Sending Holiday Love in the Mail with Minted Cards and Art

There’s just something so heartwarming about opening your mailbox and seeing a greeting card stuffed in between the stack of bills.

It could be the surprise of something unexpected sitting with the other ordinary envelopes.

Or, it could be the connection between friends, renewed with something tangible—a card—that truly shows they care.

Maybe it’s just a link to the way things used to be, before social media became a way of life for so many of us, that makes our heart skip a beat when we see a holiday card in our mailbox.

It makes me feel a bit like a kid again.
Remember the days when you checked that mailbox, hoping something in there would be for you?
And remember how fabulous it was each December, when you reached a certain age, when your friends filled up that mailbox each day with greetings from their corner of the world?

I do.

And I have to admit, I still love it when I see a card sandwiched in between the bills.

I don’t get nearly as many as I used to.

Heck, I’ve even skipped a year or two of sending them when life got a little out of control on my end.

But I realized this year just how much I regretted missing this annual tradition.

See, I’m a big fan of photo cards. I always liked sending family photos, and I liked seeing them of friends. It was my one chance all year to truly check in with people and see where life had led them.

Well, I pulled out our old cards last year and had fun going through, seeing how much the kids have changed with each holiday. But having skipped the tradition the past two years, I have a big hole in the progression.

I can’t ever get that back.

But I can pick up where I left off (we’ll just call it the enormous growth spurt stage).

And now, I can go beyond just printing photo holiday cards. I can also print wrapping paper with my family’s faces by going through companies such as Minted.com.

I fell in love with this company two years ago when I saw their gorgeous, personalized art pieces you can have created with your personal images. They are honestly my go-to company for gifts for friends who I want to go above and beyond for when sending my love and gratitude.

It’s easy to see why Minted.com is my favorite. Just spend a few minutes looking at their site featuring artists from around the world. I always imagine one day maybe they’ll feature something I created, and then the rest of the world can ooh and awe over my masterpieces, too.

Until then, I’ll have to settle for creating my Christmas cards through the company.  And you know what, they’ll even make art of the photos you use for your greeting cards.

I’m going one step ahead this year, even creating notes for the people and companies that helped me grow my blog over the last 12 months, thanking them for their support and announcing some new fun I have planned for 2015.

They probably already know I’m appreciative, since we are friends on Facebook in many cases, but I like the idea of sending them something more.

Odds are a card they can hold in their hands, featuring a beautiful picture to make them smile, has the same impact on them that it has on me. I want them to feel extra special, too.

Below are some of my favorite choices from this year’s card selection.  Go to Minted.com and check them out for yourself.   There is even a discount: 15% off on holiday cards $150+ using the code JOY15 and 10% off on holiday cards $100+ using the code JOY10.  Enjoy!