As I mentioned before, we don’t celebrate Christmas at our house.  We do celebrate at Grandma and Grandpa’s and my children definitely enjoy both Chanukah and Christmas. When it comes to cards, we definitely don’t send out Christmas Cards. We don’t do the holiday newsletter. I’m not a fan of “Happy Holidays” because it’s weirdly ambiguous.  Since I do love stationery and the opportunity in this digital age to send at least one physical card to people that are important to me from family and friends to colleagues, I have always been determined to send some sort of mail of our own this time of year.  Whatever you celebrate, and however organized or disorganized you may be, the Happy New Year! card is the perfect solution.  Ring in the New Year with Minted and let your friends, family and colleagues know you’re thinking of them as you go into 2014 together!

When we first started sending cards, we made our own cards celebrating winter, peace, joy.  The images and messages didn’t even whisper “Christmas” but still made sense for the season.  Today, things have dramatically changed from when, as newlyweds, we first sent out cards.  When you go to a site like Minted you’ll find cards for every denomination, every level of religious vs. traditional, married, single, “new home” version newlywed versions, new family and more all for the holidays.

I have used Minted for every day stationery for the family and New Year’s cards as well, but it had been a while since I used the site.  I was pleasantly surprised to find so many choices this time that didn’t have to be “rewritten” to fit our family better.  Here are my top 10 things to know about Minted.

1. There are many different designers from preppy, to hipster, from vintage to modern, to a little of both.  You’ll find just enough choices to find one that you and your family will love but not so many choices that you’re overwhelmed.
2. You can sort the cards as you go so if you have a favourite photo that you are using and it is “landscape” then you can weed out all the cards that only work with “portrait” or “square” photos. Or you can “find it fast” by looking at your photo in several card designs at once so you can compare them right away.
3. The quality of Minted ‘s paper is impressive.  They even added, in the past couple years, they added their double thick paper.  This is perfect for family members who  keep or craft with the photos.  The double thick paper makes the perfect future ornament, mobile the possibilities are endless.
4. I love the new skinny wrap address labels.  They make you’re envelope beautiful without paying a lot extra for a lined envelope or coloured ink.
5. If your family has kids, you know that it’s possible that the photo shoot you planned didn’t quite turn out as you had planned.  You’ve seen your friend’s twins screaming on Santa’s lap on Instagram.  You’ve rePinned your high school friend’s photo shoot outtakes and consoled her over the phone after she confessed that every frame was an “outtake”.  Fear not.   Minted has some beautiful non-photo cards as well.  Some you can even personalize like this one.  If the photo you love doesn’t fit the cards you do, just print out some wallet size copies of the photo and include it with the cards you mail.
6. All that glitters is foil.  Sometimes a little bling is in order, and Minted has made it totally modern.  It is not the gilded script writing of your grandmother’s vintage Hallmark card.  The foil stamped cards are just right in silver or gold.
7. The ornament cards are perfect for your friends whether they have a tree or not.  Family and friends can stick them on a string along a mantle, they can hang them on a tree, pop them on a door knob or light switch or can put them in a box with the other holiday cards and just take them out to look at every now and again.
8. This is a really good one!  Are you ready?  Printed addresses (and I don’t mean return!) Free recipient addresses printed on your cards make the process more enjoyable.  I’m still 1/2 digital 1/2 paper address book when it comes to my holiday cards.  This year I might actually get it all digital.
9. Someone was recently talking about how it used to be that everyone was in lines at the post office and it was all the procrastinators scrambling, paying huge fees to send things last minute and last minute was last week!  These days we’re so used to next day shipping that the timing has shifted.  That goes for holiday cards too especially if you’re sending New Year’s cards.  Minted is offering a free upgrade to overnight shipping for holiday cards.  If you are running behind with your “to do list”, check the Minted website daily to see which offers have expired and what new offers are there. Here is a general time guide for your orders.
10. You can go beyond cards. Minted will print some custom art for you, print a dinner menu for your holiday party, gift tags (from you or from Santa -no more need to forge his signature), calendars, personalized wrapping paper and more.

Minted is sponsoring this post.  I have been offered credit towards a future Minted order.  All opinions are my own and I have been a fan of Minted from their early days.