Parents and grandparents tend to keep the cards that look like the people they love. A family photo restyled, or a grandchild’s face placed in a gentle scene, often lands better than a joke they will not repeat at the table. On Ottermagic you upload a clear picture, run Style Swap or Face Swap (Pet Swap if the card is really from the cat), preview until it feels kind, then order a printed A5 card or send the e-card. Printed cards are A5 folded (148×210mm), 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 (mom, dad, grandma, grandpa) in around 2–3 weeks. For relatives far away, the e-card reaches them the moment you pay. Start with a photo where you can see their eyes, even if the file is old, at Ottermagic.com.
Keep the tone gentle
This is not the page for a brutal caricature of Dad’s forehead. Caricature exists on Ottermagic and it can be affectionate, but for mum, nan, and most grandads you will do better with Watercolour, Sketch, Classic Cartoon, Photobooth, or Royal Portrait.
Watercolour and Sketch read as considered. Classic Cartoon is cheerful without sneering. Photobooth suits a picture of grandchildren squashed together. Royal Portrait is a warm gag if your mum enjoys a bit of theatre.
Anime and Chibi can work for a young mum, or for a grandparent who already likes those looks on the grandchildren’s cards. Preview first. If the face looks like a different relative, try another photo.
Face Swap is useful when you have a good head-and-shoulders of one person and you want them in a finished scene. Style Swap is better when the whole family (or mum and the baby together) should stay in the picture.
Text Swap is available if you have no photo and still want “To Mum” on a designed front. If you can find even one decent picture, use it.
Old photos, and photos of the grandchildren
Nan’s favourite picture of you might be twenty years old and slightly pink. Try it anyway. Retro Halftone and Watercolour are often kinder to older prints than a straight reprint would be. If the file is a tiny Facebook download, ask someone for a clearer copy. Zooming a thumbnail will not invent a likeness.
Photos of the grandchildren are the other usual request. A recent, well-lit phone photo of one child (or two, if they are both large in the frame) will take Style Swap more happily than a dark living-room group of six. For Face Swap, crop to one face. Parents or guardians should be the ones uploading children’s photos, or they should have permission; that is how Ottermagic’s privacy policy puts it.
If the only picture is from a school portrait day, that can still work. Those files are usually sharp. If the only picture is a freeze-frame from a video, pick a frame where the eyes are open.
More practical advice: how to choose a photo. For first-Christmas and wider family-plus-pet cards, see family, pet, and first-Christmas Style Swap.
What to write inside
Handwriting still wins with this audience. Leave the A5 blank inside if you can post in time, and write a specific thing: the Sunday calls, the cake tin, the way Dad still puts the lights up too early.
If you are printing a message, keep it short.
Mum: “Happy Christmas Mum. Thank you for still pretending my cooking is fine. We love you. See you on the day.”
Dad: “Happy Christmas Dad. This is us, slightly smarter than we look on FaceTime. Love from all of us, including the dog you pretend not to spoil.”
Nan: “Happy Christmas Nan. We made you this from the photo you always pick. We will bring the good biscuits.”
Grandad: “Happy Christmas Grandad. They still have not improved on your gravy. Love from the lot of us.”
Mom (US, e-card): “Merry Christmas Mom. I cannot get an envelope to you as fast as this file. This is the kids, drawn so you can put them on the fridge anyway.”
Avoid inside jokes that exclude the other parent. Avoid anything that sounds like a eulogy; it is Christmas.
Printed A5 or the e-card
If mum is in the UK and you have the working days, print the A5: 148×210mm folded, 330gsm gloss, envelope included, recyclable stock, water-based inks, Royal Mail around 3–5 working days. Blank inside, or a printed line if you add one. Posters and canvas are available if you want the portrait on her wall; check live options on Ottermagic.com.
If nan lives in another country and you want her to have it today, buy the e-card, download the hi-res watermark-free file, and send it. She can print it, or keep it on her phone, or you can print it when you visit.
US shoppers making a card for mom or dad get the same A5 from the US shop, sent by airmail to a US address in around 2–3 weeks. Order about three weeks before Christmas; after that, the e-card is the one that arrives in time.
For last UK posting dates, Christmas posting deadlines. For how the styles work, Style Swap Christmas cards.
Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day). Checkout shows pounds in the UK shop and dollars in the US shop.
A few style starting points by person
These are starting points, not rules. The preview decides.
- Mum / mom: Watercolour, Sketch, Photobooth with the kids, Royal Portrait if she will laugh.
- Dad: Classic Cartoon, Sketch, Brick if he still has a crate of old construction toys, Photobooth with the family.
- Nan: Watercolour, Retro Halftone with an old photo, Classic Cartoon with grandchildren.
- Grandad: Sketch, Royal Portrait, Classic Cartoon. Skip a harsh Caricature unless you know he will love it.
Lucky Leprechaun and louder Face Swap scenes are better as a joke between siblings than as the card you give Nan, unless she has already asked for something silly.
Ready when you are
Make the card they will keep on the mantel because it looks like the family. Upload a photo, try Style Swap or Face Swap (Watercolour, Sketch, Classic Cartoon, Photobooth, Royal Portrait), and only pay when it feels kind. Print an A5 (148×210mm, 330gsm gloss, envelope; around 3–5 working days in the UK, 2–3 weeks by airmail in the US) or send the e-card anywhere. Start at Ottermagic.com. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day).
FAQ
What is the best mum Christmas Face Swap card in the UK in 2026?
The preview that looks like your mum. Ottermagic Face Swap with a clear, face-on photo is the method.
Can I use a photo of the grandchildren?
Yes, if a parent or guardian uploads it, or you have their permission. Pick a well-lit picture where faces are large. Style Swap for the group; Face Swap for one child in a scene.
Dad lives in the US. Can I post an Ottermagic card to him?
Yes. Switch to the US shop in the site header and the printed A5 is sent by airmail to his US address in around 2–3 weeks. If Christmas is closer than that, use the e-card and send the file.
The only photo I have is from 1988.
Try it in Retro Halftone or Watercolour. If the scan is reasonably large, it often works. If it is a pale photocopy, ask the family for a better scan.
What if they would rather have a plain photo?
That is allowed. Send a straight photo card to that person, and keep Style Swap for the relatives who like a drawn likeness. You can still use Ottermagic Text Swap for a simple named front.
