There's an episode of Friends where Ross makes reference to his family newsletter, called, amazingly enough, "The Geller Yeller." It always reminds me of the letters my mom would get at Christmas from friends and relatives chronicling the year in review with sometimes mundane detail. You know the type: "Billy scored three goals during the peewee soccer season"..."Jane lost her two front teeth!" Does anyone still write these types of letters? I'm thinking it's a lost art (but do let me know in the comments if you do!), so this week's Top 5 Friday is all about how to keep in touch in style this season.
Homemade Cards
If you are going to send something in the mail, a homemade card hits the right note of sentimental and kitchy. It's also a great way to keep kids busy -- put 'em to work! Well-stocked dollar stores, scrapbooking supply stores and craft stores offer an abundance of stickers, sparkles, typography (no messy handwriting!), beads and baubles for you to get creative with. Create a pop-up card with our how-to video, or find inspiration with these DIY card ideas.
Eco-Friendly, Made-In-Canada Stationery
If you're
going to buy holiday cards, why not support a homegrown stationery designer
while being planet-conscious at the same time? The Pink Paper Door
Company, based in Vancouver, has beautiful designs that work well all
year round. But for the holidays, I love their
Wish and
Snowfall sets,
pictured below.
From left: Snowfall and Wish sets of six cards with envelopes, $12 (Images from
The Pink Door Paper Company)
Videos
We love the Flip camera around the office. It's
small, lightweight and easy to use. Personally, I think it would be a hilarious family project to shoot a mini-documentary or a funny holiday message. You can post your video on
You Tube or create a holiday card with your video embedded, as pictured below.
Photo Slideshows
If you're one of those people who take a million pictures and never know what to do with them, a fancy, customized slideshow could be for you. At Slide.com, you can put together a free slideshow, complete with music and effects. They have top 40 hits (featuring the stylings of Keith Urban, Green Day, Jordin Sparks, there's a pretty wide variety) and traditional Christmas carols, plus you can choose background graphics and special effects. Seriously, I spent a bit more time than I should have checking out the options!
Ecards
Some folks may think an ecard isn't personal enough, but I'm not one of them. It's the 21st century! You can create your own personalized ecard with Canadian company Pingg.com. They offer all kinds of designs for free (and they're cute, not bottom of the barrel because they're free) or you can choose a premium image for $9. Add your message, enter your friends' and families' email addresses and you're done! Ecards are fast and effective -- no matter what Marshall McLuhan said, it's really the message, not the medium, that counts.
Related: