When it is Christmas time, there is usually a lot to do and very little time to spare. With the rush and the planning, you can easily forget to prepare your annual Christmas card. However, with this article, you will learn how to go about your holiday tasks and still be able to prepare that cute card just in time for the seasonโs greetings.
The message to be indicated in the card is never a problem. Usually, creating it is what tends to be challenging. However, you do not have to go for a store-bought card when you can create your card online or by hand. The most important thing is to ensure you can access the templates of these cards online or at least have a Christmas card idea. With that, you can create a customized card for Christmas with warm season greetings for the special people in your life.
Once you learn how to create one using guidance from this article, you can style and design a card that matches the recipientโs personality. There are different types of cards that you can create during the Christmas holiday. You can design a simple one-page, a front and back card, or a bi-fold card. Ensure that you pick the correct paper size for your card, which is usually 10โณ x 14โณ.
With these creative cards, you can make one for yourself; you are guaranteed that the recipient will love the warm message inside and keep the personalized card for a long.
Free Christmas Card Templates
Because of the rush that comes with the Christmas holidays, using a template will make it easier and faster for you to create a special card for your loved ones. A template offers you different designs and styles that you can work with. It will reduce the need to format your work by enabling you to create a consistent one with proper margins, spacing, and content flow.
Below is a collection of professionally designed templates that are free to download. They are also customized, allowing you to access different styles and designs to create your cards.
How to Create a Personalized Card?
There are two ways to choose when creating your card. You can either create it by hand or use a template online. Here is how to create a special one using either of the two methods.
Creating the card by hand
When creating it by hand, you should follow the following steps:
Sketch a basic design
Start by sketching a basic design of what you want your card to look like. This will allow you to identify your needed supplies, making your creative process more accessible. While sketching, focus on the style, design, motif, color, and elements you want in your card. The idea is to ensure your intended message matches the card you are creating.
EXAMPLE
You can choose the image you will get in your card at this first stage, such as Santa Claus, a reindeer, a Christmas tree, or an ornament. You can also choose to use a modern or traditional type of massage.
Buy envelopes and paper
After determining the supplies, you may need to proceed to buy envelopes and paper for creating your card. Again, you can select any paper type and color you want. Your options for a paper type can range from sturdy cardstock to scrapbook paper.
With cardstock, you get a heavier, good quality, and color-variety paper that you can use to create a beautiful card. Colors may include red, green, silver, and gold, known as Christmas colors. Also, the quality of cardstock paper allows you to attach photographs. Cardstocks can be bought when already pre-folded.
For scrapbook paper, it can be bought pre-folded and has a different quality compared to cardstock. You can prepare a portrait or a landscape card using this type of paper. It is best to purchase your papers and envelopes at local printing stores if you are unsure what to use.
Purchase decorative things
Ensure you purchase other supplies such as scissors, clear glue, clear tape, pens, a ruler, and decorative things. These decorative things include glitter, stick-on letters, ribbons, and Christmas motif stickers. Again, it would be best if you bought these supplies in bulk to ensure you do not run out of supplies, have a backup plan in case of a mistake, and can easily change your design if you want to.
Do a test run
Proceed to do a test run by creating one card using your sketch design. This will allow you to see how your elements match and the writing size you will use to leave space for decorations.
Write the message on the card
If the test run is successful, you can now write your Christmas message on the card. You can write your message on the cover or the inside of the card. Also, the message can either be handwritten to add a personal touch to the card or printed in case you do not have the neatest handwriting.
Use a ruler to ensure your message is neat and in order. When writing your Christmas message, leaving space for decorations, images, and photographs is essential. Do not forget to sign your name and let the writing dry before starting on decorations.
Decorate the card
Once your writings have dried, you can now decorate the card. Use clear glue or clear tape to embellish your card with decorations. You can use orange sticks or cotton swabs to correct mistakes and improvise using other supplies if you run out of decorations.
Allow the cards to set
The final step is to allow the card to be set before placing it in the envelope to send to the intended recipient. Again, it is better if the adhesives are allowed to set throughout the night.
