Cheap Personalized Christmas Cards

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Cheap personalized Christmas cards are a great way to send a memorable holiday greeting while sticking to your budget.

Sources of Cheap Christmas Cards

If you're looking for cheap Christmas cards, you have several options:

Discount stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, and Kmart
Dollar stores
End of season clearance sales at specialty stationary stores
Online outlets

Many people are torn as to whether or not making your Christmas cards is a good way to save money. Essentially, the answer to this question depends on how complicated you make your handmade cards. If you do a simple stamped design decorated with a ribbon bow, your cards probably will be cheaper than those purchased from a store. If you make cards that include patterned paper, vellum, metal charms, and expensive Christmas sticker embellishments, however, you're likely to find there is no significant cost savings.

Free Printable Christmas Cards Online

When you're on a really tight budget, free printable Christmas cards can be a good resource for sending holiday greetings. Check out the following helpful Web sites:

Creative Ways to Make Cheap Personalized Christmas Cards

Once you've found some inexpensive Christmas cards, there are a number of simple tricks you can use to give them a personalized touch.

Add a Photo

The easiest way to personalize your holiday greeting is to add a photo. Here are some ideas to consider:

The family in Santa hats
The family gathered around a Christmas tree
The family baking cookies
Each member of the family holding up a letter to spell out a word, such as "PEACE" or "JOY"
A child opening a present
A child on Santa's lap
A child building a snowman

If you have no special Christmas-themed photo you want to use for your card, try making a collage of photos that showcases memorable moments throughout the year. This could include pictures from family vacations, your daughter's basketball meet, your son's high school graduation, or the addition of a new family pet.

Fake a Handmade Look

Do you love the look of handmade cards, but don't feel like spending hours making your own from scratch? Fake the look by adding handmade touches to inexpensive purchased cards or your favorite free printable greeting card designs. Here are few tips to help you create cheap personalized Christmas cards:

Use a glitter glue pen or a metallic marker to add sparkle to the design on the front of the card.
Print a poem on vellum, then adhere it over the top of the card's design.
Punch holes in the top of the card to attach a ribbon bow.
Selectively highlight words in the text with chalk or watercolor paint.

Write a Poem

If you normally send a letter updating loved ones about the events of the year, consider writing a poem instead. This can be a fun way to put a creative spin on your holiday greeting. For example:

Write a haiku. This form of Japanese poetry requires just 17 syllables on three lines. The first line has five syllables, the second line has seven syllables, and the third line has five syllables.
Make an acrostic poem. Also known as a name poem, this is a poem where the first letter of each line spells out a word or phrase such as "Merry Christmas", "Happy Holidays", or "Season's Greetings". The lines in the poem can rhyme if you wish, but this is not required.
Make your own parody of a popular Christmas song or poem. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" or "The Night Before Christmas" are two good options to consider.