Usually just the kids. They are much more photogenic than their parents.

I never sent photos of myself before having kids. Now I send photos of the kids. It's not my body post-baby that bothers me; I've never liked having my picture taken.

We do a different approach (one that is easy for me to pull off because I do graphic design for a living). We have a photo of the kids on the front and a bunch of pictures of everyone throughout the year on the inside. The kids are front and center because they change the most and I always have tons of photos of them since I'm the one behind the camera. It is hard to get a photo of everyone and hiring a professional has been expensive with pretty mixed results, honestly, so there's just not as much to choose from. And I will say I'm pickier about the photos of myself than maybe I once was. I do think that has something to do with it not just with our card but everyone's.

We do our whole family. We even tried some jumping on our trampoline this year. Here's a link to just our outtakes (have to get a card or wait until Christmas to see the one we used :)

http://myolsonfamily.blogspot.com/2012/12/christmas-card-outtakes.html

i've wondered this for a while as well- why we rarely get family photo cards for the holidays yet the cards have everyone's name. we do a family photo since all of our names are on the card.

Like a previous poster mentioned- before kids I never sent pictures of myself, so I feel weird about putting myself in the picture. I do enjoy getting pictures of a whole family though, so maybe next year...
Most of my friends who include themselves in the picture do tend to also be the kind of people who post tons of photos of themselves on facebook, which is not my style.

Sometimes the reason is as simple as the parents are always the ones taking the pictures and getting a good (card worthy) picture of the whole family is difficult.

Last year we were in the picture, this year we weren't. I've only done cards for 2 years though. I know for me it's definitely a body confidence thing. A lot of people I send cards to haven't seen me since before I had kids, they don't need to know I've gained weight! And yeah, it's super hard to get a great picture of the whole family, and I've got millions of great ones of my kids.

I actually find most family picture tacky, so I would only include my kid on Christmas card's pictures. As for the Huffington Post article, it may be true for the autor but not for all new moms, I do not have issues with my post baby body, nor do most mom's I know, but I am usually the one taking the pictures, so I do not appear in them, as simple as that.

Personally, I think the answer is more a matter of logistics than body image for most folks. In my family, I (the mother) am the photographer, and my husband is next to me making silly faces or being funny or whatever to get the kids to smile in a genuine way. I'd looove to get us all in the shot, but hiring a photographer is ridiculously expensive. Yes, you could ask a friend who has a good eye for these things to help, but it's an imposition...

I HATE cards with just pictures of the kids. It is like parents don't even exist. If you didn't want to send out pictures of yourself pre-having kids, then what makes you think anybody wants to see a picture of your kids either? I think parents are just obsessed with how cute their children are and they want everybody else to be too.

We don't have kids, but we have an insanely photogenic Cocker Spaniel as our official holiday card model, and our families and friends seem to enjoy it. (Last year, I wanted to do a holiday card with my girlfriend as Mary, me as Joseph, and our puppyboy as the baby Jesus, but my girlfriend was not having it!)

@kessic - you can't use a tripod and the camera's timer?

Yes, we put ourselves in. The kiddo takes pride of place, but I want to see pictures of my friends and so self-consciousness has to stand aside.

And for what it's worth, it's not because I'm a vain, too-frequent Facebook poster. I don't even have an account, and my partner barely uses hers. I think it's the opposite, actually--because I'm not on FB I wish I had more pics of my friends and look forward to the ritual of connection through cards and pictures.

I don't get photos of people on holiday cards period. My husband and I don't have children and I would never do it if we did. I've always thought of the "family photo" as hokey. And why would people want pictures of our kids, if we did have them? Sorry but I don't want someone else's kids hanging a midst my holiday trimmings!

And how bizarre would it be to get a holiday card from a childless couple with their photo on it? It's bad enough with the "save the date" ones I've seen as wedding invitations. Ugh. Why is it any different with children? I say just say no to photos on cards.

Sending out Christmas cards and getting them is a favorite thing f mine each year. I personally love either photos with just kids or family and often a mix. We have a great moderately priced photographer who we have do our photos each Fall. It's the only way I really get good family photos each year. The last two years I've done a family photos but two years before did just our daughter.we never sent phoo cards before we had kids though.

Isn't it just like friends using their children as their profile pictures on facebook? I find it very annoying on the receiving end. I'm friends with you, not your children!

I reject the logistic hypothesis. If you can make an effort to print cards and mail them out, you CAN make an appearance on the card. (It's called a tripod.)

Occam's razor, dude - they've gain weight and don't want a hard copy evidence sent to everyone they know.

You know what I'd like to receive? A photo of a delicious plate of cookies on one side and a recipe and warm greetings from my friends on the other. Useful, memorable, and no dealing with photos of people.

I usually send a photo card of just me and my husband (no kids yet). I enjoy the photo Christmas cards I receive the most, so I figure, why not?

MTE, tara. I love getting pretty cards to display at the holidays, but what would I do with one that had a family portrait on the cover? I'm not going to display that, and it'll just go in the recycle bin or the trash. It just seems like a waste, and a weird, awkward one at that. How many of these just end up on http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com eventually?

