It seems that every year I receive fewer and fewer Christmas cards. While I totally get that Christmastime is an exceedingly busy time of many commitments; I consider Christmas card sending and receiving as one of my favorite parts of the season and you should worry if the day ever comes that I don't send them. I enjoy thinking about aspects of my upcoming Christmas cards in snippets all through the year. I consider all sorts of questions, like what picture(s) might I use, what tidbits might I include, how to structure the newsletter, who I should purge from my list after I haven't heard from them in a few years, how I can make it more interesting, etc. In all fairness, I don't usually DO anything about my Christmas cards until late November, but I usually already have a good idea of what I will do by that time.
This was another entire year with one of our family members on a mission, which meant no whole family photos to include. Other missionary years included 2017, 2021, 2023, and now 2025. I've approached this in different ways before, like the year we just put in a part-family photo and included photos of the missionary on the back, and the one time we commisioned an artist on Etsy to create this artistic version, but I knew early on that we would just do a collage this year. I found this template on Canva and from there it was just a matter of finding the right photo for each person. I changed up the design a bit too and had it printed at a local print shop.
Here's a little about each photo and why we chose it.
The photo of Glen and I was taken at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. I think the background is lovely and it's a cute photo.
The photo of Spence and Kiwi was taken by his request one day when he needed a photo for a work spotlight. I knew instantly that I would include that one in the Christmas card.
The photo of Cam and family was taken near their apartment in Birmingham shortly before they moved. I love how these turned out.
Graduating from BYU was definitely one of Emma's big highlights of the year, so that one was a no-brainer for me.
Adam had A LOT of mountain climbing selfies in the camera roll, but I like this one of him at the Provo City Center temple the best.
There were other pics I liked better of Ellie, but I wanted one of her by herself that showed a little glimpse of the beautiful area she's serving in. This one standing at Ventura Harbor (I think) fit the bill perfectly!.png)
The photo of me with Lucie and Oliver was taken in Rhode Island on Halloween. It was one of my favorites that included them!
I love this photo of Ellie and her companion, Hermana B, who is from Australia. They get asked all the time if they are sisters.
This photo of Glen and I was taken in the Dolomites.
This *almost complete* family photo was taken this past summer when Cam came to town. I was super sad that Glen and I didn't hop in the picture as well, otherwise that one may have ended up on the front of our card. It's also missing Garrett and Ellie though, so it's all good.
I like how this photo of Adam, Glen, and I at a BYU football game this past fall shows a glimpse of how much of our life is currently spent down in Provo!.png)
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I have been gradually whittling my list down over the years as I've been receiving fewer and fewer cards in return and this year I'm down below 200. It makes me sad taking people off my list, but when I don't hear from them for a few years in a row, or if I know they've moved and make no effort to give me their new address, I usually take them off. Good friends and relatives being the exceptions. I leave them on regardless of whether they send anything or not.
I had so much fun making my own cards, that, once again, I volunteered to design and print some for my Mom as well. The background in this photo with all of us siblings and Mom in the Dolomites almost looks fake, it's so stunning, but I can attest that it's 100% real!
This was another entire year with one of our family members on a mission, which meant no whole family photos to include. Other missionary years included 2017, 2021, 2023, and now 2025. I've approached this in different ways before, like the year we just put in a part-family photo and included photos of the missionary on the back, and the one time we commisioned an artist on Etsy to create this artistic version, but I knew early on that we would just do a collage this year. I found this template on Canva and from there it was just a matter of finding the right photo for each person. I changed up the design a bit too and had it printed at a local print shop.
Here's a little about each photo and why we chose it.
The photo of Glen and I was taken at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. I think the background is lovely and it's a cute photo.
The photo of Spence and Kiwi was taken by his request one day when he needed a photo for a work spotlight. I knew instantly that I would include that one in the Christmas card.
The photo of Cam and family was taken near their apartment in Birmingham shortly before they moved. I love how these turned out.
Graduating from BYU was definitely one of Emma's big highlights of the year, so that one was a no-brainer for me.
Adam had A LOT of mountain climbing selfies in the camera roll, but I like this one of him at the Provo City Center temple the best.
There were other pics I liked better of Ellie, but I wanted one of her by herself that showed a little glimpse of the beautiful area she's serving in. This one standing at Ventura Harbor (I think) fit the bill perfectly!
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The photo of me with Lucie and Oliver was taken in Rhode Island on Halloween. It was one of my favorites that included them!
I love this photo of Ellie and her companion, Hermana B, who is from Australia. They get asked all the time if they are sisters.
This photo of Glen and I was taken in the Dolomites.
This *almost complete* family photo was taken this past summer when Cam came to town. I was super sad that Glen and I didn't hop in the picture as well, otherwise that one may have ended up on the front of our card. It's also missing Garrett and Ellie though, so it's all good.
I like how this photo of Adam, Glen, and I at a BYU football game this past fall shows a glimpse of how much of our life is currently spent down in Provo!
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For the newsletter, I just ended up purchasing a template on Etsy, when I couldn't find anything I liked on Canva. I included a quick rundown on each person and also had it printed at a local print shop.
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What are your thoughts on Christmas cards? I know many people choose not to send them and don't really get that excited about receiving them. If you don't send them, why not? I'd love to hear what you think!
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