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Start creating the card early
If you are crafting yours by hand, it is essential to start early. This will allow you to add all the styles and designs you want and still be able to send them to your family and loved ones on time. In addition, you need to start early since you do not wish for your card to arrive after Christmas.
Creating the card by using a template
If you choose to use a template to create yours, here is what you should do:
Choose a template
Access a website that provides beautiful card templates and review the many options. Then, based on the style and design that you want, proceed to choose a template. Ensure that you select a template that will fulfill your needs. You can access free downloadable templates from this website as well.
Design the front of the card
Once you have your template, review the motif options provided by the online service you use for the front of the card. You can write or add a Christmas message on the front of the card and design it to your liking.
Design the inside of the card
The next step is to design the inside of the card by adding personalized decorations and messages to the already provided Christmas motifs. You can also choose not to rewrite the message already present on the template, but you can customize it according to your choice of words.
Check the final product
At this step, you need to review the final product to ensure all the elements are in order and the content has no mistakes. Ensure that you edit out any mistakes and make changes to any designs you do not like. Your design and message need to match before printing out the final product.
Take out a print
This is the last step when using a template to create the card. Go ahead and print your final product, place it in an envelope and send it to the appropriate recipient.
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Find examples of messages online
After creating your card either by hand or using a template, you can access beautiful Christmas messages such as poems, quotes, and stories online and use them in your card. You can also find examples of such Christmas messages online and use them to craft your own.
What to Include in Christmas Card Templates?
You get a chance of sending cards to your closed ones one time a year, and you can use printable Christmas gift certificate templates for this purpose. In this way, you can make sure that it is perfectly made and all the information written over it should also be accurate. Then, when everything is appropriately mentioned, the person who will receive the card will also feel good that you remember everything. It will ultimately fulfill your purpose of making them feel unique and essential in your life.
Following are some of the essential things about which you should be ensured that they are written accurately on the Christmas certificate template.
Name of recipient
When you are editing the blank Christmas gift certificate template, you should write the personโs full name to whom the card should be directed. It is essential to check that it is adequately mentioned at the right place to be received and opened by that particular person only.
tip
Avoid writing the nickname you used to call your friend because it can confuse you when delivering your card.
Name of sender
Individual persons and companies can use Christmas gift certificate templates at professional levels.
You should also write your full name on the Christmas certificate if you are sending it personally so that the receiving person can have an idea about the person who has sent that card. It will be suitable for the recipient to know the sender accurately because if he/she wants to send a thank you card, it could be sent to the appropriate person at the right time.
On the other hand, some professional companies who want to show their association with their employees may choose to send them Christmas certificates. In this regard, the companyโs name should be mentioned on the card so that the receiver can know about the sender. Moreover, this act of sending certificates from companies symbolizes recognizing their employeeโs efforts and their concerns about them.
Date
The date of sending the Christmas gift certificate template should also be mentioned accurately on the card while printing. So you should check whether the data section is available on the blank Christmas gift certificate template downloaded by you or not. It might be possible that your gift does not get delivered on Christmas day and will be received by the recipient after that day, so the date written over the card will indicate that it was mainly a Christmas card. In some cases, the sender may mention the expiry date so that if it is not delivered on the specified dates, it should not be sent to the recipient after that date.
Description
Including the description section in your card will make it more special for the recipient. The purpose of sending a particular thing and its significance for both of you can be mentioned in this part. On the other hand, you may also write something special for the other person who will show your love for them. In this section, you can also mention any old and memorable memory with your friend. It will make your card more impressive as a consequence. To fulfill all these purposes, you should prefer to choose that blank Christmas gift certificate template on which sufficient space is available for writing your message.
Christmas Gift Voucher Templates
How to Edit the Christmas Gift Card Template?
The editing of the blank Christmas gift certificate template after downloading it might be confusing for some people, but it is an easy task. Following is a step-wise process of editing the template of the Christmas certificate. The image of each step has also been attached along with the description for a better and easy understanding of the process.