I agree. It is the same people that use a photo of their children as their profile picture on social networks.

Jeez family photos are not "hokey" if done well. I love our family photos and more importantly my 6 year old does too. She loves looking at pictures in general but ESP the rare ones we are all in together. I love seeing my friends' families grown each year.

I don't like photo holiday (Christmas!) cards. I love getting cards, but I also like receiving a note, and somehow the photo of your child got you off the hook and so you neither sign or write a note. And you probably printed your address and return address labels, so it became a big thoughtless production line. What is the point in that?

My thought is that I'm friends with the parents, not the children. If they feel they have to include a picture of their family, I want to see the people I'm friends with. That and I've never been really interested in kids, so I really don't feel the maternal glow that other people seem to when looking at pictures of other people's offspring. It's kind of off-putting to me, actually.

I think family photos should be of the whole family (mom, dad, siblings, dogs, lizard...) I like to get authentic feeling pictures from people who want to put them in a card. The posed, hokey "day at the beach" set ups are awful and it's weird when only the smaller children are in the photos.

I also think it's weird that people get all upset that someone would dare send them a photo card. It's a holiday card. With a photo on it. I think if you really, really try, you can find an inner strength you never knew you had to deal with it.

We do not have children and go out of our way to do hokey Christmas card photos of ourselves! They are holiday cards, not sympathy cards, so why not have fun?

We're using one of the whole family, though thought about doing one with just the kids. I think it's fun to have everyone in it, with extra points for matching outfits! Still remember the year my mom made skirts for us and her and a tie for my dad out of the same fabric. Classic christmas card!

Same as the weird Facebook profile pic featuring the kids with their helicopter parents hovering somewhere off camera. To me, that ought to be the first clue that a person may want to reevaluate how they are parenting and where they are placing themselves in the family structure.

We have a family tradition of dressing up, going to a local museum and asking a stranger to take a photo of us - typically near a well-decorated Christmas Tree. This takes care of the logistics of the photographer, the cost of the photographer, and the fact that I can get the Christmas cards ready and in the mail before our own tree goes up. This year we will be two adults and two kids, and it's worked for us... in my opinion, if you aren't having fun while getting the photo taken - why bother?

Losing weight may be work, but it's much more stressful if you're not feeling good about your weight everyday.

This is sort of a messed up post.
Not sure why anyone would get miffed about the kind of card they receive when it is the thought that counts. Haven't we all received store bought cards, picture cards, and handmade cards and enjoyed getting them? I don't judge my friends by what they choose to send and am unclear why anyone would.

I loved the original Huff Post article. I found it to be raw, brave and honest. What a wonderful challenge.

Yes! Thank you for taking the words right out of my mouth. I never know what to do with the cards upon receiving them. I feel bad throwing them away, but I have no desire to look at your kids every morning as I pass the counter/tree/mantle/etc. It's weird. And taking it even a step farther, I find it rather gauche, especially when adults are in the pictures too. Just ... why? Why would you think I want to see your picture? I should know what you look like b/c we're friends/family and if not, why are you sending me a card?

Also, totally agree with STD cards. Like my husband said as we were deciding on invitation designs, "If people don't know what our faces look like, they shouldn't be invited to the wedding!"

It's clear you've never, ever, tried to photograph two kids under two before...

I'm cheap and can buy 75 photo cards @ Costco for twenty-five bucks. I don't plaster my kids on FB or any other site, so sending photo-cards are an easy way for the elderly relatives (many of whom don't even have computers) across the country to get a look at the kids. Every now and then, my husband and I make an appearance in one of the pictures, but, unlike our kids, our looks don't change so much year after year. I don't find photo-cards annoying at all....I enjoy receiving any thing in the mail that isn't a circular or a bill.

I'll be d*mned if I'm gonna spend any more than I do on something that will most likely get tossed in a couple weeks.

Because it is a pain in the ass to get everyone dressed and someone to take the picture.

We do the whole family, at least on the front. Inside/back just kid pics. We always make sure to include the dog too ;) I prefer getting pics of the whole family, but I know a good family photo is hard to come by sometimes!

Why bother with the kid picture? Elderly relatives, mostly. Also, friends who have kids tend to like seeing pictures of the kids - because kids change a lot in a year, and I don't. I like seeing my friends' kids grow.

I agree. But then again - at least there will be new fodder for awkwardfamilyphotos.com

We do the whole family too, already for the 4th year now. And we did it ourselves with a tripod. It was never easy, but definitely do-able. We live on the other side of the world from our immediate family and many are not on facebook. They always loved our cards. And I think it's a good way for us to make sure than every year WE have a good family photo. I'm sad to hear that some don't appreciate receiving the cards - how can they be so ungrateful that they're still thought of.

I mean I agree that I don't want to see pictures of somebodys kids or of other people - why not just send nice holiday cards without the family photos.

