I still send out cards, but not so many. Everyone likes getting real mail. Just try displaying all the email holiday 'cards' you get. It's just not the same. As for pictures of kids? Family and close friends who are far away only.

I am part of one group holiday card exchange, about 40 people. And the cards get displayed on the mantel.

I send cards to about 40 people. Used to send more, but with social media, email and the cost of postage, I cut back.

I enjoy seeing photos of the families. Especially if they live at a distance where we don't see them "live" very often. The ones that we receive, I'd say they quit doing the photos around the time their kids graduated HS.

I loved getting cards with family or kid pictures from friends who no longer live close. I recently assembled pix through the years from 3 families, assembled collages and posted them to their FB pages. My friends’ family members even responded with thanks. Having done my “duty” I could then let the pix go a la Swedish death cleaning having enjoyed “visiting” them all those years!.

When they aren't cute anymore. ; )

I think when the last one is done high school is a fairly common cut off.

But, although I hate this advice in decorating, you are sending cards to friends presumably, so do what you'd like.

I didn't send photos cards last yr IIRC or maybe it was the year before. I just didn't feel like it and it seems so wasteful. Then i felt bad when I received them. I am ambivalent about them right now. I certainly don't think I want to do any mass mailings anymore.

I say to send photo cards as long as you like. I love photo cards even though I don’t get them out every year. I hang them up during the holidays then afterward I tie the bundle with a pretty ribbon and put it with my Christmas stuff. Every year, I put some bundles in a bowl or basket and I occasionally leaf through some of the photos while marveling how much changes over the years. They are reminders to me to slow down and enjoy the season with friends and family.

We do holiday cards, probably about 40-50 every year. I know a lot of people don't do them but getting a "real" card is nice. And I'm not on Facebook--not everyone is, so I'm not seeing photos of people year round.

I get photos from people who have HS and college-age children. We did a photo card from our wedding the year we got married and did another one some years later of us in front of our tree. We've also included the cats, of course. :) You can include vacation photos, etc.

I love getting pics of my friends' children as well as my young relatives. I say send them to those you choose. I even love pics of grown kids who seem to have amazing adventures and pictures. I don't do FB, so sometimes it's the only way I see what they are up to.

We don't have kids so can't speak from my experience sending but as a receiver I get lots of Christmas cards with family photos that include kids that are out of the home. I like getting the cards with photos as I don't see these people's kids and it's fun to see how they are growing up and older. Now I'm getting photos that include the adult kids and the grandkids. I get a few e-cards with photos and I like those too but I do put the snail mail cards up on display and we do actually take a look at them and chat about the families from time to time throughout the holidays.

I do think it's weird if people send photos that are just of their older kids without the rest of the family. I don't get too many like that but when I do I always kind of have the thought that it's time to get a life of your own now that the kids are grown.

I quit social media before the last presidential election so much appreciate people who don't rely on it for communication with me.

I think family group photos are never inappropriate, rather than just pix of the 'kids'.

I like them as well, since most photos these days reside in the digital realm.

To me, it’s not the age of the kids that is the point of sending a picture based greeting, it’s about your family connecting with theirs in some way and pictures are always great for that.

My sister has always sent Christmas photo cards that are a small collage that kind of represents what they’ve been up to through the year, ie graduations, vacations, a new dog..... over the years, they’re the only cards I’ve actually kept.

I aways send picture cards, with a picture of my husband and me, a picture of my son and family and a picture of my daughter and her family. I like to get cards where the whole family is pictured so I can see how everyone has grown and changed.

I like getting photos in cards. Not so much the photo cards. Maybe because they often are of people dressed up in holiday themed clothing posing for the camera. My husband's family is spread out all over the country (neither he nor I are connected to them via social media) so it's nice to get the pics of kids, grandkids (and the parents!) once a year. Even adult kids (although those with children generally send their own pics).

I love getting cards ... especially those with photos. Age doesn't matter.

Btw, I keep those photos in a special folder in my Christmas decoration boxes. Every year I enjoy looking back at previous years.

THat's GREAT Cindy! Love it!

Oh, Cindymac, if I just had 3 katz ;)

Photo cards are fine of anyone at any age, but I do wish people would write something and sign them.

