How to create a successful e Christmas card

From the first time I saw a friend's Jib Jab e Christmas card three year's ago, I was hooked.  Now people have been asking me if we are doing one this year, and it's neatly slipped into the space previously filled by conventional Christmas cards.

This year I might have had to recast a few times to avoid gender stereotypes.  Click to skip the ad. I chose the free card because it was my favourite, hence the ad, but I think the premium, pay for cards are ad free.




My top tips to get a good e card, choose pictures with:
- each participant looking directly at the camera, although side on can be fun, as long as you are looking at the camera.
- classic rule of stage performance, go for big facial expressions, you will look much less silly if you are really 'going for it', than you will with a half smile or no expression.
- cheesy grins - c'mon it's Christmas - but with teeth together rather than parted.
- hair off the face

I'd estimate this year it took me an hour to find the pics, use the tool to edit the faces and experiment with different types of card.  Once I had the faces sorted my kids loved experimenting with the scenarios, but older children could easily select and crop the pictures themselves.

Once you have the faces they are stored in your account so you can easily create cards throughout the year.  Updating the faces each year is a bit of a tradition for us, a new take on the family Christmas photo.

Mr G and I did another one where we had a snowball fight with Grandad, and we might do few more individual ones as it's fun playing.  There's some good ones for groups of friends or colleagues too, and as you can take pics from facebook so I might do some for friends too.  Here's our 70s disco frenzy from last year.

You can then email or facebook your card, or download it for a couple of dollars through paypal so you have a copy as a memento. Or upload the downloaded file from your computer to You Tube so you can easily share it, or embed the code in a blog post.

The Cheat's Guide to Christmas Cards

I've never been totally comfortable with Christmas cards.  I love writing and letters, but all that excess paper always upset the environmentalist in me.  At school I used to donate to charity and give all my friends a chocolate instead.

These days it's trickier.  The family mantra as regards Christmas has always been Keep It Simple.  I do send cards  if I am going to write a letter, to relatives I don't see often.  Last year I discovered the Jib Jab card.  It's much more personal than an ordinary e card.  With Mr A's work and my theatrical background (drama teacher) multimedia just seemed more us too.

So this year I cast us in a disco extravaganza, it took ages to choreograph ;)



It's really simple to do, and people I have emailed it to seem to have appreciated the giggle.  Head over to jib jab for more ideas.  If you are in the US you can even have your mugs transferred onto mugs.  I think you have to pay to join, but no more than a box of Christmas cards.  Make sure if you do cheat though, that you donate something to charity too.  I find it makes the e card an easier pill to swallow.

By the way, I've been shortlisted for the Brilliance in Blogging Award, if you've enjoyed reading this, would you take just one little minute to vote for me?  I'm in the first category - Fresh Voice of 2010.  Just click on the flag:

Thank you :) x