Wow. Lot of Scrooges on this thread. I LOVE receiving cards, I love photo cards-cheesy or otherwise...it's ALL good. And what is wrong with sending a photo of just your kid cause you think he/she is cute? Lighten up

we have always had the whole family in the picture. and now that we're grown, both my brother & I's spouses make the picture too. there's no posing, matching outfits or anything like that, it's just whatever picture we've captured of the 6 of us from throughout the year.

Wow, what kind of person doesn't like family photos? There seems to be a few on here. That seems shallow to me. As for people not liking the way they look in photos- it's really sad that people actually feel that way if that's the case. We have a lot of people in this society that would rather feel bad about themselves than make a change? But honestly that doesn't seem to be the issue as far as the holiday cards go. It is really hard to not only get the whole family in the picture but also to have them all looking at the camera etc. I always make a point to get some sort of family pictures. I'd send a card with all of us on it even if it's not my best pic. I'm proud of having my whole family together and many of the people that I send cards to have watched me or my husband growing up as well as my kids and would like to see us all.

Anyone interested in this topic must go to this site. It features actual Victorian photos in which the mothers (sometimes fathers) were covered up in pictures of children. Very very odd, but wonderful.

http://ridiculouslyinteresting.com/2012/01/05/hidden-mothers-in-victorian-portraits/

Nope, people who don't like family photos are not "shallow" nor are they "Scrooges." They simply don't like family photos. It's fairly obvious which folks are being judgmental here. :)

what is this holiday "photo" card you speak of...? is this actually a thing?

Whoa, now I'm afraid to send out my photo card that I made this year (just me and the husband and just snapshots taken during the year). I've always loved photo cards from friends and enjoy looking at them on the bookshelf display. If and when we have kids I would do the same thing, not take a special portrait but pic the best ones during the year and make sure everyone makes an appearance somewhere on the card.

I like getting photos, because I have friends and relatives I don't see every year and it's nice to see how they've changed. More so with the kids, because kids LOOK REALLY DIFFERENT FROM YEAR TO YEAR. Parents look about how I remember from a few years ago.

My husband's pet peeve is getting cards from friends with just their kids or PET'S photo on it! We make an Onion style Newsletter each year with little inside jokes and lots of photos of all of us.

We do the whole family.

People aren't going to do three cards; parents only, parents and kids, kids only. No matter, get one & don't care, toss it; no one's going to wonder 'where's my card?'.
For those that do send photo cards; avoid multiples on ONE card; too small and don't have people; adults/kids two miles away in the picture just so you can show all the scenery.
Pets in pics ok, but don't add the pet's name to the card. Cute if you're nine, but not an adult & Pfluffy the cat really doesn't give a mouses a$$.

I like to see how fat everybody's getting.

Only slightly related, but I have a friend who used to make Christmas cards every year - it took him hours, and it was literally a piece of copy paper folded into a card, but there was always a hand-drawn picture on the front (wreath, reindeer, whatever) and a nice note inside. No matter what it looked like, it was always the best card I received each year.

He got married about 18 months ago (not blaming this on the marriage, just giving context) and the card I got from him and his wife last year was one of their wedding photos with "Merry Christmas" and their names printed on the front. No note, not even a signature written with an actual pen. I appreciate all of the cards I get (they're not so common among my family and friends), but it was a very sad day when I realized I wouldn't be getting those amazing hand-made cards anymore.

Actually related - no families yet, but I do get photo cards from a few married couples (and their pets) every year, and for the most part they're pretty fun. I'd be sad if they took themselves out of the pictures when they start having kids.

Half the time, I feel like I see family portrait (with everyone or just kids) on Facebook before the Christmas cards are even sent. I tend to like non-family picture Christmas cards because they're a little different and can be really creative.

We usually try to do a family portrait, however we did just the kids (ages 1 and 4) this year because of a terrible meltdown during the allocated photo-shoot time. We just didn't have the energy to think about stuffing them into cute outfits again on a better day, so we used cute snaps that we already had. In theory, though, I agree that most people like to see their friends (the parents) as well as the kids.

usually, just the kids. But this year, maybe I was inspired by the 'stay in the picture' article, I'm sending a photo of all of us! We'll see how I feel next year...Interesting idea though, I just assumed people only wanted to see the kids.

I love getting cards of any kind and usually hang them in my front hall - people seem to enjoy perusing the photos even if they don't know the families. I prefer to see the parents mainly because all the little kids look alike so when the parents are included you can match the kids to them.
The latest trend is lots of little pictures in a collage - some of kids only, some entire family, never any of parents alone. These photos are so tiny, I hope the trend goes away.

Do some people sound almost angry to receive a card that they don't like? Hey, I don't particularly like "pet" holiday cards, but I enjoy getting cards, period. It won't be too many years in the future before holiday card-sending goes by the wayside, and we will reminisce about how much fun it was to receive actual physical cards, in all their forms.

I wish my friends/relatives put themselves in their holiday photo cards! I respect that they choose to only feature their kids, but by excluding themselves they kind of give off a "the kids are the only ones who matter" attitude.

