Don't panic, but Christmas is only a little more than two months away. While out running errands in mid-October, I noticed display after display of Christmas cards. At first I was annoyed (don't they know Halloween hasn't even come yet?!) but then I got excited. I LOVE sending and receiving Christmas cards and I'm one of those freaks that saves their cards, year after year.

Last year, I attempted to make my own Christmas cards which required a lot of cardstock, glue, white buttons and burned fingers (I made button snowmen cards, at least for the local people...anything that had to get mailed a distance ended up being a boring card from the store. Sorry faraway friends!) I felt crafty and accomplished but then realized my cards looked like something a 7-year-old could have thrown together.

This year, with a bambino on the way just in time for the holidays and a dog that loves to pose for pictures, we've been thinking of doing photo cards instead. When I got a chance to check out Shutterfly's collection of online designs and receive 50 free cards (and offer 25 free cards to three of you) I jumped at the opportunity. My design skills are mediocre at best (just look at this blog) so luckily the Shutterfly folks have that well taken care of.

A photo card will be a great way for us to introduce our new addition to family and friends that are far away who may not get to meet the baby in person - plus it's nicer to get a little keepsake in the mail rather than scrolling through endless baby pictures on Facebook. It also ties in some of the charm of a handmade card with a little more polish than I can manage to whip up at home.

In addition to holiday cards and Christmas photo cards, Shutterfly also offers gift services such as calendars and other photo gifts worth checking out. Grandparents looove photo calendars. A couple of years ago I gave my parents a calendar with pictures of me, my brother and sister from when we were little and they went crazy for it, so if you're stuck on a gift idea, don't underestimate the photo calendar!

Are you a blogger? Want a chance at 25 free cards this holiday season? Register here: http://goo.gl/DDw7Q