Ways To Stay Connected Virtually This Holiday Season

This year it’s all about finding ways to stay connected virtually this holiday season. I’m sharing why you should send holiday cards this year, as well as ways you can stay connected with the ones you love during this season of giving. This post is sponsored by Walmart Photo. 

Ways To Stay Connected Virtually This Holiday Season

The holiday season is here, and well, we all know it’s going to be a unique one. Like many of you, I’m trying to figure out how holiday dinners will work and how we will celebrate this season. 

One thing I know for sure is whatever we do; we have to do it safely. I’ve been working from home for many years, so I’m used to not having office parties, hanging out by the water cooler, and dealing with people face-to-face. So I figured staying home would be business as usual. 

Boy, that has changed. In the last few months, I’ve found myself missing hanging out with my girlfriends, traveling, and connecting with people I love in person. And now, it’s my favorite time of the year; I’m trying to figure out how I can still make it a wonderful holiday season. I’ve come up with some ideas I’m going to try out this year, and I’m sharing them below.  

Ways to stay connected virtually

Send a holiday card. Walmart Photo makes it easy to send holiday cards. With so many options to choose from, you can select a particular holiday theme, non-traditional, classic, vintage; the possibilities are endless. You can also choose from glossy, matte, linen, and premium cardstock.

You can also opt to get (select) cards using the 1-hour service or Same Day service. There are even more options when you have the cards mailed to you.

And if you order ahead of time, you can have Walmart Photo print your return address on the outside of the envelope. (time-saver!)

What’s even better? Walmart Photo offers quality and budget-friendly card options. Since these cards are inexpensive, I ordered a variety of cards. I’ve shared before how much I love Walmart Photo’s service and the high quality of my photos. 

Send a homemade gift. Homemade gifts can be the best gifts. Did you pick up a new hobby or skill this year? If so, put it to work by making homemade gifts to send out to family and friends. This is where Walmart Photo can help you out. Besides photos and holiday cards, Walmart Photo offers a wide range of ways you can create a personalized homemade gift, such as a Faux Canvas, Mounted Photos, or Canvas Prints. I used a few of these options for my photo wall gallery and senior graduation pictures. 

Ways you can use video this holiday season

Video has saved us this year. Stay connected by video. Video platforms like Zoom, Google Hangouts, and other video chats have the ability to create group video calls. 

• Virtual Meal Sharing. If you can’t be together this year with the whole family, include them via video.

• Watch movies together. Many apps allow you to watch movies together with a group of people.

• Board Games in-person with the people in your home or virtual with family and friends.

• Do a virtual Secret-Santa. In our family, this is part of our annual tradition. Besides doing regular Christmas gifts, we also do Secret Santa. One of my friends draws the names, and she will send a text out to each family member, letting them know who they have. Then, after we’ve unwrapped our regular presents on Christmas night, we do the Secret Santa gifts. As each person is giving their gift to that family member, they say something they love about that person. It’s the sweetest thing. 

• Do Christmas crafts together. If you’re a crafty person, this is a fun way to connect with others. Whether it’s a one-on-one video call or a group of crafters, this is a way for you to enjoy Christmas by creating crafts together. 

• Holiday decorating contest. You don’t have to miss the gingerbread house contest. Take it virtual this year. 

Virtual Christmas sing-a-long. Don’t cross Christmas caroling off the list. The internet makes it easier for us to enjoy some of our favorite Christmas pastimes. Suppose this is your jam; set up a video call with others who love to sing Christmas carols. You can practice together, then record a few songs and send them to others to enjoy.

If you plan to set up a virtual dinner party or event, you can have fun with the preparation by sending holiday invite cards in the mail. Just because it’s a virtual event doesn’t mean you can’t find a way to still connect in person. You can even use Walmart Photo to create a personalized event card with all the vital information.

Make homemade treats. A gift from the heart, no matter the cost, is the best type of gift. This is the baking season, so make a few homemade treats and drop them in the mail with a holiday card attached. 

Look for ways to volunteer safely. Many food banks are still open, serving their community. This could be a way for you to get involved at your local food bank, while the other person does the same in their community. While you may be apart from doing this activity, the spirit of giving is mutual.

Virtual tour of your home decorated for the holiday season. Do you love to decorate your home for the holiday season? Maybe your usual holiday guests are not coming this year; you can create a holiday tour of your home and share it with them. 