As for me, I'm single with no kids and yes, I send out photo cards of myself. A few years ago I wasn't finding any cards I liked, so as a joke I made photo cards showing me standing over a steaming mine fire highway fissure in Centralia, PA (I had just been there a few weeks earlier), with the message, "Much like this steaming crack I straddled in Centralia, I hope your holidays are smokin'!" People LOVED it. They thought it was funny and random and I got so many compliments on it. Thus, a new trend was born. For example, my visit to Chernobyl last year inspired my 2011 holiday card. I used pictures of me in Chernobyl, holding my dosimeter, etc, and the message was "Hope your holidays are hot hot hot!"

If anybody thinks it's hokey or bizarre for a single person to appear in a Christmas card photo, oh well. Being single and childless shouldn't meant that you're obliged to retreat into the shadows and avoid appearing in a photo card. If the person has fun with it and does something imaginative with the card, I love it--especially if it revels something interesting or fun about what s/he did that year. My own cards give me a chance to be creative and irreverent and share my adventures, and since I always write a personal message on the back of the card, it remains a personalized way to reach out to loved ones.

Gotta say I agree with you, Thorndale.

My gf and I sent out our first cards this year with a pic of us and our dog. We just sent it to close friends and family we don't see much. I think all of those people will be happy to see us. I imagine if we had kids, we would do a whole family pic, logistics allowing. I personally like seeing everyone.

My great-uncle, a Franciscan monk, is of course unmarried and childless.

He used to send wonderful holiday photo cards, years before they were common. Him in Jerusalem; him shaking hands with the Pope and grinning like a loon; him riding a camel; him in his brown robes jumping on a trampoline.

Best. Cards. Ever.

I do the kids alone in our Christmas card. I don't like most photos of myself and who would take the photo, anyhow?! On a side-note, this new style of taking photos of children standing by their parents, lopping off the parents heads in the photo (as shown above)...I don't get it. Who wants photos with their crotches as the focal point?

I'm a mom and refuse to send a photo Christmas card. I mean C'mon?! So posed and unrealistic. I send cards that are fun or that are made by my kids to friends and relatives out of state - not to my fellow soccer and cub scout moms I see on a regular basis. Have a craft night and have the kids make some cards, its more fun, and less 'in your face' to the recipient.

ScuttledCuttle Thank you!! Just sayin'. Bahaha...I've seen some of those photos on Pinterest from that awkward photo site. I guess they are good for something!

Charlotte - Roots and Rafters's Right on to both of your comments! I'm no scrooge but I've never been into kids either. I didn't know women were even allowed to say that out loud. Oooh. :)

CallMeIshmael I know, right? Your visual is spot on of passing them every morning... And I almost fell off my chair laughing at "STD" cards! Too funny!

I don't get why everyone is so down on photo cards. What's the big deal. My fiance and I sent one out of us this year. My older relatives haven't met him yet or seen pictures. I thought it was nice.

I have insisted on a whole family photo every year of our married life. My mother died when I was 22, and I have only one family photo with her, which I cherish. When we die, I would like my children to have the option of being able to see what our family was/is; before, during, and after children. I do it as a yearly chronicle of life, and Christmas cards with photos are my absolute favorite thing about the season.

Anosmia, I agree completely. I think the people who don't think twice about getting a card with just the kids are the people who also have kids. I'm also child free (woo hoo!) and, while I do like to see the pictures of my friend's kids, I like to see THEM too. I LOVE your idea of sending out a photo of yourself. Sounds hilarious.

everyone. and i like photos with the entire family, it's interesting to see how the adults change too, and fun to see how the kids resemble their parents.

I always throw out the cards with photographs of children, family and pets. I always display the ones that show a real holiday spirit: landscape, religious, fine art, handcrafted. I don't know--the photo ones just seem kind of "look at us" rather than true spirit of the holiday.

Ahhhh...well.
Sometimes those cards are an annual painful reminder of how much fatter, older, and less stylish we have become since the previous round. And in contrast to our gorgeous children, we just look worse and worse every year....
So as much as it pains us (not much! sorry!) to have everyone miss us gracing the photocards, we are happy to be on the right side of the camera, taking the shots :)

My great aunt and uncle send a photo of their yacht every year. It is a nice boat but I would much rather see a photo of them.

I'm sort of surpised, though I shouldn't be, by the intensity with which some of you dislike (or even "HATE"!) this or that type of card. Honestly I'm encouraged by the strength of the holiday spirit that people continue to send you cards at all when you are so cranky!

I love photo cards because we can put them up at our house and be surrounded by smiling faces of our loved ones. I prefer to see the whole fam over just the kids (because frequently, I have never met the kids, so their faces aren't quite as meaningful to me), and I don't mind if they are posed or hokey or have pets or aren't signed or whatever. To me it's the thought that counts, and I don't care if the thought took two seconds (photo card, mass production) or ten minutes to execute (physical creation of the card with hand writing).

