Christmas Card. Photo courtesy of Stamp Not Included

Christmas cards are a great tradition. They are a simple way to connect and spread holiday cheer with friends and relatives. There are so many options when it comes to Christmas cards– funny ones, religious ones, artsy ones, sparkly ones, homemade ones. How can you possibly choose? Here are some ideas for places to find the best Christmas cards, depending on your style and your budget.

Photo Christmas Cards

Since one of the main purposes of a Christmas card is to fill your friends in on the past 12 months, a photo can be a great way to bring them up to date. Several sites offer easy opportunities to upload a photo and design your own card. Try Shutterfly or PhotoWorks.

Christmas Cards that Support a Cause

Christmas cards are meant to spread love– why not let your actions speak louder than your words by supporting a non-profit organization with your Christmas cards? That’s the idea behind Cards that Give, a site developed with the purpose of promoting non-profit greeting cards. Cards that Give only includes qualified charities that have been reviewed by Charity Navigator, a watchdog organization.

Christmas Cards Designed by You

There’s no way to make a greeting card more personal than by designing a card yourself. At Moo.com you can upload photos, or combine Moo designs to create your own cards. Another cool thing about Moo.com is that you can design up to 25 different cards in each pack you order. So if you like variety, then this is a great option.

Homemade Christmas Cards

For those with a crafty side, try making your own Christmas cards. Need ideas? Check out ScrapVilliage’s Christmas card gallery and then head to your local craft store for supplies like paper, stamps and stickers. Surely your effort and care will not go unnoticed when your homemade Christmas card shows up in the mailbox.

Photo courtesy of Tanakawho

Flowers

Flowers are a safe gift that fit varying levels of relationships and interests. Just about everyone likes flowers. Another great thing about giving roses or tulips is that you can do it last minute. Check out VirtualFlorist.com where you can easily browse through bouquets and pick a price and style you like. The best part is, if you place your order by 2pm they can deliver it that day.

 You can read some of our reviews and suggestions on the best online florists in a previous post: A Token of Love: Flowers! Online Resources

Gift Card

It may be too late to throw a gift card in the mailbox, but you can still get it delivered to their inbox. Try GiftCertificate.com. Buy gift cards from one of dozens of merchants, or give them a SuperCertificate that they can redeem for the gift card of their choice.

Movies

Give the gift of movies almost instantly through Blockbuster Online. Simply select a gift subscription plan and duration (they start at $11.99), customize an e-card and click send. Then your recipient will be able to redeem the subscription at any time.

Dinner

Even though you can’t be there to take your friend or family member out to dinner for this special occasion, you can still give them a meal out on the town. Hook them up with an e-gift certificate from Restaurant.com. Better yet, sign them up for the Dinner of the Month club. A three month subscription is just $30 and you’ll receive a $10 gift certificate just for being so thoughtful.

E-Card

Sometimes a few well-written words can mean the most. Select an e-card at Hallmark.com, include a personalized note and click send. Your birthday wish will arrive right on time. Other choice for e-cards would be: Zany in the City E-cards.

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If you have more ideas on how to give long distance last minute gifts, please leave us a comment! Also, if you have used any of the above websites and have any feedback (good or bad), we’d love to hear from you!

Make Your Own

Head to the craft store and pick up some supplies to make your own. Not only will you add your own special creative touch to the cards, you’ll save money too. Check out Michael’s for supplies and have fun.

Go Electronic

These days there are lots of options when it comes to electronic greeting cards. Send your message straight to your loved ones’ inbox and you don’t have to worry about forking over 42 cents for a stamp. Some to check out are HipsterCards.com, Hallmark.com and Someecards.com.

Buy Bulk

You know you’re going to need birthday cards throughout the entire year. So rather than running to the store every time you need a card, try buying them in bulk. You’ll save money and time.

Send a Postcard

It may be a little unique, but you’ll still send a nice message and save on stamps at the same time. Postcard stamps are just $.27—that’s $.15 cheaper than mailing a letter or card.

Find Funny Ones

If you have ever spent extensive time checking out the card aisles you may have noticed that funny cards are often quite a bit cheaper than mushy, thoughtful cards. The reason is that more romantic cards often have embellishments or unique features that drive up the cost. So try to stick to the funny cards and save money.

Photo Courtesy of are you my rik?