Craft says I check every snowflake. Last year one of them had seven points. It was a long night.
Holiday video cards: Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day and the new year
A holiday card that moves, talks and plays music, sent in a minute from your phone. Here is how families and small companies do the seasons with short films.
Plan the big ones early: the Christmas pages are here now so your card is ready before December eats your calendar.
Holidays
- Animated Christmas Card for Family: Short, Merry, and Actually WatchedAn animated Christmas card for family is a short drawn film, usually 10 to 20 seconds, with your family name, one warm line, music and a little movement. Write the line first, keep it tall for phones, and send it a few days before Christmas Eve.
- Best animated ecard sites: an honest roundup, and who each one suitsFor gentle, beautiful cards: Jacquie Lawson. For funny cards and scheduling: Blue Mountain or American Greetings. For photo cards: Smilebox. For a message from a whole group: VidDay or Tribute. For one short film written about one person: Nine.
- Blue Mountain ecards alternative: what else to send, and whenThe closest Blue Mountain alternative is American Greetings: a similar huge library, photo cards and scheduling. Jacquie Lawson suits people who like quieter, painterly cards. Smilebox is for photo cards and slideshows. For a short film about one person, Nine.
- Christmas Video Greeting Ideas, Plus Exactly What to Say in ThemA good Christmas video greeting is one idea and one or two lines: who it is from, a warm wish, and one small true detail. Below are ideas by style and copyable things to say for parents, grandparents, friends, partners, far-away family and coworkers.
- Company Christmas Video Ideas Your Team Will Actually Watch (and Enjoy)The best company Christmas videos are short, warm and about the people, not the numbers. Try a thank-you from leadership in plain words, a drawn year-in-review, or a light team joke, and keep it under 30 seconds so it gets watched on a phone.
- Father's Day Animated Card: Dad Jokes Welcome, Grill OptionalA Father's Day animated card is a short drawn film, about 10 to 30 seconds, with one real line for Dad, a small joke he will pretend not to like, and music. Pick one idea that is truly about him, write two sentences, and send it the morning of the day.
- Holiday Video Card for Clients: Warm, On Brand, and Not a Sales PitchAn animated holiday card for clients is a 10 to 20 second film in your brand colors with one sincere thank-you and a holiday wish. Keep it free of sales talk, send it in early December, and make one version that works with the sound off.
- How to Send a Video Card by Text or WhatsApp (So Grandma Can Open It)Make the video card tall (9:16), keep it short so the file stays small, save it to your phone, then attach it in a text or WhatsApp chat with one line explaining what it is. For older relatives, send it alone, not in a group, and call to tell them it is there.
- Mother's Day Video from Kids: Easy Ideas, Real Words, Zero Tears (Mostly)The best Mother's Day video from kids is their own words: ask each child three questions about Mom, record the answers, and turn the funniest and sweetest bits into a short film. Keep it under a minute, and let the mistakes stay in.
- New Year Video Greeting Ideas That Beat Another Fireworks GIFA great New Year video greeting is short and looks forward: one line about the year behind, one wish for the year ahead, and your name. Send it between December 30 and January 2, keep it under 20 seconds, and swap the fireworks for one idea that is yours.
- Thanksgiving Video Message Ideas for Family, Friends and BusinessA good Thanksgiving video message thanks one person or group for one specific thing. For family, name a memory or a dish; for business, thank customers without selling. Keep it 10 to 30 seconds and send it the day before or the morning of Thanksgiving.
- Video Card vs Paper Card: An Honest Comparison (Paper Wins Sometimes)Send a paper card when it should be kept, held or displayed, or when the person does not use a smartphone. Send a video card when speed, distance, sound or a big list matters. For the people who matter most, sending both is often the best answer.
- A Christmas card as a film: the family version, and the company versionA Christmas greeting is the most predictable film of the year, and the reason to make one is not novelty. It is that December is the one month when everybody reads the same message at the same time.
- A greeting for the holidays after ChristmasChristmas is not the only date in the calendar that asks for the same message from the same person to the same list. It is only the busiest one.
Birthdays
- Jacquie Lawson alternatives: animated ecards you can make your ownBlue Mountain and American Greetings are the closest Jacquie Lawson alternatives: big libraries of animated ecards, add your own message, schedule them ahead. For a card with your photos, try Smilebox. For one short film written around a person, Nine.
- Smilebox alternatives: photo cards, group videos, or a drawn filmFor photo ecards, American Greetings' Creatacard is the closest Smilebox alternative. For a video full of friends' messages, a group video service like VidDay. For a short drawn film with a voice and music that needs no photos at all, Nine.
Love & weddings
Questions people ask
Can I send one video card to the whole family?
Yes. You get a video file, and it goes anywhere a video goes: text, WhatsApp, email or a family group chat.
Can a company send a holiday video to clients?
Yes, in your company's own colours and typeface, read from your website. See holiday video cards for clients.
Your idea, ready to go“A warm Christmas card film from the Hansen family: a snowy house, a sleepy cat, and happy holidays.”
Make this filmSign up takes a minute. The idea is filled in, and you can change every word.