Didn't start sending holiday cards till we had our daughter. We go back and forth from year to year. Send a pic of just daughter one year and the next year one with all three of us. We send a photo inside a holiday card, so the photo can be saved and tucked into a photo album or frame, or tossed in the trash if the recipient so chooses.
Also i love receiving holiday cards no matter what/whom they include in the photo. :)

Dulcibella -- okay that link was SO fascinating....and eerie!!

I love photos of the whole family - not by a photographer, but the kind that show what our friends and their families have been up to. Travels, events, accomplishments. We've had friends (no children) send a card one year with pictures of them as they bicylced across country and thought it was awesome I also love seeing children as they grow up. Many families don't post pictures of their children on FB so this is the one time to see them. My only beef is the single card rather than a folded card - hard to prop up!

I think I hear the Grinch theme song playing....you people need to LIGHTEN UP.

No. I don't think I have ever been, nor do I have any current desire to be, in a family photo Christmas card.

No judgement to anyone who does. It's just not my thing. And that doesn't make me Scrooge. Christmas is something different to different people and that's okay.

And all this just for a photo: what about the Christmas LETTER?!

MissFifi, well said!

I love getting cards from friends and family from all over the globe. I LOVE photo cards. Actually, I love any card that someone thinks to send my way. Hokey is ok in my book.

My daughter is little and cute and photogenic. I am none of the above, and have never liked having my picture taken. 90% of our cards go to relatives who don't use Facebook and are always begging for photos of the little one.

I love getting pictures of my friends kids even though I don't have any. So many people with children exclude single people from their life so to me it is a sign that they still think about me and want to share their life.

My favorite card every year is from my brother. It is always a picture of the three of them - brother, his wife and their son - taken at some major event during the year. When they went to Australia it was from there. They always look so happy and in addition to all the other photos, I have an annual snap-shot of their little family and how happy they are.

I can't believe I just read through these comments. Very entertaining. We send photo cards and I spend a lot of time making them unique and handmade. I love doing it and I LOVE receiving them! I even keep them from year to year. I like to see how kids have grown each year. A photographer friend came over a couple of weeks ago and took photos of the family and a few of just the kids. I will pick the best one. It might be of all of us or just the kiddos. Either way, i know the recipients will love it! They look forward to it....just like me! Merry Christmas!!

I don't mind the photo cards, but yes, agree I'd prefer to see the parent(s) as they are the ones I know and am close too. I also like the idea that people without children can do a photo card. Why is that exclusive to kid only families?

What does annoy me, and someone else said it already, is when people use the photo cards in a mass production mode and can't even take the time to sign it. When everything is pre-printed and impersonal, I am offended. We live in an electronic world every day, why not take a moment of your year to write a personal note to your friend on a Christmas card. It makes such a huge impact, and ensures the person you have sent the card to really knows you care enough to say hello. No one is so busy they can't find the time for this simple act of kindness.

Wow. I did not realize I was offending people by sending them holiday cards with pictures of just my kids! There are many reasons why we don't include ourselves in the picture, most of them have been mentioned by others already. I personally love getting cards with pictures, whether it is just the kids, or parents included. I like to see how their kids have grown, and I do consider myself to be friends with the kids, too. I am facebook friends with most of the people I receive cards from, too, so I see plenty of pictures of everyone, but still like getting the cards. Otherwise the cards we get are mostly short and sweet greetings (except for a couple of cousins who feel the need to send a newsletter recapping their entire year...ha ha).

OMG who cares. We are way overthinking this people.

"I think parents are just obsessed with how cute their children are .."

Of course they are....I'd be concerned if they weren't.

I totally agree with MissFifi... you hit the nail on the head.

"....why would people want pictures of our kids, if we did have them? "

maybe because they love you?

Lol @ martha6 for the 'extra points' comment. I thought this would be a fun thread but was just about to bail in disappointment when I read your comment. Made my day! *Classic* is the key word here.

For me, holiday cards -- photos with just kids, family photos, couples, pets, no photos -- are a wonderful part of this season. My wish was that friends and family would write a quick note or even just write "Dear Cook Family" and "Love, The Smiths" in their own handwriting. It's not the photo cards I have an issue with -- it's the mass-produced cards without any personalization. For me, this is a chance to connect to friends and family, some of whom I see all the time and others I only connect with by holiday card. I know it takes time to write something personal in a card, and I'm sure others may say that there's just not time in this season for such things, but for me, this is important.

FINALLY.,.the voice of reason,
Well said.

"I'm sad to hear that some don't appreciate receiving the cards - how can they be so ungrateful that they're still thought of."

That pretty much sums it up.

"It's fairly obvious which folks are being judgmental here."

True.

Exactly! I take the pictures, so I am never in any!

"it was a very sad day when I realized I wouldn't be getting those amazing hand-made cards anymore."

So....send him a handmade card this year & tell him how much you miss his amazing cards. I can't think of a better Christmas gift than that.

What fun! Send me a card this year :).

"Best. Cards. Ever."

agreed

"the photo ones just seem kind of "look at us" rather than true spirit of the holiday."

Mmm...the true spirit of the holiday is LOVE

"I think I hear the Grinch theme song playing....you people need to LIGHTEN UP."