Unzip downloaded folder
When the Christmas gift card template is downloaded, it is in the form of a zip folder, and you will have to extract the files by right-clicking on the zip file and selecting โExtract filesโ. When all the files are extracted, a separate folder will be created in the same file.
Open readme file
Open the extracted file of โChristmas Cardโ and select the option โReadme.txtโ.
Install fonts that are in the fonts folder
You will have to install the fonts from the folder of “fonts” available within the same file in this step. It will help you to write down the text in the template while editing it because if this option is not enabled, you cannot write the text.
Open word file
After installing fonts, you can open the word file by selecting โChristmas.docx,โ and the downloaded template will appear on the word page.
You can edit the format according to your demand
Once the Christmas gift card template is available as a Word file, you can change it. You can quickly write all the information according to your requirements by editing it.
Print your design
After reviewing the final form of your card, you can go to the โFileโ menu, navigate down and select the โPrintโ command. All the default settings have already been made, and you will continue with them to print the Christmas gift certificate template.
Some other Christmas Gift Certificate Templates
Tips on Creating your own Christmas gift cards
You do not need to be an expert in making a Christmas gift card. You only need to have a creative mindset and know about the requirements you want to have on your card. This purpose can easily be fulfilled using the blank templates available for Christmas gift certificates online.
Following are some of the tips by which you can create the Christmas gift cards by yourself:
Acquisition
First of all, you will have to search through the internet about the type of Christmas certificate you want to send to your friends or family members. Your choice will also depend on your relation and the person to whom the card will be sent. You can go with any informal style if it is given to your friend, and in case of sending it to your colleagues and employees, you will choose the informal certificate style.
When you find an appropriate template for your card, you will download it.
Filling the blanks
The templates which are downloaded from the internet have blank spaces in them. Separate spaces are there for entering the information regarding:
- Recipientโs name
- Senderโs name
- Date
- Description
You will only have to fill in all the information correctly in the specified sections based on your requirements. Before writing something in the description, think carefully and write it down in an impressive manner.
Confirmation
There is a possibility that you might have entered any wrong information. To avoid it, you should read all the things again and choose to get it proofread by anyone else. Although Christmas is an informal event, you should ensure that your description written on the Christmas certificate is without any grammatical error.
This part also allows you to add your card if you feel so. You can fill it with different colors and use varied writing styles.
Printing
After having a final look and becoming satisfied with all the things you have mentioned, the last step is to get your Christmas certificates printed.
tip
You should save the file before printing it so that you can make any further changes if the printed copy of your card does not match your requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sending Christmas certificates along with cash or a gift both have their significance. However, particular emotions get attached to the gift if it is sent to your close ones, and your thoughts will come to their mind every time they use the thing given to them as a gift by you.
On the other hand, some people prefer to give cash amounts because of their busy routines due to which they could not find enough time for buying a gift. The cash amount can also be given in a sense if you do not know other peopleโs preferences, and they will buy anything they want from that cash amount you give. You can decide the amount of cash given depending on your income and budget.
Christmas gift certificates can also be bought from the different stores in the market. You can have hand-made cards and ask them to make customized certificates for you as a Christmas gift for your close ones. It also helps the businesses increase their sales and profit during Christmas days.
The promotion of Christmas certificates also helps in attracting more customers. When the gift bought from a particular store is sent to the other person, that person will also know about the store from where he/she can buy these cards.
The stores use different strategies for promoting their Christmas gifts, ultimately increasing their sales. You can put the certificates on display near the entrance of your shop. You can send messages to your regular customers via text or email.
Nowadays, social media is a potent tool and can be promoted because every person has easy access to it. You can also offer a buy one and get one free campaign or give it to them as a complimentary gift.
When a person buys Christmas gift vouchers from a particular store, he/she can also refer them to other friends. And the person who will receive that Christmas certificate will also come to know about that specific store that provides such gifts. In this way, the brand will be acknowledged by other people also.