Open gifts together on Christmas morning, virtually. If your Christmas morning usually involves certain loved ones around the tree, use a video app or options on your phone to still have Christmas morning together. Be sure to send your gifts ahead of time, so they are there on Christmas morning. 

Take it outdoors. If you live in an area where the weather is warm, take Christmas outside this year. Just be sure to follow all safety guidelines for your township/city, wear a mask, and practice social distancing. 

Here are my reasons why you should send photo Christmas cards

A few years ago, the question of who still sends holiday cards floated around social media. Most people stated they no longer send cards since everything is digital. They can send them via email, post a photo on their social media platform, and call it their Christmas card. I’ve always sent Christmas cards, but I noticed over the years I received fewer cards. People stated they forgot, too busy, what’s the point since I’m connected online, and the list goes on and on. Well, if there was ever a year that we should send holiday cards, 2020 is the year.

Because it’s 2020, not stating the obvious, but we’ve had quite the year. Sending a holiday photo card could be what a person needs to brighten up their day. 

It feels good to give to others. It might seem simple, but sending a card to someone I love or care about cheers me up. I’m always thrilled when I get a message saying, “I got your card, thank you!” It’s even better when I get a Christmas card back from them. 

It connects us. Imagine if you send out a personalized holiday card, and the receiver sends back a customized holiday card; that’s priceless. Many of us may not spend time with our loved ones this Christmas. Not being able to travel to your grandparents, favorite auntie, and seeing other family members will be hard. A way you can still connect with them is by sending the perfect card. Plus, when you send a holiday photo card, that person can “see” you + your family, which provides a connection. Walmart Photo offers so many options and themes; I’m sure you can find the perfect card to send to a special loved one. 

Handwritten cards connect us. Speaking of connection, when’s the last time you received a handwritten letter or sent one? As a teen, I sent letters to my girlfriends in California a few times per month. And when I opened up the mailbox and found a letter from them, I couldn’t wait to read it. There’s something about receiving mail and handwritten cards from the people you love. Even now, I’ve made it a habit to send out little notes and gifts to friends and family. It’s a way to say hey, I was thinking about you. With all the modern technology, and the ability to send that same message via text, it means even more, when it arrives via mail in your handwriting. Since we’re physically distant this year, sending a holiday card with a handwritten message would be a way to connect with people you love. 

You got time. Many people say they don’t have time to send out cards because they are too busy. If this year has shown us anything, we should enjoy what we have and spend more quality time with the people we love.

Plus, you can order holiday cards from Walmart Photo using their Same Day service, so no excuses. All the cards I’m featuring in this post were ordered and ready the same day. They even have a variety of cards you can order with their 1-hour service. See, no excuses. 

Everyone is not on social media. While many of us are used to spending time on our favorite platforms every day, not everyone uses social media frequently, if at all. They’re not aware of how everyone has grown, or you got a new dog, or want to share your year in review. Create a few inexpensive cards using Walmart Photo and drop them in the mail. 

Attach a card with the gifts. I like to add our holiday photo card to the top of the gift. If you plan to send out gift cards, slip the gift card inside the envelope with your holiday card.

Free plug for your business. Did you start a business this year or need more exposure? Sending out samples from your business, along with a holiday card, is a great way to raise awareness about what you’re marketing. We’re sending personalized holiday cards from The W this year. If you’ve been following along this summer, you know we’ve made a lot of upgrades to the backyard. Being able to select a holiday card with a lot of photo grids from Walmart Photo’s website allowed me to create a card from The W. I plan to send it to a few people who fell in love with our backyard but couldn’t visit in person. 

Show off your new dog (or another type of pet). You can create a holiday photo card from your pet,like the one we did with Chance! Walmart Photo is where you need to start! 

Here are the Walmart Photo Christmas Cards I selected:

• Intro Merry Days  (one of my favorite ones)
• Vintage Merry Christmas
• God is so Good
• Counting All the Joy Christmas
• Rustic Merry Christmas
• Shelter in Peace
• Glorious Script Holidays
• Goodbye 2020
• Fancy Merry Christmas
• Winter Decor
• Happy Pawlidays
• Tis The Season

There are so many great reasons why you should send a holiday photo card this year and how you can stay connected virtually during the holiday season. To open the mailbox and see a card from someone I love and care about would make my heart happy. It’s a simple gesture but would mean the world to people. With so many people feeling the disconnect, isolation, and having a rough time, it’s important to find ways (use this post) or get creative in staying connected during the holidays. 

You can head over to Walmart Photo to get started. It’s simple to pick a design, upload your photos, add your message, review, then order!