These Are the 7 Best Custom Holiday Card Sites to Choose From This Year

UPDATE: Your custom holiday card vendors are slashing prices this Cyber Monday and we’ve got the codes you need to get the best deals right here.

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In a very short period of time, most of us are going to start to feel extremely busy — because as soon as October edges into the rear-view, something uncanny happens: We immediately find ourselves face to face with the bright, blinking, reindeer antler-festooned headlights of the holidays. With that, our regular old to-do list morphs into a pumped up too-many-things-to-do list. We've got to prep for huge meals, decorate the house, buy gifts, bake cookies, attend holiday celebrations, convalesce after the eggnog hangover, oh, and always the biggie, send out personalized holiday cards. 

This year, we made a solemn promise to ourselves not to put that last item off to the point where we find ourselves desperately licking stamps on Christmas Eve and paying exorbitant fees for expedited shipping. This year, we’re going to do them way ahead of time. Indeed, we plan to be hitting “SEND” before the Thanksgiving turkey has had a chance to become leftovers. 

To get a jump on things, we found seven sites that make holiday cards a total breeze. Act fast and you can get in on some major deals! Here’s to one less thing on your to-do list. Cheers!

A big plus of Snapfish’s photo service is that that it allows users unlimited photo storage, so feel free to download your vacation photos to the site while you decide which ones to use for your holiday card and which ones to assemble into a lovely photo book for Grandma. With a wide selection of customizable cards, reasonable pricing, and a handy deals page to keep you abreast of upcoming special offers, this is one site to bookmark at holiday time. With Snapfish, you can also forgo shipping costs on select prints by picking them up at any Walgreens, CVS or Walmart. Cards are produced in compliance with the Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

Tired of endlessly scrolling through page after page of photo card templates and laboriously testing out your family photos in different designs? Well, Shutterfly has a brilliant new feature that allows you to import a few photos and automatically apply them to every photo card design, making your selection process that much easier. Design options are endless and the filters allow you to hone in on exactly what you want. With sister company Tiny Prints now in the mix, you have even more options to choose from. Major deals are planned for November that will include up to 50 percent off holiday cards. Register as a “member” and receive even more special offers and unlimited free storage. Updates on seasonal promotions can be found here and here.

It’s easy to get addicted to Minted, and not just when it comes to selecting photo cards. The site has a virtually unmatched network of independent artists crafting unique and elegant designs that can be applied to stationery, wall art, gifts, and home decor, so it’s a top destination for when you want something truly original. Great filtering options let you zero in on just what you want, not only in terms of style but size, number of images, and pricing. There are budget-savvy formats and ones that are truly luxe, like its Booklette cards with eight pages of photos and text. A 15 percent off promotion is running until November 5, with more in the works. Those who sign up for a $50 membership option get 30 percent off holiday cards, plus 15 percent off every additional order throughout the year as well as free shipping. Oh, and if you lack design confidence, Minted will style your holiday card for FREE with a new service where you text it your photo and it sends you back five options within 48 hours. Ordering just got a whole lot easier, folks.

Budget-minded shoppers will love Mixbook. Not only does it have a large and fresh selection of holiday card formats, but prices for fully customized designs start at a very reasonable $0.69. Mixbook is all about personalization and ease, so you don’t have to be hampered by a preset design (unless you want to be!). The site also allows you to collaborate with other family members on a photo project. A special promotion running through November 15 provides you with a 40 percent discount. Be sure to bookmark its coupon page for additional offers through the season. 

Paper Source is one of our favorite brick and mortar shops to visit for a quick little impulse purchase or a quality cheeky birthday card. But did you know its website provides a custom holiday card service, too? Yep! Choose from hundreds of totally exclusive holiday designs featuring artwork created by Paper Source’s in-house design team in Chicago or select from name brand designs from Rifle Paper Co., Kate Spade New York, Paperless Post, and more. A free shipping promotion is running through November 5, and a super hot 20 percent off deal runs through the end of October. Be sure to check its offers and coupon page for more specials. 

Target has totally gotten in on the holiday photo card game, and best of all you can expect the great deals that the big box retailer is known for. With a solid assortment of standard fare and a beautiful selection of premium options from Georgia-outfit Paper Daisies Stationery, your holiday cards will be flawless. Best of all, some of the designs come with a “print to store” option, which allows you to pick them up at your local Target store, where you were probably heading to get a jump on your holiday shopping anyway. Bonus!

CVS has really amped up its online photo buying options in recent years. The store now offers the full gamut, from photo books and custom canvases and posters to personalized photo gifts, like pillows, tree ornaments, and blankets. They offer a wide selection of photo cards to choose from with pricing options as low as $.75 per card. Many designs are available for pick up in store, and some of them even include a same day pick-up option, so procrastinators know where to go. Be on the look out for special November deals on its offers page.