Christmas

Thanks to Minted for partnering with me on this Christmas card holiday blog post.

Christmas is right around the corner.

So why not get a jumpstart on your Christmas cards before you start feeling like your schedule is overcrowded with all the time-consuming holiday goodness that’s coming?

When that happens, you may feel like you’d rather forgo sending out holiday cards altogether — and then hold out hope that no one notices. Or, if you’re like me, you’ll procrastinate sending out your family’s Christmas cards and then feel guilty receiving beautifully created holiday cards in the mail from friends and family members who’ve obviously thought ahead. 😉

Does that sound familiar?

Truthfully, last year, I had a reason not to send out holiday cards, and it was because David was constantly in and out of the hospital. We actually spent most of the month of December in the hospital so that David could receive his bone marrow transplant. We spent Christmas there, too.

It was a rough time. But do you know what blessed us tremendously while we sat in that hospital room day after day?

Christmas cards.

They were sent to us by family, friends, schoolchildren and people we didn’t even know. They brought us so much joy!

Christmas Cards Ideas

This year is very different than last year… in a good way. And we will be creating Christmas cards to share with others. 🙂

I’ll be using one of the beautifully crafted designs on Minted.com to make our cards. I can’t wait! I’ve been purchasing my business cards from Minted for a long while now, and I always get compliments on how great they look. I use one of the unique designs on Minted’s website and love not spending extra time in Photoshop creating my own design.

Back to Christmas cards — there are so many lovely holiday designs on Minted; it’s going to be hard to choose which design wins!

Here are some of my favorites:

In this first one, I love the playfulness of the fonts. I adore the different styles, too.

Here’s another card with a fun font.

I’m sure you already know this, but these are photo cards. You get to personalize them with your family pictures. 🙂

This next card has a shape that’s different from traditional cards. It’s just one of several distinctive shapes offered by Minted.

I love this one in the shape of a wreath.

These cards are made with real foil which give them a brilliant shine. So pretty!

Here’s a non-photo foil pressed card. It’s called “Oh Holy Night Sky.”

The elaborate design on this card is eye-catching. I love the way everything flows together.

Here’s another one along those same lines but simpler.

I’m a big fan of the color teal, and I love the use of it in this next card. The fonts go well together, too.

And finally, I love this last card! It pretty much sums up life right now. 😉

I hope these holiday cards have given you some great ideas for when you sit down to create your own cards. Me? I’m going to get started on our Christmas cards next week. (It’s on my calendar.)

I think I’ll be going with that last card.

Because even though life isn’t perfect, it is perfectly wonderful.

Do you create Christmas cards every year?

This is part of a sponsored collaboration with Latina Mom Bloggers and JCPenney.
However, all opinions expressed are my own.

The holidays are just about over for most of us.

There is, however, one more special day recognized by Latino families around the world. It’s called Three Kings Day, and it’s celebrated on January 6th. On Three Kings Day, we’ll remember when the three wise men made a special visit to behold and give gifts to the child, Jesus, after His birth. Some people even think of Three Kings Day as the last ‘official’ day of the Christmas season.

Um, extend the Christmas season? Yes, please! 😉

To give you a simple idea of what this holiday is about for one real latino family in particular, watch this movie where a young girl named Camila shares how her family celebrates this day every year.

How to Celebrate Three Kings Day
People celebrate this holiday pretty much the same way they celebrate other holidays — with family, friends, special food, activities, and fun! Just as with other holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, families have traditions they keep year after year to celebrate Three Kings Day.

DID YOU KNOW? JCPenney wants to raise awareness about real holidays celebrated by real families? They’ve created several videos to do just that. You can head on over to their YouTube channel and watch them there.

Shopping at JCPenney
While we couldn’t shop specifically for Three Kings Day (we’re pretty much knee deep in snow and hanging out at the Ronald McDonald House as my four-year-old son, David, recovers from a bone marrow transplant), my husband did do some clothes shopping for our kids not too long ago.

He went to JCPenney and found the most adorable sweaters for Elisabeth. And she’s received several compliments on her pretty little sweaters, because, well, they fit her so well. And they look so cute on her.

I love that JCPenney has clothes for everyone in the family that are great to wear to any holiday celebration, especially a Three Kings Day celebration.

Do you celebrate Three Kings Day? Do you have any favorite after-Christmas traditions?