinforce that fact.

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans,” a quote by John Lennon, is quite profound and can mean different things to different people. To me, it means that life can be so busy and hectic that in many instances we lose sight or control of what we would like to do. Before we know, years have gone by and we regret missing out on the things we wanted to do.

For instance, think of all the people that you have met and lost contact with over many years’ time. Whether it be coworkers, neighbors, teammates from a club or sports team…how many really close friends do you not see as often as before, or perhaps, never?

So how do we try to keep something like this from not occurring? One way is to make sure personalized Christmas cards are sent to those whom you may not have social contact with—either seldom or at all—to let them know they’re in your thoughts. Custom Christmas cards can be personalized with a longer, personal message or a shorter, handwritten message on the inside of the Christmas cards.

In any event, it is the thought that counts (as they say), and keeping touch with someone by sending custom Christmas cards each year is a great way to let someone know you’re still thinking about them even you may not have seen them for a long, long time.

If you’re looking for a way to create the perfect custom Christmas cards, look no further for I’ve got the answer for you! The key to making that lasting impression is to make your Christmas cards a personalized experience to each person you’re writing to. And no, that doesn’t mean you have to buy difference greeting cards for all your recipients.

I’m sure it’s been said before about many things, but the personalized touch is all about the details. You should start off by picking out your personalized holiday cards design. This design should be something your recipients would like, but more importantly something that reflects your personality. Next pick out a greeting that you would actually say to people in conversation. Creating an original greeting that is universal for your friends is another way to really make your cards unique. There is no escaping having to pen in something in writing to each of your recipients, but remember to make your writing stand out with a high quality pen and ink.

When you personalize your holiday cards, it really makes the season special. Giving generic store bought Christmas cards with nothing more than the person’s name and a generic season’s greetings will have your recipients smile. However, the combination of a beautiful design, a greeting from the heart, and a thought out, hand-printed message written from you in fine ink will have them thankful for seasons to come.

On the first day of Christmas,
I received custom Christmas cards from thee;
A silhouette of a glistening Christmas tree.

On the second day of Christmas,
I received custom Christmas cards from thee;
Two peaceful doves,
And a silhouette of a glistening Christmas tree.

On the third day of Christmas,
I received custom Christmas cards from thee;
Three frosted pinecones,
Two peaceful doves,
And a silhouette of a glistening Christmas tree.

On the fourth day of Christmas,
I received custom Christmas cards from thee;
Four sparkling ornaments,
Three frosted pinecones,
Two peaceful doves,
And a silhouette of a glistening Christmas tree.

On the fifth day of Christmas,
I received custom Christmas cards from thee;
Five Golden Bells!
Four sparkling ornaments,
Three frosted pinecones,
Two peaceful doves,
And a silhouette of a glistening Christmas tree.

On the sixth day of Christmas,
I received custom Christmas cards from thee;
Six reindeer prancing,
Five Golden Bells!
Four sparkling ornaments,
Three frosted pinecones,
Two peaceful doves,
And a silhouette of a glistening Christmas tree.

On the seventh day of Christmas,
I received custom Christmas cards from thee;
Seven stars a-shining,
Six reindeer prancing,
Five Golden Bells!
Four sparkling ornaments,
Three frosted pinecones,
Two peaceful doves,
And a silhouette of a glistening Christmas tree.

On the eighth day of Christmas,
I received custom Christmas cards from thee;
Eight winter scenes a-shimmering,
Seven stars a-shining,
Six reindeer prancing,
Five Golden Bells!
Four sparkling ornaments,
Three frosted pinecones,
Two peaceful doves,
And a silhouette of a glistening Christmas tree.

On the ninth day of Christmas,
I received custom Christmas cards from thee;
Nine snowmen dancing,
Eight winter scenes a-shimmering,
Seven stars a-shining,
Six reindeer prancing,
Five Golden Bells!
Four sparkling ornaments,
Three frosted pinecones,
Two peaceful doves,
And a silhouette of a glistening Christmas tree.

On the tenth day of Christmas,
I received custom Christmas cards from thee;
Ten snowflakes a-swirling,
Nine snowmen dancing,
Eight winter scenes a-shimmering,
Seven stars a-shining,
Six reindeer prancing,
Five Golden Bells!
Four sparkling ornaments,
Three frosted pinecones,
Two peaceful doves,
And a silhouette of a glistening Christmas tree.

On the eleventh day of Christmas,
I received custom Christmas cards from thee;
Eleven poinsettias a-pointing,
Ten snowflakes a-swirling,
Nine snowmen dancing,
Eight winter scenes a-shimmering,
Seven stars a-shining,
Six reindeer prancing,
Five Golden Bells!
Four sparkling ornaments,
Three frosted pinecones,
Two peaceful doves,
And a silhouette of a glistening Christmas tree.

On the twelfth day of Christmas,
I received custom Christmas cards from thee;
Twelve holiday greetings glittering,
Eleven poinsettias a-pointing,
Ten snowflakes a-swirling,
Nine snowmen dancing,
Eight winter scenes a-shimmering,
Seven stars a-shining,
Six reindeer prancing,
Five Golden Bells!
Four sparkling ornaments,
Three frosted pinecones,
Two peaceful doves,
And a silhouette of a glistening Christmas tree.