2021 Christmas Cards from Minted

Christmas week is here, friends! I hope you’re feeling calm, joyful, and expectant.

(And hey – I know the socially-appropriate response to a sentence like that is probably to laugh nervously, as if the idea of being calm and joyful this week is preposterous and what do I even mean with an expectation like that? But I also know that if you’re here, you just might be feeling calm this week! You probably work hard at setting boundaries and choosing what matters most and saying no to the rest. And if you’re not feeling particularly calm nor joyful going into this week, it’s not too late to adjust your plans or expectations. After all, this is a season of exceeding great joy (and peace, and hope, and love). I’m praying all of those things for you right now!)

I am feeling good about Christmas prep. My only minor stress right now is coming from blog posts I want to write and a video for one special boy I want to edit before the end of the year, but I am reminding myself those are self-imposed deadlines. Christmas cards have been sent, gifts have been purchased, teacher gifts have been given, wrapping has begun, gingerbread houses have been constructed, lights have been seen. This week, we’re doing more wrapping (with friends, tonight!), we’re making peanut butter balls, we’re giving gifts to our garbage and recycling guys, and we’re packing for our Connecticut trip, among a few other things. And we’re just trying to enjoy each other, always.

As they have for the last nine years (!), Minted has graciously gifted us our Christmas cards (even though I am probably the worst influencer they have on the books, seeing as I’m sharing this on December 20th instead of November 15th or whenever they were hoping I might post). But they really are an amazing, innovative, passionate company and I am so proud to partner with them. I love our cards this year (they always have just exactly the right designs!), and I think you’d be very happy if you choose them, too :)

Since we didn’t send birth announcements for Annie (we haven’t sent them for any of our kids!), it was fun to give a little wink to her arrival with the wording of our card. The photo on the front is from Annie’s newborn session with Graham, and the photos on the back are from a photo shoot we did at the beach with our extended family – I’ll show you a few more shots from it soon!

As always, we used our beloved newsletter to share a few details about each of the kids and a few of the big moments from the year – it was a wild one!

Always happy to have a helper :)

Friends, I wish that I could send a Christmas card to each one of you – I really, really do. I’d thank you for being here for another year and send the warmest wishes for a beautiful year ahead. Card in the mail or no, know that I’m sending you love!