Yup

Read through every post here. Wow. Opened this thread expected to be delighted. I'd like to say I'm leaving the same way but the *Bah, humbug* spirit is overwhelming. Makes me sad t to consider so many are living in such misery and self-loathing.

Merry Christmas to all..

I thought the true spirit of the holiday was about Christmas (if that's the holiday you celebrate), about a special birth. It has a cultural and religious background. I can see family photos anytime. It bothers me that people use this time of year to talk about themselves, when photos can, and should, be shared anytime. Instead, what I'm hearing is that people select this one time of year to showcase themselves.

Yes, I celebrate Christmas, the birth of our Savior, Who IS love. I count it a blessing to receive a card, be it a photo card or otherwise. I have the choice of 'reacting' to such a gift based on my own personal priorities & beliefs OR 'responding' in love. I simply choose the latter.

Merry Christmas :)

I don't have kids, and I love to include a few pictures of what I've been up to over the year. Especially since I've moved around a bit, it's a fun way to keep friends and family updated. Who cares if there are photos, kids, adults, snowflakes, baby Jesus's whatever on the card. At least it's an actual piece of mail isn't an ECARD!!

Checking back before bed and you got it exactly!

Because I think people sending out photo cards for Christmas is obnoxious means I don't love them?

I love photo cards; it gives me great pleasure this time of the year to know that most days, I'm going to open the mail and see the smiling faces of friends and family (many of whom I rarely see). My kids absolutely love them; they spend a great deal of time looking at all of the pictures and asking questions that lead to many stories and much discussion.
(And my relatives really enjoy looking at the "card wall" and seeing my old friends that they knew as children).

I just created my first family photo holiday card and it includes our 8-month-old baby, my husband and me. I asked my father to help take some specifically for the card, as I found lots of photos of just baby or baby with Dad and other relatives/friends, because I'm the one behind the camera. For the record, neither my husband nor I constantly have photos of ourselves on our FB pages.
I'm sorry to hear that some don't enjoy receiving holiday cards. We decided to do this, because we have family and friends who are not on FB and live far away. They haven't seen our baby and sometimes haven't seen us either for a while. I think they would enjoy seeing a photo. In turn, I enjoy getting photo cards too. It doesn't bother me that they often come without any personal written notes, because I know families (esp. with young children) are often quite busy and they do invest time in effort either way. Second, I've received many a written holiday card that just noted the names of the addressee and then signed. That was all.
So, plain and simple, I don't have anything against photo cards. I find a lot of the comments here rather judgmental and narrow-minded.

Kids look very different year to year, so that is why the focus is on them, at least for me. It is difficult enough to get them to have their eyes open, etc. without having to run over, set a timer and take a family "glamor shot."

There is a huge difference between loving someone and being obsessed with someone. I think a lot of us are responding to that difference. Obsession is never cute, it is delusional, and unhealthy whether it is over a dog, a child, or a partner. Part of that delusion is expecting that others will feel the same way. If I have had little contact with you over the course of a year, why would I want to look at a picture of your kid? To me what counts in a relationship is contact and interaction, not just gazing at an object, in this case your child.

Perhaps I have a very skewed take on this because I have an extremely close extended family, and I am super close with my friends. In my family we grew up near each other and therefore knew what each other looked like. Now that we are adults we have moved all over the country, but I still talk to everyone and know what they are up to on a regular basis. I think these cards with photos of kids don't really say much about anybody's life other than here is what my kid looks like. Quite superficial.

I am Jewish, and am curious what other Jews here have experienced. I am 40, and growing up in the 70s and 80s, Jews I knew just did not send out holiday cards in December. You sent them out in September / October for the High Holidays and they surely did not include pictures of anybody. And, you didn't send them to non-Jews because they don't observe your holiday. So it is only as an adult in the last ten years that I have received holiday cards in December, from Jews and non-Jews.

As a kid I do remember some of my parents' non-Jewish friends sending out xeroxed letters about their year. The letters that had insight, including the ups and downs, are interesting to me. You get to learn about a person and how they look at the world. These days if there is any sort of letter it just seems to be bragging on what kind of vacation you took or where your kid got into school. Again, if you cannot take the time to write something personal, why would I want to get a mass produced card with a picture of your kid?

My kids don't smile for a tripod. I actually have a wireless remote I set up and use sometimes for candid fun shots at events. It's great. But doesn't seem to quite do the trick for a family portrait type shot.

surfjack, you just made me so happy with your inner strength comment!!

Christmas began as a religious holiday-- but in practice I think it's currently more about family and friends. Don't we all go to parties that have nothing to do with baby Jesus? Is that wrong? It's just a time of celebrating relationships in our life. Sending cards is a part of that.

I'm surprised by how divisive this 'issue' seems to be for some people.

We do not have kids, but do send a photo card to relatives who all seem to like it...and I always write a short note on the back of each card to personalize it a bit. People that we are not as close with (extended friends) end up getting a non-photo card after the photo cards run out. Usually the photo card has one or two nice pictures of us taken at some point during the year (on vacation, at a birthday or anniversary dinner, etc.) and a picture of our (beautiful) dog.

