Okay okay…it’s October and we’re not ready to celebrate Christmas yet. I get it. But it is, in fact, time to start considering your holiday card plans for the year. Photographers tend to get booked up starting in November and stationary artists also get backlogged by high demand before the holidays and if you wait until the last minute, chances are you’ll wind up realizing you don’t have many options in either department.

I wanted to help you all get a jump start, but I didn’t know how much interest there would be, especially in a year where things just look a little bit different. So I took to Instagram stories and I polled my followers there. Here are the questions I asked and the results:

1. Are you planning on taking holiday photos? Yes: 53% No: 47%
2. When do you usually do holiday photos? November: 78% December: 22%
3. Do you send holiday cards to friends and family? Yes: 63% No: 37%
4. Do you struggle with finding the perfect card to send? Yes: 49% No: 51%

From these questions I gather that the majority of my followers are going to be taking family photos and sending holiday cards to their loved ones this year, that the photo shoots will mostly be taking place in November and that almost half are going to need some recommendations for the perfect stationary/card set! Luckily for y’all, that’s where I come in (and quite happily might I add)!

A lot of people create their own using templates from websites like Shutterfly or Minted, but the trick up my sleeve that results in unique and enviable Christmas cards every year is that I find artists on Etsy! As someone who makes a small commission when someone purchases an item I’ve linked on my blog and as someone who also sells Beautycounter, I can tell you that every single purchase elicits pure joy and butterfly feelings. When you buy cards on Canva, Shutterfly, Minted, etc. there is not a person that gets an email and does a happy dance. But that does happen when you support Etsy artists. And you wind up getting a much more unique and beautiful card that stands out amongst all the others magnet-ed [boom, new word] to fridges across the world.

Sidenote: I wanted to publish this blog post early since all of these cards can be purchased now – ahead of time – even before you get your family photos done. Purchasing early allows the artist/seller to plan for time management and know what projects are on the table and need to get done. No one likes pulling all-nighters! Etsy is so helpful for this. You can purchase now and then communicate with the seller along the way, letting them know if you want color or wording changes, your monogram perhaps and then send pictures when they’re ready to be sent!

The artist that I used on Etsy last year to create out Christmas cards actually no longer sells card graphics and stationary on Etsy and has moved on to monogrammed glassware, but I spent a significant amount of time searching every nook and cranny on Etsy and I’ve rounded up my top 15 favorite Christmas cards for you! No surprise here, but they all have a very classic and preppy vibe to them. I will personally be selecting one of these for my husband and I to use this year although I haven’t decided which one yet! Which one do you think we should use? More importantly, which one are you going to use?? Comment below and let me know!

*And as a reminder, when you click on something I share on my blog, I do make a small commission from it. However, it does not cost any extra to you and it does not take anything away from the seller!*

Happy Shopping!

XOXO, Thessali

christmas christmas cards Christmas photo shoot Christmas photos christmas stationary