Family photo Christmas cards - love em or loathe em?

[JustineMumsnet]

Hello,
We've been asked for thoughts on Christmas cards with family photos as the pic in the light of the party leaders' cards this year. Am due on the Today programme tomorrow am to discuss - would love to know what you think of them in general. Nice or naff would you say?
tia

MIne this year have been of the 2 girls wearing Santa hats.
Ive had lots of lovely comments about them.

Family ones can be abit twee, Just adults rather odd.

Could never do a card with just one of the children on it, However much time I spent trying to get a baby and toddler looking at the camera at the same time and not crying!!

i like Cleggs.

i don't mind millibands.

camerons says " look i made a baby. dont worry about the other kids cos they aren't cute no more"

Love receiving them and have always sent cards with pic of dc doing something seasonal on our cards last year pics of them in school nativity play and this year sledging. Nice to see friends dc growing up agree pics should be only of children not keen on ones of adults or pets

Naff

I like ones with children and pets. Adults - not so much.

I love them and I love round robins too.

Only for real people though, not for sleazy politicians on their "official" cards. I like Ed's though, Justine looks like she's saying "oh my god, where did that come from??"

Good luck on Today, hope Humphries goes easy on you

Love them in fact have competition with friends to see who can produce the cheesiest card! I lost this year :(

At work we get quite a lot if cards from folk.we don't know. The CEO of a local company always sends out his company Christmas card with a picture of him, his wife and kids. I've never even met him, so clearly have no interest in the progress of his children.

I think for personal cards to family and friends it could be quite nice, but it shouldn't be something you send as a corporate card or to business associates or folk you don't know.

But wasn't it this year that the Camerons' son died? That would explain why they chose not to feature 'all' of their children - they couldn't, and the gap would obviously be painful.

I love them! We do one every year but only send to family overseas.

The kids love dressing up as shepherds/angels/elfs!! (mind you what do I know, we have an inflatable snowman in the front garden).

Loathe them except the ones from my cousin, as she draws her family. She's a fantastic sculptress, but her drawings are wonderful.

I send cards made by the DCs (aged 4 and 2) with a picture of (just) them next to the Christmas tree inside. Do I pass? The amount of effort it takes to get them to both sit still next to the frigging tree, not crying and not thumping each other, maybe I won't bother next year if recipients find it so irritating. Jeez.

Oh gosh my last post was written whist two boys were on my lap.

I thought Cameron's card was odd featuring one child, Sylvanian makes sense there. I hadn't thought of that. DC should have gone for something else though.

Cleggs is nicest iirc, but politicians showing off their families seems naff. It's as if they're saying "don't hate me! I may have just screwed your family financially, but look, I'm doing it so that my child may attend the best schools and have a vast inheritance."

But "civilian" ones are ok. The children must be wearing a santa hat.

I have only ever received ones with just the kids on and I like them. It makes the card a bit more personal and it's nice to see how they've have grown. I've done ones of our dc's before, but would only ever send them to close friends and family.
Agree with earlier post that it feels wrong to throw them out. Cards like this get kept in the christmas decorations box, along with christmas cards and decs that kids have made etc. Each year when it all comes down from the attic it is nice to look through them again...

Not bad really, though never done it. It's generally better if just of the Dc's IMO.

Nope - it's loathsome when politicians do it. OK (and in fact rather nice) to put pics inside the card so recipient can choose to throw darts, frame or dispose at their leisure. Actually putting your kids or your family in general on the front of the card simply says "Hey, Christmas is all about me and my smug nuclear family" - revolting. Just acceptable - a landscape shot you have taken or a winter shot of the west wing of the family home under snow with a picturesque peasant toiling past. I will give a pass to Royalty, but that certainly doesn't apply to Ed Milliband. And your child's artwork - no Mr Clegg, he or she is not the next Leonardo. Insufferably PFB. Family who are genuinely close will receive pics/drawings throughout the year anyway - your old college friend, the postman and your boss just don't care.

It's very Americanised. I usually make my own cards, DD makes hers - lots of mess and paint - for close family and friends. I usually put a photo in for elderly relatives or people who live a long way away at Christmas, and I might send one with a letter once or twice during the year. So in rambling conclusion, love photos but not a fan of photo-cards.

Politicians - hmmm - the Cameron one without the other children is seriously strange. I think the Miliband photo was in the paper (?Saturday times or guardian) in the last few months and if it was someone you knew I'm sure you'd think it was lovely but it's trying too hard. What I like about Clegg's - and am really disappointed with him politically - is that he's done it like this before, it's not a response to his new status or anyone else's decision.

Not nice. Bit twee.

yukky. they reek of vanity and self importance to me i'm afraid.

Personally, I prefer traditional cards. But I would never confess this unless specifically asked for my opinion, as in this thread.

in what other context (other than signing autographs) would you say, here have a photo of me! pop a pic in of the kids by all means but photos of yourself is restricted to slebs.

I like them. My American cousins always send family photo cards so its rubbing off on me.

I'd do one with me and the dc's if I could find a charity photo card company.

One of my stepdads collegues sends cards with her cat on every year, I love spotting it in the masses of cards oin their house.

We sent one with ds on last year and I was amazed at the chorus of approval because I thought I was committing the unforgivable sin of Tackiness.

This year we've gone for dh and ds, but it's just a snap. We'll see if the inclusion of an adult causes the tackiness meter to rise.

I like homemade cards of any type really - what I can't stand is cards without any news in from people I very rarely get to see. I would rather they didn't bother than send me a card with just their names on - though possibly the message from my older relatives is 'Still Alive'

Thanks for all the fab input. Am on at 8.20.

On now everyone