Can I make Christmas cards with a photo for free?

Yes. The Senior and Living Today greeting card maker is free with no sign-up. Choose the Holidays card, add your photo, change the greeting to Merry Christmas or anything you like, and print it, save a PDF or share it.

How do I print a stack of Christmas cards at home?

Download your card as a PDF, then print as many copies as you need on card stock or regular paper. If your printer isn't up to it, take the PDF to a drugstore, library or print shop and ask them to print copies for you.

Can I send a Christmas card by text message?

Yes. On a phone or tablet, tap Share on your finished card and pick text message or email. It's a nice way to reach family who live far away, and you can still mail printed copies to everyone else.

What should I write in a Christmas card to my grandkids?

Keep it short and warm. Tell them one thing you're proud of this year, one favorite memory with them, and that you can't wait to see them. Sign it the way they call you, like Grandma, Nana or Pop-Pop.

Make Christmas Cards Online Free: Easy for Grandparents

Hi, my Saltines. It’s Courtney.

Have you priced a box of Christmas cards lately? And then the photo cards on top of that? It adds up fast. And between you and me, the ones people actually keep aren’t the fancy store-bought ones. They’re the cards with a real photo, a few real words, and your name signed at the bottom.

This year, why not make your own? Our free greeting card maker lets you do it in a few minutes, right from your phone, tablet or computer. No sign-up, no cost. Here’s how I’d do it.

Start your Christmas card

Step 1: Pick the Holidays card

Tap Holidays. You’ll get a cozy green-and-cream card with a little Christmas tree, snowflakes and a star. It starts out saying “Happy Holidays,” but that’s just a starting point. Change it to Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year or whatever fits your family.

Step 2: Add your photo

This is what makes it yours. A few ideas:

The whole family on the couch last Christmas (yes, even if somebody blinked)
You and the grandkids decorating cookies
The two of you in your ugly sweaters
The dog in his reindeer antlers, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else

Tap Choose a photo, pick one, and you’re set. Your photos stay on your own device while you make the card.

Step 3: Write something from the heart

Here are some greetings you’re welcome to borrow:

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!
Wishing you a Christmas full of laughter and a new year full of blessings.
Peace, joy and a little too much pie.
Love and hugs from Grandma and Grandpa.
Here’s to good friends, warm kitchens and another year together.

For the message, try my three-sentence trick. Share one thing you’re grateful for this year, one favorite memory, and one thing you’re looking forward to. That’s it. It’ll mean more than any poem in a store-bought card.

For someone who lost a loved one this year, keep it gentle: “Thinking of you this Christmas and holding you close in my heart.” The first holidays after a loss are hard. A card tells them they’re not forgotten.

Step 4: Dress it up

Choose a writing style. Handwritten feels personal, bold really pops, and “easy to read” is perfect for friends whose eyes aren’t what they used to be. Pick an ink color; deep green or berry red looks great for Christmas. Then tap a few stickers: snowflakes, stars, hearts, a little gift. Don’t go too wild, though. Let the photo shine.

Step 5: Send it out

Printing a stack to mail

Tap Download PDF. Then print as many as you need on card stock if you have it, or regular paper if you don’t. Trim them up, fold them, and pop them in envelopes.

If your printer gives you trouble (and whose doesn’t in December?), take the PDF on a thumb drive or email it to your local drugstore, library or print shop. They can print copies for you, often on nicer paper.

Tip: check the Post Office’s holiday mailing dates at usps.com, especially for cards going out of state or overseas. The lines only get longer as Christmas gets closer.

Texting it to family far away

On a phone or tablet, tap Share and pick text message or email. The grandkids in another state can have it in seconds. You can still mail paper copies to the folks who aren’t on their phones all day.

Make it a family project

This is one of my favorite ways to spend a December afternoon with the grandkids.

Color first. Our free online coloring book has a Christmas tree and a snowman. Let the kids color one and print it out.
Take a photo together. Hold up the colored picture, or just squeeze in close.
Make the card together. You write the message, they pick the stickers. Fair’s fair.

Live too far away? Do it over a video call. Have them color on their end, you color on yours, then compare. Somebody’s snowman is going to end up purple, and that’s okay.

Don’t forget the thank-you cards

After the presents are opened, use the same card maker for thank-you cards. Just pick “Thank you” instead. A thank-you with a photo of the grandbaby wearing the sweater you knitted? That’s a keeper.

Want something ready-made?

No time this year? I understand. There are ready-made e-cards and e-wishes at the SALT Online Store. You can send them instantly.

More holiday help from me

How to make your own greeting card online, with every button explained
Gift ideas for seniors who have everything
Holiday gift guide
Signs your aging parent needs help, for when you’re home for the holidays and something doesn’t feel right

Merry Christmas, Saltines. Go make somebody’s mailbox a little brighter this year.

Make Your Own Christmas Cards Online (Free, With Your Family Photo)