Thank you so much to Minted for partnering with me on this post! They graciously provided our cards for this year, but I would have used them even if they hadn’t :)

Confession: this is the first year EVER that I have let a little bit of Christmas creep into the pre-Thanksgiving timeframe. We’ve been listening to the She and Him Holiday station on Pandora (Charlie loves dancing to it, which is so cute!), watched my favorite Christmas movie last week (The Holiday), and had the best time at the Raleigh Christmas parade over the weekend. Dave and I are justifying it because we’re not doing a traditional Thanksgiving celebration this year, so looking ahead to Christmas makes us feel a little better about not going to either of our hometowns. That’s what we’re telling ourselves, at least ;)

Even though I’m usually much stricter about holiday separation, there is always one exception: Christmas cards. As soon as Minted, my favorite paper goods source, posts their holiday designs, I can’t resist taking a peek! Since they work with independent designers all over the world, there is always a fantastic variety of styles, and this year included some of my favorites yet. But which direction to go? Here are a few (cough cough, a bunch) that caught my eye in three different aesthetics:

Clockwise from top left: Botanical Spray, Foraged Greens, Country Nostalgia, Floral Glory, Foliage Sparkle

Clockwise from top left: Delicate Wreath, Cardinal Crest, Glorious Holiday, Clean Laurel Wishes, Minimal Joy 

Clockwise from top left: Peace and Glory, Merry Dots, Winter Blessings, Dazzling, Berries of Fun

Clearly, I cannot decide–there are too many good options! What I do know is we’ll be using one of these sweet photos my friend Rachel of Blue Barn Photography snapped during my Lisa Kirk Writing brand photo shoot. As much as I love a festive Christmas-themed family photo, it feels so special to be sharing a photo from our living room, which is our favorite room in our house and the place where we spend the most time as a family.

If you’re on the hunt for cards this year, here are a few more reasons I turn to Minted year after year: the designs are already amazing, but they’re also highly customizable. They have adorable backer options–last year, we included Charlie’s birth announcement, and this year, I’d love to do a little year in review. FREE ENVELOPE ADDRESSING, enough said!

Today is the last day to take 15% off of your Minted holiday cards with the code BEMERRY, so if you’re planning to go with them, today is a great day to place your order. That’s what I’m hoping to do too, so please, let me know which direction (or specific card) is your favorite for us this year!

P.S. You can see our 2015 card here and 2016 card here!