4 ways to turn your annual Christmas letter into a Hallmark Holiday Video Greeting

Step 1: Select your Hallmark Holiday Video Greeting boxed cards. They’re an easy, creative way to send one personalized video to all the lucky people on your Christmas letter list! 

Step 2: Use your phone to scan the code inside any of the cards. Follow the link to create your video. After you’re done personalizing, be sure to create an account (if you don’t already have one) so all your stuff can be saved online. 

Step 3: Click on “personalize” and get started creating your video! With Holiday Video Greetings boxed cards, you can send the same great video to everyone on your list. You’ll even be able to choose background music from a library of choices. Then click “continue.”

Step 4: Next you’ll be able to preview the video you just made OR add videos and photos that are already on your device. There’s no limit to the length of your Video Greeting…because the more the merrier, right?

Step 5: Wrap it up. Once you’re finished, click “preview your video” again. You can still edit your video to add, delete or change the order of things, or you can go ahead and hit “finalize.” Once finalized, your video will play on every card in the box. You can also buy multiple boxes of cards and link to the same video! Just scan a card and follow the prompts.

Step 6: Once you’re done, it’s ready to share! You can send off your cards or share the video link by text, email or even a post on social media. 

1. Include stuff you’d usually put in a Christmas letter.

Turning family newsletter updates and things you’ve done throughout the year into a Video Greeting is easy-peasy. Here are some ideas for what you could include:

• Vacation photos and videos to showcase all the cool places you’ve been.
• Precious new baby moments. CAUTION: These will definitely melt everyone’s hearts. 
• A handful of the five zillion cute kid photos and silly moments you’ve captured on video.
• Same with the new pet photos or fun pet videos.
• Go on and show off your new home or exciting home renovations.
• Don’t forget to include any awards, sporting events, milestone moments and other adventures and achievements from the past year. 

2. Bring on the festive fun

Another way to amp up your Christmas letter fun is with new videos and pics that showcase your holly jolly spirit. 

• Sing carols with the fam for the camera. Bonus points if you’re in front of the Christmas tree. Double bonus points if you’re wearing matching pajamas. 
• Dress the family pet up in a holiday sweater or reindeer antlers and record a greeting in your best animal voice. We’ve got some adorable holiday pet photo ideas, too.
• Share clips from the kids’ holiday program at school.
• Record the ridiculous cuteness of the baby playing peekaboo with an oversize Santa hat or a favorite Christmas stuffy. 
• Give a tour of the holiday decor in your home, pointing out meaningful family heirlooms and gifts. If you want to make it extra adorable, have one of your kids narrate the tour.
• Create a montage of Christmas light displays you’ve visited throughout the season.
• Share pictures of all the holiday treats you’ve been baking, along with images of the kiddos enjoying them! 
• Use the Video Greeting to include loved ones in a holiday tradition they might not be able to participate in due to distance or mobility issues. 

3. Give your video Christmas letter a theme

Capitalize on the fact that you’re working in a whole new medium by giving your Video Greeting a theme. Whether you dress the part or just get the family to play along, it’s bound to be a ton of fun for loved ones to watch.

• Do a news report where each member of the family is a correspondent. You could report on reindeer games for sports, North Pole weather patterns and a heartwarming special interest piece on the little elves you live with.
• Cover who’s on Santa’s Nice List (or Naughty List) and why. Make it extra realistic by discussing why everyone shows up on both lists at some point through the year.
• Go documentary style like some of your favorite TV shows. Have family members back out of rooms awkwardly and throw worried looks at the camera as you walk through your over-the-top holiday plans.
• Do a throwback to shows like The Real World or Big Brother—set up the guest bedroom like a confessional room where people share their hilarious thoughts on holiday-related mishaps around the home.
• Go on safari and narrate your video like you’re doing a wildlife documentary. Capture teens in their natural habitat, sleeping until noon. Or the alpha male of the pack performing a complex ritual of hanging lights on the house to establish neighborhood dominance.

4. A merry stroll down memory lane

Okay, so this isn’t something you’d put in a family Christmas letter, but it’s heartwarming and we love it: Compile old family photos and videos for your immediate family as a holiday surprise for them to treasure.

• If your parents recorded Christmas morning on their camcorder every year, consider stringing some of those family Christmas videos together so everyone can relive the magic.
• Got boxes of old Polaroids and Kodak snaps hidden away in a closet? Now would be a good time to dust off some of those great memories for everyone to enjoy. Imagine how fun and funny it would be to have a whole series of photos with Santa through the years, right? Just scan them to digitize, then upload to your Video Greeting.
• You could also use pictures and videos to make a sweet and touching holiday tribute to a family member who passed away.

You’re all set—now it’s time to go and make your Holiday Video Greeting! There’s no doubt it’ll be a keepsake your loved ones with always cherish. And who knows? Maybe this’ll be the start of your newest holiday tradition.

Want even more Video Greetings inspiration? Check out our ideas for creating Video Greetings for birthdays, anniversaries and more right here.