Seemingly every aspect of the Christmas season is different this year, so it’s only natural that the family card tradition would change a bit as well.
In lieu of picture-perfect photos, many families are getting creative with their cards ― from Zoom themes to dumpster fire jokes to truly candid snapshots.
We asked the HuffPost Parents Facebook community to share their 2020 mailers. Keep scrolling for a hilarious (and earnest) sample of cards that sum up this year.
1.
“At least my kids will remember this Christmas … ‘Yeah, remember when Mom made us pose by a dumpster??'”
Courtesy of Elizabeth Rettig Konczal
2.
“We photoshopped a special guest into ours. We thought it would bring a little humor to a dark year. :)”
Courtesy Of Donna Levy
3.
Courtesy of Cindy Hinojosa Wilson
4.
“My husband wanted me to add a dumpster fire, but I thought that might be too much.”
Courtesy of Brenna Jennings
5.
“Season’s (6ft) Greetings! ‘The Boring Twenties'”
Courtesy of Brandon and Lindsay Obenour
6.
Courtesy of Tawni Gurnee
7.
Laurie Wenzel/Courtesy of Kaite Fryer
8.
Courtesy of Karen Hicks
9.
“This image is of our daughter, Quinn. These were originally for her birthday pictures. This was her telling me the photo shoot was over.”
Courtesy of Brianna Robeson
10.
Courtesy of Mellisa Rasor-Leveillee
11.
“Virtual Santa visit!”
Mike Behr Photography/Courtesy of Lisa Durand
12.
Courtesy of Kirsten Norsworthy
13.
“This card template we used spoke to us as we have personally dealt with many of the items mentioned. For example, we had to evacuate due to a fire in October.”
Courtesy of Kim Derrick
14.
“Our Christmas cards have been inappropriate nine years running!”
Courtesy of Brittany Tretta
15.
“We are known for sending funny production value Christmas cards to a list that has grown over the years. Past cards include confetti cannons and silly string, recreating ‘Home Alone’ and making a leg lamp for Christmas Story.”
Nile Scott Studios /Courtesy of Nicole Pascarelli O'Brien
16.
Courtesy of Annie Hanna
17.
“It’s not how I ordered them, but this is what showed up. Just about sums up how this year has been going.”
Courtesy of Jen Knisely
18.
“Happy Holidays from the ruins of 2020!”
Courtesy of Julie G. Pfrommer
19.
Courtesy of Nicole Valdron
20.
Courtesy of Christina Mireles
21.
“The front really sums it up.”
Courtesy of Susan Williams
22.
Courtesy of Claire Caudill Johnson
23.
Courtesy of Casey Savage Maloney
24.
Courtesy of Lauren Ladra
25.
Courtesy of Christie Pham
26.
Courtesy of Jessica McPhee Heefner
27.
Courtesy of Joy Powell Talmon
28.
Courtesy of Jenifer Greer-Sheldon
29.
“Despite all the madness, we have come to realize how much we excel at being anti-social. It’s like our entire lives have been a dress rehearsal for 2020. Decades of awkward wall-flowering, declining (or not receiving) party invitations, and backing slowly out of rooms have forged us into hardened professional introverts. And this is exactly where we belong. We have arrived. 2020 is our time to shine. We are the kings and queens of absence, coffee-stained pajama pants, Thai food take-out, and toilet paper. Bow down.”
Courtesy of Laura Gosselin
30.
Courtesy of Nicole Robertson South
31.
Courtesy of Jamie Wallace
32.
Courtesy of Trina Eberhardt
33.
Courtesy of Becky Schmecky
34.
Courtesy of Tracey Crawford
35.
“A friend of mine is a photographer and she did a socially distance photo shoot for us earlier in the year, when we were all pretty deep into the stay-at-home mode. I have found that maintaining a sense of humor has been the best way to maintain my sense of peace during this turbulent year!”
Isabella Rose Photography/Courtesy of Christina Herr
36.
Courtesy of Rene Stanley
37.
Courtesy of Marissa Fleisher
38.
“We tried over here!”
Courtesy of Brooke Faill
39.
“And in true 2020 style, I spelled my own name wrong.”
Courtesy of Becky Kane Cunningham
40.
“This outtake from our family photos this year completely sums up 2020 for our family, so we knew we had to put it front and center on our holiday card! After nine months of the kids remote learning, while we parents simultaneously work full time from home, we all are doing ‘fine.’ We are grateful for flexible work schedules, good WiFi and lots of good humor during this crazy time.”
Sahsha Kochanowicz Photography/Courtesy of Megan Peters
41.
“Everything is upside down! When I picked them up I realized that I accidentally forgot to put a picture of myself on the card, but my husband made a cameo. And our family name is in black instead of white so it blends into the blue. Extra funny points for all things going wrong in 2020!”
Courtesy of Tracy Cruikshank
42.
Courtesy of Sarah Janas Nackley
43.
Courtesy Of Rachel Robertson
44.
“I’ve never sent a holiday card like this, but when it came time I found this photo of our youngest from right after Christmas 2019. I knew we had to use it. We also sent a typical card and only sent this card to people we thought would appreciate it.”
Courtesy of Emily Lerman
45.
“We tried to sum up 2020 as best we could!”
Courtesy of Kristy Redstreake
46.
Courtesy of Caroline Holder
47.
“Just couldn’t muster anything more joyous.”
Courtesy of Kelly Marra Cwiertny
48.
“We decided to send it digitally with a reminder that in lieu of sending actual printed cards we supported the #saveourstages campaign. As a family that really enjoys live entertainment, we were bereft and worried about the fate of the live events industry and we thought it was a really nice way to give back to those that have been heavily impacted.”
Courtesy of Ella Leitner
49.
“Couldn’t even find a picture of us in 2020, had to repurpose a pic from 2019.”
Courtesy of May M Martin
50.
Courtesy of Katie Mary
51.
Courtesy of Sarah Wilson
52.
Courtesy of Lisa Marsoobian
53.
“Super rough year but we are embracing the weirdness of it!”
Courtesy of Amanda Oliver Kop
54.
“Picture with Santa from afar for our card!”
Courtesy of Karin Lilly Tozier
55.
Courtesy of Jilaa Niren
56.
“I went COVID casual with our pics and card. This year was all about casual living, so we wore our COVID attire and took our pics in our backyard. Not funny, but a very real reflection of our year.”
Courtesy of Neha Dedhia Shah
57.
“I was over the Rockwell family pictures anyway. Great to embrace a little reality.”
Courtesy of Jo Ellen King
58.
Courtesy of Amy Stock
59.
Courtesy of Amy Crabtree
60.
“We tried to capture the crazy!”
Courtesy of Lisa Nesci