Welcome to the 2025 holiday season, With hope, we’ll all get a healthy dose of well needed cheer. In today’s column, I’ll offer advice on how to create your own holiday greeting cards and DIY gifts along with some shopping tips.
DIY projects
There are lots of ways to use your PC or phone to create your own greeting cards, letters, calendars and other highly personalized gifts. In most case, they need to be printed, but if you don’t have a printer, there are ways to get them printed professionally, which for some items such as photographs, can actually wind up being less expensive and a lot better looking than printing them yourself, especially if you consider the wastage that often encompasses home printing projects.
No offense to Hallmark, but I like creating my own greeting cards. They just seem more personal than canned messages, and if I want, I can even create individualized cards for special people on my list. If you need help coming up with greetings, try ChatGPT or another Generative AI tool. They may not be quite as personal as coming up with your own words, but you can get a personalized message by saying something like “create a combined Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s card for my cousin in Ohio” or maybe “create a Christmas card greeting for a family with a boy, a girl, a mom, dad and a dog.” You can even specify funny or sentimental, but if you have it in you, I still recommend writing your own greeting.
I often paste in pictures from my own library or even images generated by AI. Sometimes, I just print them as a one-sheet without worrying about a fold, but if I want them to resemble greeting cards, I use a template such as ones built-into Microsoft Word or use some of the free greeting card creation services from Canva, Adobe Express or Greetings Island. You’ll find a link to these at larrysworld.com/greetingcards.
If you don’t mind a little extra work, you can create a card using the free Google Drawing program along with Google Docs. You can insert or type in your content on the first page directly, but if you want the second page to be inverted (for printing back to back), use Google Drawings to create the second page and then rotate the image and text in Drawings and paste it into Google Docs.
Easier and perhaps classier options
A perhaps easier and classier option – and this works for calendars and all sorts of holiday gift ideas – is to use a service like Shutterfly, Walgreens or VistaPrint that helps you design it and then professionally prints it for a fee. Prices can be actually less than store-bought greeting cards if you order enough of them. I use Walgreens, because it’s convenient and relatively inexpensive. Aside from better quality than I can get with my own printer, they either reprint it or reimburse me if there are any mistakes or flaws.
Another nice greeting is a personalized video message or slideshow that you create with your PC or smartphone. Most photo services, including Google, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon photo apps, allow you to share albums or collections.
Recipes and jigsaw puzzles
Some folks like to give out recipe books. You can use your family recipes or generate recipes via generative AI, but if you do that, test them first. One of the things I like about using services such as ChatGPT is the ability to customize them, especially for people with dietary restrictions. Once you have the recipes, you can create them with a word processing program or Google Docs (free) or use a service such as Shutterfly or VistaPrint, which also lets you add in photos, perhaps ones you’ve taken yourself.
If you have a jigsaw puzzle lover in your life, you can make your own puzzle using a template and a photograph. JenniferMaker.com has free puzzle templates and all sorts of other DYI projects you can do using your PC or phone.
Shopping
If you’re like most people, you are starting to think about gifts for friends and family. Aside from not having to go to a store, one of the things I like about shopping online is that the online e-tailer can send the gift for me, saving me the cost and hassle of wrapping and shipping. In some cases, such as for Amazon Prime or Walmart Membership (on sale now for $49 for a year) the shipping may be free.
If you shop online, beware of any pitches you get via email, text or on social media. I’m often torn between wanting to buy from a small business vs. the security of ordering from a well-known company such as Amazon, Target or Walmart, so if I do go the small business route, I try to select a store or company I’m familiar with or do some research to make sure they’re legit. Be especially careful of look-alike websites or deals that seem too good to be true. Check the URL carefully and make sure the seller is reputable.
Before I buy anything online, I try to find out the shipping costs, if any, how long it will take to arrive and the return policy. A lot of online retailers will extend the return policy during the holidays, typically until January 31, but this might not apply to all purchases, so read the policy carefully. Amazon Prime or Walmart Members get free shipping on most items, but there are exceptions. I was about to order a gift basket on Amazon from Harry but held off after noticing a $14.99 shipping fee.
And don’t assume that Amazon, Walmart or Costco necessarily have the lowest price or the best deal. It does pay to shop around.
Also be wary of possible counterfeit merchandise. And even if the site is reputable, the item might come from another seller. If you see a great price, check if it ships from and is sold by Amazon or Walmart. If not, check reviews very carefully to make sure it’s a legitimate reseller with a good rating.
Finally, don’t overlook brick and mortar merchants. Online may be more convenient and perhaps cheaper, but aside from supporting local business, there’s something to be said for getting to look at, try on and feel the merchandise before you buy it. And you might even get a smile and friendly greeting from the clerk or run into someone you know.
Larry Magid is a tech journalist and internet safety activist. Contact him at larry@larrymagid.com.