Every December, the same question comes up: which photo goes on the card? With this Scrapbook Christmas Photo Card, you don’t have to choose just one. Three of your favorite pictures hang from a twine garland strung with glowing lights, clipped on with little wooden clothespins, above a script Merry Christmas and your family name. Open it up and three more photos hang like ornaments over your holiday message.
It feels homemade in the best way, like a garland of snapshots strung across a mantel, while still looking polished enough to mail to everyone on your list.
Snapshots on a String: The Front of the Card
The front is a deep evergreen, flecked with soft falling snow. Across the top, a strand of natural twine sags gently from one edge of the card to the other, dotted with colorful bulbs in red, gold, warm white, and teal that glow softly against the green. Three polaroid-style photos hang from the twine on wooden clothespins, each tilted a little differently, with handwritten captions: cozy mornings, our crew, and first snow in the sample.
Below the garland, Merry Christmas is written in a flowing script in warm cream, followed by From our family to yours in small gold capitals and your family name and year in an elegant italic. Along the bottom, a snowy hillside holds a little row of pine trees, with the Office Templates Online mark tucked into the snow.
Photo Ornaments on the Inside
The second page is warm cream. Three round photos hang from the top edge on fine gold strings, each finished with a gold cap so they look like glass ornaments, with the middle one hanging a little lower than the others. Underneath, Season’s Greetings in red script sits above a small sprig of holly, then a short holiday message, a sign-off, and your family name in green script. The same snowy pine trees line the bottom, so both pages feel like one card.
Choosing Three Photos for the Garland
Three small photos tell a different story from one big portrait. Instead of trying to get everyone looking at the camera at once, think of the garland as a short highlight reel:
- A group shot for the center frame: the whole family, or the whole family plus the dog.
- A moment from the year on one side: a vacation, a new baby, a graduation, a new home.
- Something wintry or silly on the other: matching pajamas, a snowball fight, flour everywhere after baking cookies.
The round ornament photos inside are smaller, so close-ups work best there: one face per ornament is a sweet way to include each child or each member of the family individually.
Words for the Inside, From Short to Newsy
The message space inside holds four or five lines comfortably, which is the sweet spot for a holiday card. Pick the tone that suits your year:
- Short and warm: Wishing you peace, joy, and plenty of cookies this season.
- Grateful: Thank you for showing up for us this year, in big ways and small. We are so lucky to have you.
- A quick update: This year brought a new house, a new baby, and very little sleep. We wouldn’t change a thing.
- Faith-filled: May the peace and hope of Christmas stay with you all year long.
- Playful: The dog ate part of the tree again. Merry Christmas from all of us (including the dog).
Sign it from everyone, and don’t forget the pets; people love seeing them named.
A Holiday Card Timeline That Actually Works
- Early November: pick your photos. If you are planning a photo session, do it now while the light and everyone’s schedules still cooperate.
- Mid-November: personalize the card, write the inside message, and check every name’s spelling.
- Late November: order or print the cards and buy envelopes and stamps. Update your address list at the same time.
- First half of December: address and mail them, earlier for friends and family abroad.
- The week before Christmas: send a digital version to anyone you missed.
Personalizing Your Card
- Click each hanging polaroid on the front and choose Replace Image to add your photos; every frame keeps its size.
- Edit the three captions under the photos.
- Change The Johnson Family – 2025 to your own family name and year.
- On the inside page, replace the photos in the three round ornaments.
- Rewrite the message, sign-off, and family name to suit your year.
- Download the card as a PDF to print, or as images to share.
If you’d rather send Happy Holidays, simply click the script heading on the front and retype it.
Printing Two Sides on 5×7 Card Stock
This is a flat, two-sided card, 5 x 7 inches in portrait orientation: page one is the front, page two the back. Print both pages double-sided at 100% scale on 5 x 7 card stock, flipping on the long edge so the inside isn’t upside down. A matte or lightly textured 100 lb cover stock gives the deep green a velvety look. If you’re printing a large batch, a local print shop or online printer will usually produce them faster and with full-bleed color, so the green reaches right to the edges. Standard A7 envelopes fit 5 x 7 cards.
Holiday Card FAQs
Can I use it without the garland lights?
Yes. Each bulb is a small separate shape, so you can delete some or all of them and keep the twine and clothespins.
Can I change the green background?
Click the background and choose a new color; deep red or midnight blue both look lovely with the cream lettering.
Will it work as a New Year card?
Yes. Change the headline to “Happy New Year” and update the inside message.
Can I post it online?
Download the front as a JPG and share it on social media or in a family group chat.
How many photos does it hold?
Six in total: three polaroids on the front and three round ornament photos inside.
Your favorite moments of the year deserve a place on the mantel. Hang them on the garland, add your family name, and send a Christmas card people will want to keep up long after the holidays.
