It's not too early: Shutterfly's Christmas cards 2011

I know what you're thinking.  Everyone is rushing the holidays, talking about Christmas even before Halloween or Thanksgiving have occurred.  But really, if you are like me... one who tends to wait until the last minute to decide on Christmas cards, now is a great time to at least start browsing Shutterfly's Christmas cards  and holiday cards to see what's available.  Plus, thinking about the design now gives you the chance to consider what kind of picture you want to use or take if you haven't already.  Will you need a portrait or landscape?  These are things I don't typically think about until I see a design I like and then smack my head because I took the perfect photo in the wrong camera angle.

For me, I don't send 'Santa' cards, since I prefer a religious theme to celebrate Christmas and extend my good wishes to family and friends.  Since I live so far from family, with many I see only ever few years, if ever, I prefer photo Christmas cards.  I love to receive them too because it's nice to keep them and look back through the years to see how a cousin has grown over time.  I also view Christmas cards as gifts and they get displayed on my Christmas tree.

Which one did I like best?  I was hoping there'd be more religious designs instead of more generic greetings.  I am eying this design, however:

Image from Shutterfly:Whimsical Angel Religious Christmas Card

I love that it has the year on the heart.  What do you think of the design?  I'm hoping to get my cards ready to mail by Thanksgiving so I don't have any last minute freakouts with Christmas cards getting into the mail.  The year my son was born, I mailed them after New Year's!  But he came between Christmas and New Years, so I was overbusy at that time with everything going on. 

Look for an upcoming contest!  During 'Christmas Wishes', which begins in just one week, I'll be giving away 3 Shutterfly codes good for 25 free cards.  Stay tuned for that giveaway announcement and browse their selections meanwhile.

Disclosure:  Shutterfly has provided me with compensation for making this post by way of providing me with free cards and shipping.  The card highlighted above is the one that I liked and was not selected for me for promotional purposes.  The opinions expressed herein are my own.