In a digital world, the traditional Christmas card has fallen out of favor with lots of people. I still enjoy getting cards in the mail at this time of year, with a handwritten note, or even the obligatory newsletter and photos. 

But the connection made with other types of holiday greetings can be even stronger. If any of you have received a SmileBox email, you'll appreciate the multi-media impact that a digital greeting can provide, as well as the satisfaction of easily creating something that can be shared, without having an art or design degree.

My friend, Dave, sent me this beautiful montage of winter scenes from Traverse City, Michigan. (Made me a bit sad that we haven't had much snow here in Boulder.)

 

And another friend sent New Year's wishes in an email with this message:

The year 2011 will be the Chinese year of the rabbit… a creature of mercy, calm elegance, congenial disposition, quiet dedication, and soft-spoken modesty. May we all strive to uphold these virtues in the coming year.

And finally, here's my holiday e-card that I sent to my ezine list:

 

One last note. In a digital world, the greeting can be shared with others, beyond the original recipient list.  This is both the curse (think: your Uncle Tom's email jokes) and the promise of the age we live in.  My friend, Dave, who did the winter video above, tells me that a similar Christmas video that he posted on YouTube in 2008 now has 700 hits, way beyond the group he originally sent the link to.

I hope you are enjoying the holiday season as much as I am!