Countdown to Christmas

**Disclosure:  I received free photo cards from Shutterfly in exchange for posting about their holiday cards.  However, all opinions expressed are my own.  I have used Shutterfly for years and have had nothing but pleasant experiences!

48 days until Christmas...can you believe it??

This year has absolutely flown by, but I have to admit, I am really excited for the holidays.  I feel like Addison and Mackenzie are at a perfect age to begin enjoying some of the magical holiday experiences I love so much.  I will be talking a lot more about that stuff later, but one thing I feel like I need to get a start on is the planning of our Christmas cards. 

We have family pictures scheduled for Saturday morning, and I am so hoping that we get some great card-worthy shots.  I will be using Shutterfly for our cards, as I have for the past several years, so I've already started browsing to see which cards catch my eye this year.

I will undoubtedly spend a couple of hours inserting my favorite photos into different cards, to see which combination produces the result I'm going for.  In the meantime, these are some of my favorites at first glance:

I like the cut-out style of the writing...but I would have to use specific photos to fit the design.

I like the simplicity of this one, and the idea of one family photo is appealing.

I'm a sucker for a monogram!

Love the classic simplicity of this one.

And I love the retro feel of this design!  This might be a top choice, with the right photograph.

Monogram again--and it's a bit different from the standard designs.

Classic; very fitting for a great family picture.

In addition to cards of all kinds, Shutterfly also carries products that make great gifts.  I like to browse the photo calendars, which are currently on sale, making it a great time to order.  I made desk calendars for several family members last year, and everyone absolutely loved them!  I will probably order more this year...how often can you order the same gift for seven different people and please them all equally? (I need to get on this project quickly, because $10.79 is a pretty great price, actually!)  There are several other gift ideas that grandparents and other family members would treasure, I am sure.

Be sure to visit Shutterfly for cards, calendars, photo books, and more!

So tell me...have you picked out your holiday cards this year (if you are sending cards, that is)?  Any photo gifts on your list?  Do you have pictures made near the holidays, or just wield the camera and hope for the best?