Josh Adams, 9, takes photos of the photos on his family’s 2019 holiday cards to add to the contact list in his mom’s phone.

DONNA’S DAY: CREATIVE FAMILY FUN

If you sent holiday photo cards, you probably know from experience that the final image may be stunning, but the production process wasn’t easy.

First comes the search for that photo that tells a story of your year’s highlight. If there wasn’t a wedding, graduation or significant birthday that brought everyone together, the challenge begins, at least for me.

Last fall, when my family was on an outdoor trek, a hiker on our trail took a photo of us poised in front of a breathtaking backdrop. Perfect photo, but … whoops, my eldest son had taken off on a kayak that day. A no-show for the photo.

Combine the group photo challenge with writing that accompanying paragraph that’s funny and informative (not bragging), finding recipients’ current addresses, buying stamps and doing it all in the busiest time of the year! I appreciate how my friends overcame the challenges and their cards arrived in time in my mailbox from all over the world. Tangible gifts of correspondence in an email world. I can’t toss them!

Here are two ways to use and enjoy the cards in the new year:

Snap a Pic for Your Smartphone Contact List

Maybe my circle of contacts and their kids is expanding, or maybe my brain isn’t, but I can always use a little help remembering names and faces. Here’s a trick to help remember, using your smartphone and holiday card photos.

Go to your contact list on your smartphone. Tap the name of the key person in the holiday photo on your contact list and tap “edit.” Tap the photo space and take a smartphone photo of the person/family. Let your school-age child help you out with this fun project. Talk with him about the people in the photos as you go through and photograph them.

Next, go down the contact page to information fields of names of family members. You can even add birthdays. Make the project an exercise in geography, too. Set a country or world map/globe nearby to locate where the individuals live as you type in their addresses.

Click done when complete.

Make a “Book” of Cards

Punch two holes evenly on the left side of each card. “Bind” them together with office style metal clasping rings. Set out on the coffee table and flip them over one by one to enjoy throughout the year.

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Donna Erickson’s award-winning series “Donna’s Day” is airing on public television nationwide. To find more of her creative family recipes and activities, visit www.donnasday.com and link to the NEW Donna’s Day Facebook fan page. Her latest book is “Donna Erickson’s Fabulous Funstuff for Families.”

© 2019 Donna Erickson

Distributed by King Features Synd.