I enjoy seeing my friends' kids (and their dogs...mostly their dogs :) growing up each year. It's especially great from friends/family we don't see as often since our families are spread across the US.

Personally, I've never been big on the kids theme holiday card (I/we don't have any). I find it tacky, and some parents tend to go overboard sending a pic of the same kids, only older, year after year. And let's face it, most parents think their children are cute and expect others to think the same. I'm a dog lover, so I prefer something along those lines. Otherwise, just stick with generic cards.

We just send a card with our daughter on it. It has nothing to do with body image or insecurity - it just takes forever to try to get a decent picture with all three of us (all looking at the camera, smiling, not crying, not pouting). It's just easier.

awesome!

Pi, tarain, yobo, scuttled, emily, et al.
i agree!
i am tired of the computer generated address labels, the printed photo, greeting, etc. there is nothing personal about them, even with the family pictured. when isend cards, they are all hand addressed and a personal note. otherwise i don't bother. it seems to mechanical and not a thoughtful thing. i might start sending photos of our insanely photogenic orange tabby cats! lol

I only put my kid in it because both my husband and I hate to see ourselves in photos, plus it is hard to get a good photo of all of us (I'm not paying for one and I don't know who to ask that might take a good one).

I just had a baby and she's in our christmas card because all these nice people sent us cards when she was born and I wanted to send a photo card back to them since I didn't do a birth announcement. It's my first photo card.

I actually don't like family photos framed around the house, not because I don't love my family but because they usually aren't great photos. Everyone mugging for the camera is just not my thing decor-wise. And its not that we aren't beautiful. Everyone in my family is gorgeous.

On the other hand, my best friend is a wonderful photographer and I love the family photos up in her house because they are great photos whether you care about her kids or not.

Now I guess I didn't have an opinion about photo Christmas cards. I think its nice if someone sends me a card. I will happily display such cards. When it comes to Christmas I really abandon my sense of style. Two weeks out of the year my house is allowed to look cheesy and ridiculous.

belle309kt nailed it. I'm taking the photo. Why would I send a photo of kid and husband without me? So it ends up just the kid and dogs (or just dogs before the kid). Whole-family photos are frequently staged and silly--I much prefer extemporaneous photos.

I know it's work to take a family photo... and I realize the kids change more from year to year... plus, I hate to have my own picture taken. But if you're asking my opinion, I must say that I enjoy seeing the whole family the most. I usually keep the photo cards from year to year and I want to be able to glance back at what their 'family' looked like... not wondering 'whose kids are these?'.

"I always throw out the cards with photographs of children, family and pets. I always display the ones that show a real holiday spirit: landscape, religious, fine art, handcrafted."

I send funny photo cards highlighting one or more of my adventures from that year, and the thought of anybody immediately throwing the card away because it's not Christmassy enough is depressing and downright insulting! If someone were doing that with my cards I'd want to know so I could avoid sending him/her cards in the future. Why waste energy and stamps on someone like that? (And yeah, photo cards do require energy. Designing the card, ordering copies, writing personal messages on the back, addressing envelopes, buying stamps, and mailing the cards requires a certain degree of time and energy.)

I'm so glad that I'm not friends with most of you. I think all of the cards I receive are lovely. I'm always happy to find them in my mail box.

If anyone is truly offended by a card they received, they should probably reassess their priorities in life. Or you know, get some.

In a perfect world, we'd all spend weeks hand crafting one-of-a-kind multi-denominational holiday cards out of recycled paper, coffee grounds and gluten free macaroni. But let's get real.

Personally, the fact that you sent me a card is awesome. Thank you to all the card givers out there.

I love getting pictures of anyone's kids, and if you don't have children, I love having a picture of you, your pets, you climbing a mountain or doing anything you enjoy. Include grandparents or anyone I know! And you parents include yourselves! Because you are still young and gorgeous, and now that I am old I wish I had more pictures of myself when I was young,(and harshly critical of myself). So there. Merry Christmas !

I think there is such pressure, especially with social media, for families to be (or appear) PERFECT all of the time. We did a little collage on our card this year and it had a few shots of the kids alone and one of us all together. It was a photo taken on vacation...my hair is kind of crazy and I'm not wearing any makeup, but you can see how happy we all are in the photo. Isn't that the spirit of it anyway?

I love receiving mail...any Christmas card is a welcome treat! Kids, no kids, whatever. We are all so lucky to be alive and celebrating another holiday with those we love.

This is the first year we have done photo Christmas cards. Before children I never would have sent out a photo of myself on a Christmas card. Having said that I do think parents should be included on the card. If I receive a photo card I want to see everyone I might know on it.

