4 ways to spice up your holiday cards

Holidays are a cheerful time of year and offer the perfect opportunity to show your love and appreciation for people. You can do this in a variety of ways, but a common one is using  holiday cards. You probably don't get to see all of your loved ones as often as you'd like, which is why a thoughtful message can help keep your connections strong.

Writing numerous notes to friends and family has the danger of becoming repetitive. You don't want to start jotting down the same lines to everyone. To make this task a little more enjoyable, find ways to spice up the messages you put inside the cards. Here are a few ideas that will make your holiday cards exciting:

1. Consider why you're thankful
The holidays are a time to be thankful for the ones you love, and you should try to show that gratitude to them in some way as well. You can easily accomplish this task by sending a letter that states what makes that person wonderful.

For more tips on sending these appreciative messages, check out how to "Send 'fan mail' to friend."

2. Include a recipe
The holidays are full of delicious food, and the best part of the meal is sharing it with the ones you love. However, if someone cannot attend your get-together, make up for it by sending them a recipe card.

Choose your favorite dish or one you think your friend will enjoy, and copy it onto beautiful recipe stationery. Recording it onto this paper will make it easier to save and read than writing it on the holiday card. The inclusion of this little surprise will make your holiday card that much more exciting and will give friends the opportunity to try out your favorite meal.

3. Send a photo
Printed photos are not used as much as they once were, which is why sending one in the mail will be a pleasant surprise. Your recipient will be able to keep the picture on their fridge or dresser as a reminder of your relationship.

Try to choose an image that matches the person you're sending it to. For instance, if you want to send your grandma a photo of you and your family, have a portrait done. For other people, like friends, you may want to do something a little more quirky, like an amusing photo shoot with your cat.

Pictures are a great way to give a little gift through the mail, so have fun with it!

4. Review your year
If you're looking for a non-traditional way to design a holiday card, try the "year in review" version. This is essentially a breakdown of everything you've done in the past year. For example, you could divide your card into sections by month and include a brief statement next to each. The sentence would note the most important thing that happened to you at that time of the year – maybe you took a trip to Arizona and climbed Camelback Mountain.

Another way you could do this type of card is with an infographic. Compile a list of things you've done over the last year, and turn it into graphs and figures. For instance, perhaps you traveled to four states and got two new pets. Each of these facts can be turned into a fun card.

This is a great way to keep extended friends and family up-to-date on the latest happenings without writing a whole novel in your card.