Our 2017 Christmas Cards

Hope everyone is having a great December so far! Every year as soon as we wrap up Halloween (here is what our Halloween looked like), I immediately start thinking about our Christmas cards and what photo theme I want to take of the kids. Last year, our daughter, Katherine, was born in August, so being our family's precious bundle of joy of 2016, I decided to bundle her up (literally) in a basket while big bro stood at the door admiring our new present. And, for this year, as I was pinning away Christmas inspirations, I came across siblings that were baking Christmas goodies in the kitchen, and that's when it hit me of what to do for this year's Christmas photo cards.

I love doing this every year because it helps me see how much they've changed and grown. As a mom, I see the changes little by little each day, but this is a nice way to see the whole big picture.

I took this year's photos in my mom's gorgeous kitchen because I needed good natural lighting (unfortunately, that's one thing my kitchen lacks). With my mom's help we managed to wrap up pretty quickly. I mean, my baby bump and I (and a few other places) were drenched in sweat and I can't imagine how this wouldn've been successful had someone like my mom not been there to control everything behind the camera. But, seriously huge props to the kids too! They did so well! They had so much fun pretending to bake and play with flour. Mason loves to help me in the kitchen when I cook, so I knew that he would do great. But, I wasn't sure how little Miss Kate would do - but she did an awesome job. I was really happy how the photos turned out. I mean it also helps to have a photogenic mom to take after - haha.

These are the final images I selected for our cards. I always like to incorporate a group shot on the front of the card, then individual shots of each child on the back of the card.

And, here is the card I chose to go with and here is the matching return address labels. Because of everything going on in the photo (props, vibrant colors, etc.), I wanted to keep the card itself clean and simple looking. For the last few years, I've been ordering cards from Tiny Prints. I just haven't gotten to try anywhere else. Every year I decide to give another company a try, but when it comes to ordering the cards, it just doesn't happen. I'm so comfortable with the process, happy with the quality and customer service. And, I always order my cards well in advance with a 40% off and free shipping promotion. That's an awesome deal and I think that's how they've kept me as a long time customer. They always have great deals this time of year - check them out!

I had the cards ready to be mailed out two weeks before Thanksgiving. But, I (okay okay my husband) thought that may just be a little too soon LOL. So I waited until after Thanksgiving to mail them out. Next year, it might be sooner than that with three kids - Shhh. Actually, my husband doesn't know yet, but I've already decided that starting next year we will make it a tradition to take family photos for our Christmas cards (not just the kids).

I just love sending out cards this time of year. And, as much as I love sharing them with family and friends, I love receiving them as well. I always designate an area in the house for all the cute cards we receive.

xo, Salpie