Extended family often get a shop-rack card with a generic joke, or nothing, because you ran out of time after the parents and grandparents. A photo of them, or of you together, restyled on Ottermagic is a better December habit. Upload a clear picture, run Style Swap or Face Swap, preview until it looks like that person, then post a printed A5 or send the e-card. Printed cards are 148×210mm folded, 330gsm gloss, envelope included, made to order in the UK, then posted with Royal Mail to UK addresses in around 3–5 working days or sent by airmail to US addresses (aunt, uncle, cousin) in around 2–3 weeks. For relatives in another country, the e-card reaches them the moment you pay. Start at Ottermagic.com.
Birthday and thank-you cards for the same relatives live in auntie, uncle, cousin, niece and nephew Face Swap and Style Swap cards. Sibling and best-friend Christmas cards have their own guide. This page is Christmas for the wider table: the auntie who remembers your job, the uncle with the spare room, the cousin you only see in a marquee.
UK English uses auntie as often as aunt. Use the word your family says. The artwork path does not change.
Why these cards are worth doing
High-street Christmas aisles are built around Mum, Dad, and "to you both." Auntie and uncle sit in a thinner bay. Cousins share a joke you cannot buy as clip art. A photo-led card sidesteps the age band and the weak pun.
Style Swap of a picture from this year is a Christmas card for the person they are now. Face Swap is there if you want them in a scene. Pet Swap covers the animal that appears in every family group chat. Text Swap can still put a name on a designed front if you truly have no picture; some catalogues go further on text-only humour. When you have a photo, stay with Style, Face, or Pet Swap.
If you send a stack, you do not need a different style for every envelope. One strong look, several photos, is enough. Each order is its own card. Add several items to the basket if you are covering a long list.
Auntie or aunt
Often the person who remembers the dog's name and your actual job. Watercolour, Sketch, and Royal Portrait suit a quieter thanks. Photobooth and Cartoon suit the auntie who sends voice notes at midnight. If she hates novelty faces, skip Bobblehead to be clever.
A photo of her with a niece or nephew is a gift she will keep. Crop so her face is large. Ask which picture she likes of herself if you are unsure.
Inside, mention one visit or one kindness. "Happy Christmas, and thank you for the parcel in March" is better than a paragraph of adjectives.
Uncle
Some uncles want Action Figure and Brick. Some want Sketch and a short line about the football, the garden, or the fact the spare room is still offered. Look at the photo they would approve, not the least flattering barbecue shot.
Classic Cartoon and Retro Halftone are friendly middle grounds. Retro Game and Pixel Art work when that is genuinely his taste.
If several uncles need cards, do not reuse one face on all of them. The point is the likeness.
Cousins
This is usually the loosest card. Chibi, Anime, Sticker Sheet, Photobooth, Caricature, and Clay 3D can work when you already roast each other kindly. A first Christmas as adults after a long gap may want Watercolour instead.
A shared childhood photo can be beautiful in Retro Halftone if the file is not a tiny screenshot. If it is tiny, ask someone for a clearer scan. Zooming mush will not invent a face.
Group cousin photos are tempting and often messy. For Style Swap, crop to one or two people, or take a dedicated frame at the next wedding. Face Swap prefers one clear face unless you have checked a preview with more than one.
Nieces, nephews, and the in-law versions
Kids move. Take several shots and pick the sharp one. Chibi, Cartoon, Classic Cartoon, Sticker Sheet, and Clay 3D are easy Christmas wins. Face Swap into a wild scene is fun if the parents will laugh with you. Ask if you are unsure; a posted card is hard to unsend.
Photos of children may only be uploaded by a parent or guardian, or with their permission.
A new auntie- or uncle-by-marriage may prefer Style Swap in Sketch the first Christmas. Save the sticker sheet for year two.
The live list: Brick, Chibi, Emoji, Anime, Watercolour, Caricature, Cartoon, Classic Cartoon, Action Figure, Clay 3D, Retro Halftone, Retro Game, Royal Portrait, Pixel Art, Bobblehead, Sticker Sheet, Tarot Card, Photobooth, Sketch, Lucky Leprechaun.
One photo, many houses
You might want the same family picture on every extended-family card. That is allowed. Style Swap once, then order several A5s for the UK addresses (or the US ones, from the US shop), and send the e-card to anyone far away who should have it today. Inside messages can still be different: printed per card, or handwritten if you had the cards posted back to you.
If the "same picture" is really twelve different people who need to see themselves, you need twelve photos, or at least crops. A crowd scene with tiny heads will not make twelve good likenesses.
Posters and canvas are available if one favourite aunt gets the wall version. Check Ottermagic.com for current wall-art options.
Practical December notes
UK print: around 3–5 working days with Royal Mail, dispatched within one working day, Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays. Christmas can add a day or two. Standard post is untracked. Check Royal Mail's live last posting dates, and the estimate at Ottermagic checkout. US addresses: the same card is sent by airmail in around 2–3 weeks, also untracked, so order about three weeks before Christmas. If the window has gone, take the e-card (hi-res, watermark-free after payment).
Guests can preview without an account. Sign in at checkout. You must be 18 or over to order. Checkout is in pounds in the UK shop and dollars in the US shop. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day).
A few inside lines:
- Happy Christmas. Still the best sandwich-maker at the reunion.
- Merry Christmas. Thank you for the spare room, again.
- Love from our lot to yours. Here is you, slightly more tarot than the group chat suggested.
- Happy Christmas cousin. Same face, new jumper.
More wording help: how to write a Christmas card message with a personalised photo card.
Ready when you are
Send the auntie, uncle, or cousin a card that looks like them, not like a generic robin. Upload a photo on Ottermagic, run Style Swap, Face Swap, or Pet Swap, and preview until it feels right. Post a printed A5 (around 3–5 working days in the UK, 2–3 weeks to the US), or send the e-card if they live far away or you are already late. Start at Ottermagic.com. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day).
FAQ
What is a good Christmas card for my auntie?
A likeness from a photo she likes, in Watercolour, Sketch, Photobooth, or Cartoon depending on her humour. Preview on Ottermagic before you pay.
Can I send the same Style Swap to all my cousins?
You can send the same look. Use each cousin's own photo if you want each card to be about them.
We live in the US. How do we send these?
The US shop sends the printed A5 by airmail to US addresses in around 2–3 weeks, so order about three weeks before Christmas. After that, take the Ottermagic e-card and send or print it locally.
What if I only have a group wedding photo?
Crop to the relative. If their face is tiny or turned away, ask for a better picture or skip Face Swap and try Style Swap on a tighter crop.
