Digital DIY Christmas Cards: 6 Tips to Craft the Perfect Design

As the holiday season approaches, one of the first items on your to-do list is sending holiday cards to wish your loved ones a “Merry Christmas.” But even if you enjoy holiday crafts, it can be tough finding time to search for stickers, sequins, cardstock, and all the other holiday supplies necessary for DIY Christmas cards. 

Fortunately, you don’t need more than your own computer and a few minutes to craft amazing, one-of-a-kind online DIY holiday cards. Join us as we share our top tips for creating beautiful, easy-peasy greeting cards that will make the season bright for your loved ones — and save you time. 

Paper vs. Digital DIY Christmas Cards

When we think of DIY Christmas cards, we often think of paper crafts, DIY projects, and experimenting with cardstock, twine, and washi tape. While Christmas crafts are great if you have the time to invest, they’re not the only option. Handmade Christmas cards aren’t just about following a crafty tutorial to create a Rudolph card with a pom-pom nose — you can also create something beautiful in a digital format. 

With paperless DIY Christmas cards, there’s still lots of room for creativity and customization. Even better, you don’t need to cut out Christmas trees, glue tissue paper together, or contribute to landfill waste — going digital helps in holiday waste prevention.

Greenvelope’s online cards allow you to transform virtually any template into a personalized, thoughtful holiday card. Browse our collection of Christmas cards, find one you love, and make it your own. You can even get the kids involved in digital card-making! Have them help you choose the color scheme or come up with a festive greeting. You’ll also find plenty of photo card templates so you can have fun adding your favorite family pictures. 

How to Customize and Send DIY Christmas Cards

Design: Stellax Creative

If your heart is set on sending a homemade Christmas card this year, but you don’t want to deal with the mess of physical card crafts, a digital card (like this stunning Geo Merry card) is the way to go. Here’s how to plan, customize, and send delightful cards this holiday season.

1. Decide on Your Theme

One of the first steps in finding the perfect holiday card is to decide on your theme. A Christmas tree card, snowman card, or Santa card are all classic options to send young children and families — especially if you choose one with an adorable illustration. 

For a more grown-up design, consider a sophisticated watercolor Christmas wreath or an artistic snowflake. Go for a bright, modern look with colorful baubles and Christmas decorations or a simple yet traditional style with a poinsettia and mistletoe border.

Whatever theme you prefer, Greenvelope has a design to match. We have classic Christmas cards for when you want to add a traditional vibe to your contemporary digital card or whimsical Christmas cards for extra festive fun. There’s an excellent collection of funny Christmas cards, too — perfect for when you want to make people laugh but don’t have your own joke to share.

2. Have Fun with Color

Christmas greeting cards often fall into a handful of popular color categories, but you don’t have to stick to traditional tones. Instead of a classic red and green or blue and white color scheme, look for a color palette that suits your style. 

The beauty of our DIY Christmas cards is that you have the option to choose your color preferences. Many of our designs feature premade palettes designed to complement the design and theme, but you can also work with our designers to make your card completely unique. 

3. Add Your Own Photos

At this time of year, many of us are gathering our families for festive family photo shoots. Photo cards are the perfect opportunity to share these with your loved ones. 

With over 400 Christmas photo card templates to choose from, you’re sure to find a design you love. Browse through designs with gorgeous festive borders, multiple photo spaces, and full-photo covers, giving you a full range of options.

4. Customize Your Digital Christmas Card

With printable cards or store-bought greeting cards, it’s harder to add your own personal style. But with customizable online cards, you can sprinkle some of your own personality and crafty elements into the design before you send it to your friends and family.

Once you’ve chosen a design, you’ll be taken to our easy customization wizard to make it your own. Change the layout to suit your greeting or the photos you want to add. Stick with the suggested font, or switch it to another to change the vibe. Choose your color options, or get in touch with our design team to make further changes. 

5. Add a Personal Message

It’s easy to get your DIY Christmas cards looking amazing in just a few clicks. Across our range of Christmas cards, you’ll find both one-sided and double-sided designs, giving you lots of options for a personal holiday greeting— especially if you want to share a poem, family update, or longer heartfelt greeting. If a short and sweet “Merry Christmas” or “Happy holidays” is more your thing, you can’t go wrong with a one-sided design.

6. Send to Your Guest List

With your DIY Christmas card complete and ready to go, it’s time to prepare your guest list and get ready to send it to your loved ones. 

Greenvelope makes it easy peasy to add your recipients’ details and decide whether you’re sending via email or text, which is ideal if you don’t know a relative’s email address or their email inbox is always chaotic. You can even add music or add a digital gift card to your holiday card before you send, making it a wonderful gift idea. 

Our Favorite DIY Christmas Cards for You to Customize

Now that we know how to find the perfect DIY Christmas card, it’s time for the fun part. Here are some of our most loved and trending card designs, with everything from a tree filled with Christmas ornaments to a cheerful Santa taking center stage. 

Colors of Joy Christmas Card

Design: Vivian Yiwing

There’s something so uplifting and lovely about this colors of joy Christmas card. Those jolly Santa faces and contemporary hues make this a great design for any holiday card.

Minimal Tree Overlay Christmas Card

Design: Lisa McLean Design

Share your favorite family photo in this minimal tree overlay Christmas card. We love the simple, minimalist design and the gold effect design and text give this card some real festive charm.

Victorian Christmas Eve Christmas Card

Design: Becky Nimoy Stationery

Celebrate the season with the beautiful mix of traditional motifs and modern colors in this Victorian Christmas Eve card. On the reverse, there’s room to share a cover-to-cover photo of you and your loved ones. 

Beautiful Birch Trees Christmas Card

Design: LNZart

If you’re looking for something unique for the holidays, try this beautiful birch trees Christmas card. The soft watercolor design is refreshing, and paired with the white birch trees, it creates a cheerful yet soothing twist on a snowy scene.

Surprise Your Loved Ones with These DIY Christmas Cards

There’s no shortage of wonderful DIY holiday cards you could dream up, create, and send. Use this guide to help you find the best DIY Christmas card ideas and tips, so you can plan ahead and send out memorable cards this year. 

If you want that personalized feeling but don’t want to contribute to more holiday waste, make the switch to online Christmas cards this year. Our collection is filled with hundreds of designs that you can customize and share with your loved ones for a very merry holiday season.