Do you need some gift ideas for your donors or anyone on your list? Would you like to make photobooks but don’t know how?  Are you simply unsure how to keep the next several weeks meaningful (and organized)? I have several sites I can recommend for you.

Photo Books and Gifts

Looking for a creative gift idea?  How about a way to showcase your pictures? Photo books and calendars (and tons of other items) make great gifts for family or supporters; they can be simple or elaborate.

Shutterfly is a good choice–it has the highest ratings for a service that does a wide variety of products. If you haven’t tried to do these projects before, then “ease of use” should be your highest criteria in choosing a service.  I’ve used Shutterfly for several photo books and I’m very pleased. Be sure to view the videos they provide on how to use the different features – it’ll save you some time and frustration. Their StoryBoard lets you group your photos together on pages and arranges them for you, then you can go back and customize!

• This short video from National Geographic gives you a general idea of what’s involved in creating a photobook.
• This site rates and reviews the companies offering this service. Most of these photo companies ship in less than a week after you submit your project and also offer holiday pricing.

Digital Greetings

Going digital with your Christmas prayer letter? Your message and photos will stand out with SmileBox’s attractive and dynamic letters .  I use SmileBox regularly for family birthdays and they’re always well received!

Send digital Christmas cards from the web (or right from your iPad or smartphone). Red Stamp offers simple, yet charming designs which you can send through Facebook or Twitter or as eCards or a text. They even offer a service to print and mail your greeting as a card or postcard. (The app is the easiest way to send to multiple addresses from your contact list.)

Get Ideas and Stay Organized

Can’t get your head around all you need to do?  Visit Christmas Your Way for Pinterest-worthy ideas for food and activities. Maybe one of their many free planners and checklists will be helpful to you as well. Download their free Christmas eBook (PDF file) with tips and action steps.

Making a Difference

Host a Christmas Gathering for your neighbors and not-yet-Christian friends! Cru staff member, Joyce Bademan is the founder of Christmas Gatherings. Here’s everything you need to get started.

Give as you shop. Amazon Smile donates 0.5% of your purchase to your chosen charity.

If this was helpful to you, could you let me know?  Do you have anything you can recommend?
Guest Post by Karen Fenz (here with her son, David)

Karen and her husband Curt are part of the Eastern European headquarters team in Budapest.  They have lived in Europe for more than 25 years, where they raised three boys who now live in the States. Playing guitar on the church worship team helps keep her sane.  Hiking the Alps is the family’s vacation of choice.

Karen taught mathematics for 16 years at the local MK school, and now is associate operations team leader, spending some of her time assisting staff women with their technology concerns.  As a digital immigrant, she has more devices than she knows what to do with, but enjoys exploring what they can do.