I am always a mess when it comes to my holiday cards, just check last year’s post about it. December always seems to sneak up on me and I forget to create and order cards and then I do some rush job which invariably has a typo that we catch when my husband looks at the already printed card…so I have to correct the typo and reorder. I have scores of holiday cards that we never even mailed because of a typo and I refuse to throw them away.

So this year, I’m trying something new. I’m going to do the ecard. Yes, I know isn’t anything personal anymore blah, blah, but I’ll order a few for those people who I know don’t check email, and then click send and they will arrive lickety split. So, who is going to send these lovely cards I’ve yet to create? I’m thinking Paperless Post (I’m having a mad affair with this site now). But in addition to Paperless, here are some other options if sending your standard holiday greeting via the USPS isn’t your speed either.

Postagram
With Postagram, you can upload your Instagram album and send pictures as postcards to recipients all from your mobile device or the web.

Animoto
Create a multimedia message for your recipients using Animoto. Add pictures and video to an array of beautiful templates. You can also import photos from Instagram, Facebook, PhotoBucket, Flickr and others.

iCreate
iCreate lets you make HTML email cards for a variety of occasions. The drawback is that there are not a ton of options, but it was really cool to find an HTML creator and right now the app is free on the App Store, so once you have it, you’ll be able to update it. It says it’s also compatible with Blackberry and MS Outlook, which I assume means it can tap into those contact lists. Anyway, I downloaded it.

Build-A-Card
I really liked Build-A-Card because it lets you add some cute stuff to your photos (it lets you access your Facebook photos too, fwiw) and you can share them via Facebook, Twitter or email. This is a service only available on iPad and iPhone though.

Holiday Blog
Sounds intense? Not necessarily. Using tumblr or even WordPress for the savvier family, create a holiday hub for your family (for example you could set up a URL like thesmithholidayhub.tumblr) This can be especially nice if you have relatives far away who can’t come see you in person. Create a nice “card” — or even just a family photo — to announce the blog to your friends and family via email and then post the photo on the site, you can even stickie the post (which displays it at the top of the blog even when you create more posts) so visitors always see your greeting first. Some ways to use the blog:
– Kids holiday gift lists
– (If you are hosting) What to bring to a party or dinner
– Photos to share moments with remote friends and relatives (tree trimming, winter activities, making holiday treats)
– Share some holiday recipes

Related Links
Tips to Beat the Holiday Blues
Holiday Parties: Getting In On The Food Deconstruction Trend
Holiday Party Fashion
Gift Ideas: Holiday Beauty
50 Unique Stocking Stuffer Ideas

Photo Credit: Woman Wearing Santa Hat courtesy of photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Related articles

• 10 Sparkly Holiday Cards (theglitterguide.com)
• Derek Blasberg for Paperless Post (homedesign.marthastewart.com)