Christmas Ecards

How to Send Holiday Ecards

For many people, spending the time and money on traditional posted Christmas cards is more trouble than it seems to be worth. Most cards end up in the trash after the holiday season has passed. Websites often have cards categorized into groups, such as those appropriate for business, family, or friend/humorous ones, making it quick and easy to find a fitting card. Christmas ecards are available several months in advance of the holiday; in fact, some websites off them year-round.

The following steps are fairly universal for ecard websites:

1. Preview and select a holiday ecard.
2. Type in or import email addresses of the card’s recipients.
3. Add a personalized message or greeting to the card.
4. Choose from any additional options the website offers, such as delayed sending date, adding a gift card, or other options.
5. Save email addresses to an account with the ecard website (optional).

Take advantage of the easy nature of ecards and get them done before the holiday season is in full swing. Look for a website that features a “mail” date, where customers can choose what date the card is sent out. More generic cards sent en mass to clients, acquaintances, and the like is entirely appropriate. Personal messages should be added to cards for close family and friends.

Types of Christmas Ecards

Ecards can be simple and sweet, or even so complicated as to make the recipient “work” to open the card. Choose a card based upon the intended audience. Ecard options often include:

• Animation: From prancing reindeer to falling snow to a short story video, animated ecards offer a wide variety of entertaining choices.
• Music: Turning on speakers is essential when checking out ecards, as many have background music playing, regardless of animation status. Select musical ecard recipients carefully, as some people may not be able to turn speakers off at work, or may not have speakers at all.
• Interactive: Delight the addressee with something a little different by sending out a card with a Christmas game, trivia quiz, or point-and-click activity on the first page. Once the activities have been completed, the card will open to the include message.
• Faux Greeting Card: For a more traditional feel, choose an ecard that looks and works like a customary greeting card. When the recipients go to the site, they will be greeted by the front page of a card, then open to receive a message, and even see the backside of the card.

Personal photos, video clips, and/or musical compositions can be added to ecards created on websites with that allow users to create their own original cards.

Holiday Ecards at Home

Creating a Christmas ecard at home can be just as easy and more personal than using a premade one found online. Persons with experience in computer graphics and other animation can create truly awesome cards at home. But that does not mean everyone else is left out in the cold.

Slideshow Ecards

Make a slideshow using a computer program. People who have access to programs like Microsoft Office PowerPoint can take advantage of the program during the holiday season. Creating a slideshow file featuring photos from the season or monthly collage of family activities and saving them as a file to attach to emails is a great way to create personal ecards.

Graphic Ecards

Simple print programs for home computers can create lovely ecards to send as an attachment. Choose clipart, photos, fonts, and messages from a vast array of choices within the program. Most print programs allow for images to be imported in, letting customers choose their own unique images.

Mass Email Ecard

Some email services may have options to create an ecard within the program itself. Even if a person’s email does not allow for this, it does not mean that he/she is out of luck. Simply sending out a short paragraph of information, followed by a “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” is enough to let people know others are thinking of them in December.

Christmas ecards save money and time during the hectic holiday season. With the vast array of ecard options available, one can be found or made to fit almost anyone’s holiday greeting needs.