Family Photos + Holiday Cards With Minted

I received product free in exchange for my review. This post contains affiliate links. However, all opinions are honest and my own.

For the first time, possibly ever, I feel like I am genuinely ahead of the Holiday Season game. Do not, for one second, get me wrong. I have not purchased a single gift. Not a single pine needle or fleck of glitter has surfaced from the depths of storage. And, I am still trying to map out a solid game plan to convince Scott that we do, indeed, need a real, live Christmas tree to spruce up our living room this year (see what I did there?). He is hung up on an incident that happened to him 25ish (???) years ago that involved a real tree containing thousands of bugs... I have reminded Scott only a million times that it's 2017 and surely there are new preventative measures made by the tree farms to make sure our house is not infested with bugs.

But, I digress...

All of that aside, by mid-September I *had* managed to stuff my loved ones into clothes that they maybe, probably, very likely did not love. I was able to convince my photographer that a stop in Los Angeles in *September* (typically the hottest time of the year) was a good idea. And, we got our family photos d.o.n.e.

Might I also toot my own horn in the fact that during our hour session both the kids had fun. There was not a single complaint from either adult in our party. And, aside from that one unfavorable encounter with a "trail steward," who clearly did not appreciate family photos being taken on her trail (that is a whole other story for another day), it was one of the smoothest sessions we have ever had. I did not even break out into the usual stress-sweat that, without fail, happens during these things.

Naturally, I had to share a few photos. Translation: I am going to share all the photos I wanted to put on the Christmas card (our entire session), but just could not fit on to the Christmas card.

I had a really tough time deciding which photo would make the final cut. This one was certainly at the top of the contender list.

The best way to get your kids into a photo session? Take them some place that totally captivates them. So much of our session was candid, which I loved.

Along with a stream and a hiking trail, we did what any sane people do in their Sunday clothes. We climbed trees. Who doesn't do that?
It's all in the name of the holiday card game. AmIright??

I made a special request to have a few shots of just this guy and me. I'm kind of glad I asked.

Another shot list request: just the kids and me. It's not too often I'm on the flip side of the camera lens, so I'm pretty thankful to have this one of the babes and me.

Oh look, Julia lost her shoes. Zero shock there.
A massive shout-out to our photographer Sarah Sloboda for capturing all these amazing moments, and helping to make our holiday cards as beautiful as I had hoped.

So, photos are in the books. And that can only mean one thing. Our holiday cards are done, too!! (This is where I claim to be ahead of the Holiday Season game.)

For Christmas cards this year I could not stop swooning over all the gorgeous card options Minted has to offer. I naturally gravitated towards the foil stamped cards, I just could not help myself. The selection seemed limitless. The options did not just end at foil stamped. Letterpress, ornament cards, holiday booklette cards, and even an option to completely customize cards, are all there. There is also the option to have Minted do all the tedious work of addressing your envelopes, AND, customized stamps can be included, too. Talk about fan-cy.

I was forever thankful for the ability to save my favorite cards. It was so nice to have all my favorites in one spot and refer to them often, rather than try to continuously scroll each time I wanted to revert back to a card style.  And, uploading several photos at a time, and then plugging said favorite photos into each card to see the final product was beyond helpful. That feature quickly allowed me to narrow down my options and select "the one" for this year.

Just for fun, I wanted to share a few options Minted has available this year. These caught my eye and made their way into my "favorites" category. Our Christmas card may or may not be in the mix. (It is totally there, but I am waiting for those puppies to hit the mailboxes before I give the full reveal.)

Golden Christmas Card

Shimmer Holiday Card

Merry Christmas Swirls

Naturally, I couldn't go on about all the great options without giving a tiny little sneak peek of our cards.

This year's cards might just be my favorite. I cannot wait for the full reveal once cards have hit the mailboxes. Which, leads to an important question... When is the right time to send out holiday cards? Is the week before Thanksgiving too soon??

I am curious, thoughts on our family photos? And, which Minted card do you love? Drop me a comment and let me know!

Be sure to order your cards by November 28 for 25% off your purchase, use code CM2017 at checkout!