Each year we get a few less Christmas/Holiday cards but in the remaining ones we get an increasing number of photo cards.  We also get more and more online cards and online holiday letters.  It has been an interesting evolution to watch.  If I was paying careful attention I’m sure that there are also ways to send greetings on Facebook and MySpace.  I just don’t know what they are.

Our 2008 Hanukkah card.

I have always justified sending cards by using the tradition and the effort arguments.  It is the way we have always done it, and if sending greeting at the holidays requires only a few clicks and no expenditure how sincere are they?

This year we received one holiday greeting that I think is a vision of the future of the genre in a post post office world. Peter Klein, who has always worked at the bleeding edge of technology, sent an excellent photo story of his families year and by doing so he shows a new way of sending holiday greetings.  It requires some effort but no printing or postage.  And the technology should be assessable to most people.

http://www.peterklein.com/Christmas%202008/1.htm

I’m not sure how this can be commercialized and by whom.  I would guess the Shutterfly and Kodak type companies have a shot at it.  Maybe the idea would be to sell some stock photos of winter scenes, yule logs, ice skaters, feasts etc. as part of a free package that people could then add their own family photos to.

Probably our last holiday card.

It is always exciting to get a glimpse of the future.  Thank you Peter.