This year I cheated and had someone draw cards for us. They turned out totally cute, personal, and no one can complain that we didn't include ourselves. Here's a link to ours... http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=340317012733398&set=pb.324203164344783.-2207520000.1354947668&type=3&theater

Sorry I have to put in a plug for this girl! Two of my friends used her too:
Doctor Who fans :-) http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=342833049148461&set=a.324209704344129.68575.324203164344783&type=1&theater

and http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=340317672733332&set=a.324209704344129.68575.324203164344783&type=1&theater

i look forward to seeing pics of my friends children. they grow and change so much in a year. i look forward to any christmas card with any type photo. Lucky to have friends to take time out of their busy schedules to send me a little piece of themselves.

Commenters, who ARE you people? Even if I received a holiday card which wasn't quite my cup of tea, I think I'd spend approximately two seconds thinking about it. I'm always happy to be remembered, and while I guess I prefer whole-family shots to just-the-kids shots, it's really fine either way.

These comments blow my mind.

My husband and I love to "judge" the cards and letters we get (most expensive photo shoot, cheesiest, best looking, etc..), which I know is pretty terrible. However, I love to send and receive cards because , in the end, the message we are sharing is that "we thought enough of you to send you a card the old fashioned way" the postal service.

We know we are likely being judged when our photos are on the card with our kids, but whatever!

It is extremely hard to get a good family shot, but I always want to see what the parents look like so this year I had 3 pics on 1 card, one with my husband and I & then one of each of them b/c I couldn't get a great pic of all of us.
I do the christmas card for myself more actually, it's nice to stay connected and let people see what our family looks like, but I want to be able to look back and see how we looked when the years have gone by. I really like to see everyone in the family, not just the kids.

Love that!!!!!!!

I love photos and prefer ones of the whole family and save them in my albums after the holidays.

I'm so tempted to send pics of my 4 cats to those who send me just pics of their kids!

If I make photo cards, I use the most amusing photos I can, whether that's kids, family, or goats. Then I try to not send them to jerks.

I hope your negative commenters aren't any of my friends. I have been living overseas for the past few years and I have two little ones. I feel accomplished if I keep my house semi-clean and a super success if I showered that day, but I always make an effort to send Christmas cards. In the past, I always wrote out addresses/return addresses. I included a personal note on every card, and my list is large. Before having kids, I usually sent 200+ cards each year, as I have moved a lot and kept in touch with people over the years. Now that I am living overseas, I order my cards and have them sent to my mother. I send her a list to print labels. Is it a "production line"? Yes. Do I wish I could spend more individualized time on them? Yes. Could I buy cards here to send? Yes, but much more difficult not being a non-Christian country. Could I to everything by hand here to send? Yes (though at 3-4 times the cost and I can't guarantee they would be done before March). But, sorry, this period in my life doesn't allow it, so it is this or nothing. I hope my friends recognize my sincere desire to show them I am thinking about them amidst the chaos of life.

I like the cards sent to me from the person who got free cards and labels from the Humane Society (or Open Door Mission - whatever).

I like the cards sent to me that my great aunt bought at Costco after the holidays last year.

I like the cards that my graphic design friend made with actual pine needles on it.

I like the cards that cost a small fortune.

I like the cards that have no photos.

I like the trifold cards that have photos plastered everywhere - front and back.

If you sent it to me, I love it. Thank you for sharing yourself with me, in whatever style. I hope I'm as thoughtful and organized as you and actually get one out this year.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

"In a perfect world, we'd all spend weeks hand crafting one-of-a-kind multi-denominational holiday cards out of recycled paper, coffee grounds and gluten free macaroni. But let's get real."

Bahahaha! True.
As an observation here ,it seems the people who hate receiving photo cards of kids only are the people who don't have kids. It also seems that the people that think that their cards should be hand-signed and hand-addressed probably don't have kids because they'd be laughing hysterically at the thought of that.
And yet...noone has made a single comment about the photo above. This new photo style that places Mom's & Dad's crotches as the focal point along with little Johnny are the ultimate awkward family photos

Rhonda N., I totally agree. I just find it fun to hear from everyone in whatever way they choose.

I love getting any holiday cards. I think generic cards are falling out of favor, but the idea of picture cards makes it a little more modern for younger people. It gives our family an excuse to take a nice picture every year. We put a picture of the kids on the front of the card and the family on the back this year. That way, if people abhor looking at our children, they can flip it around and look at all of us. http://allthingsholyhell.wordpress.com/2012/12/10/photo-shoot-2012/

The myriad of answers should tell all that you need to know your audience and send cards accordingly. If people know only you, send a picture of only you, entire family to relatives, pets to dog-sitter, etc. Holiday cards are little gifts for people. Just as you think about what the person likes when you buy them a gift, do the same for the card/photo.

ja, i know, i am a little bit too late ... but in general i am not sending any stupid or flippy cards any more. the day, my brother died, i had been overflowed with very different kind of cards and other posts. i felt so bad this day and all the people around me just wanted to wish me the best. a lot of them became even so angry, when i told them, that i want to be left alone. i do not want to be overflowed by posts and i do not want to do that to the others. they are invited to come around for a personal talk ...

While I enjoy the family photo, some women have issues with their bodies and prefer to send a card Sunday the parents. Your real friends wii not care if you gained a few pounds so don't worry. Send a photo card that shows the entire family!!