Who Cares What We Look Like?

 “Who Cares What We Look Like?”

{ a case for photo Christmas cards without kids }

When fall arrives, it’s time to start thinking about Christmas cards — if you’re the type that sends them out. { side note: sending Christmas cards is a lost art. I remember when my family would get dozens of them in the mail; now we’re lucky to get a dozen. Sad day. } Anyway, you have to start thinking about what type of card you want to send, where to buy them from, how many to send, who needs to be added to or removed from this year’s list… and of course, whether or not you’re going to include a photo.

This is the question that tripped me up this year. Photo or no photo? 

We’ve been married for 3 Christmases so far, and we’ve sent out a photo card for all three. For your viewing pleasure…

Aren’t we cute? 🙂

The thing is, we sent out a few cute just-the-two-of-us photo Christmas cards, and I thought, it’s cute, because we’re newlyweds, but in the back of my head, each year I’ve been thinking, okay next year we’ll have a baby in the picture, or at least a maternity photo… and then, well okay next year we’ll have a baby in the picture… and approaching Christmas #4, that still hasn’t happened yet.

So this fall, I started questioning whether we should really do a photo card this year. I mean, we’re not newlyweds anymore, so we don’t have that cuteness going for us, and there’s no baby, no pregnancy announcement — not even a dog! — to show off in our photo. 

I wondered, is it worth sending out a photo card? Is it weird if it’s still just the two of us? People don’t really care what the two of us look like, right?

I posed this question to an online ladies’ group I’m part of, and got an overwhelming number of responses! I’ll share a few of them with you, to give you an idea:

• I love it. I wish more couples would do annual pictures like families with kids do. We became a family when we said ‘I do’! 
• We did it before our daughter, and I love getting picture cards from couples. 
• I certainly wouldn’t think it was weird if a couple sent me a card with their picture on it. I much prefer picture cards to ‘just a signature’ cards.
• I think it’s nice to share pictures of what the two of you have been up to.
• We’ve been married for seven years and we always send a picture of us!
• Get a really cute picture from a special trip or something. Show them there is life without kids! 

They convinced me! We will be sending out a photo card again this Christmas. Because you know what? Like that last comment said, there is life outside of having kids. We may be ‘in between’ right now — no longer newlyweds and not yet parents — but we have a good life right now, with tons of adventure, love, and laughter! There is joy in the journey. And that is worth sharing with people — a small snapshot moment of that good life. 

So whether you are single, engaged, newlyweds, long-time-weds, parents, waiting-to-be-parents, never-want-to-be-parents, or empty-nesters, I want to encourage you to consider sending out a fun photo card this Christmas season!

Because why not? You’re beautiful. You’re loved. The people who love you do care about what you’re up to, what your life is like, and yes, even what you look like.

And this journey you’re on, this season you’re in — it matters. So smile and share it!