I've cut my list to approx 30 the last few years, and do receive several picture cards that we look forward to and enjoy. They range from as mature as high school and college age to young adults and continue on to include adult children with families of their own - 3 generations. + pets ;0). Photos taken as a group at some point during the year, or, I've received cards with more than one picture included. Truthfully, I appreciate the effort and have sent New Year's cards stating that when someone has shown me a special event or birth I would have missed. I say - do what you enjoy, chances are people will be appreciative.

My immediate family never sent photo cards, so no idea when the cut off. I do have a couple of childless friends who sometimes send photos of their fur babies...

One cousin always does send photos of his four children along with a typed few paragraphs of milestones. I like getting those.

I like sending cards, I currently send out about 30 or so each year. I like displaying the ones I get as part of the seasonal decor. I'm sad that this is a dying tradition.

Never to photos and never to the "we've had a fabulous year this year and everything was great and nothing went wrong" letter.

90% of the cards I get are from on line photo card sites. Pictures are a thing at any age.

Cindy that's great!

I enjoy photos so the more the merrier. I got rid of my fb account over a decade ago so I'm not always seeing updated photos online. I prefer cards in the mail because I like to display them. I store them away with the Christmas cards (I keep actual cards on hand just in case.) and it's nice to look through them yearly.

I do think it's weird if people send photos that are just of their older kids without the rest of the family. I don't get too many like that but when I do I always kind of have the thought that it's time to get a life of your own now that the kids are grown.

3Kats - It honestly just might just be that the parents don't like seeing themselves in photos anymore. I'm really picky and sometimes we end up with a great family photo and other times I send of just the kids.

The time to stop is when the kids refuse to have their photo taken with you.

I love receiving photo cards and update letters. A fun way to keep up.

For the past 26 or 27 years we've included a photo in the Xmas card or sent photo cards of our entire family gathered together either on our annual family vacation or the family portrait taken at our kids' weddings. The family has grown from eight to 21, with Number 22 due in November.

Thank you so much for all your help thinking this through. I think we will go ahead and send a group photo, parents included ;-)

We are not on any public facing social media. The boys are on some social media, but that is strictly with their own friends, none of our friends and family, aside from a small amount of overlap.

Cindy, Awww, that is a great card. Your DH was a great sport and your kitties are adorable. I am amazed they wore the hats instead of playing with them.

blfenton, I grew up in a family where sending a picture was considered pretentious (I am 50, so this was long ago.) Sending out a family picture at Christmas was the province of the Royal Family. As for the bragging letter, it's funny, I love receiving those, honestly do, no snark at all. I would never send one out though.

I guess I am the oddball but I always feel terribly uncomfortable when I receive photo cards from anyone other than family. I don't display them and I don't know what to DO with them. I don't want to store them-- and I don't have the heart to throw them out. I know there is an expense involved so that only adds to the guilt.

If I don't see you and your kids regularly, I don't really need a photo record-- and if I do, I don't really need a photo record. Again, the exclusion here for me is family and my bff who is like a sister and her kids are like nephews.

I put the bragging letter in the same category-- but I receive only a few of those and they are from people who approach a visit in the same way they approach the letters. I celebrate accomplishments for family and friends enthusiastically-- but being presented with a list at the end of the year comes across as "look at us! .. tell me how awesome we are". I find it uncomfortable, if not distasteful.

It costs as little as 9 cents to print a photo at WalMart, so you can toss those pics without too much guilt.

My friends stop the year after their children graduate from college (undergrad). I'm horrible, I send out cards once a decade. It's a running joke with my friends. I might just shock them and send some out this year.

This conversation is very interesting to me. I'm surprised that people receive only Christmas brag letters and don't enjoy photos. The ones we receive include births, deaths, weddings, graduations, new jobs, divorces, illnesses and updates on everything. I love receiving them. We exchange Christmas cards with people we are interested in, who, I assume, are interested in us, people like cousins we seldom see, a few friends from years ago who have moved away, former neighbors who knew the kids when they were young, current friends. I don't write one letter to everyone, but I do handwrite a personal sentence or two on every card. We send fewer than 40 cards a year.

I love the photo cards, too. It's all good!

Edited to change fewer than 40 cards to 32 cards last year.

I send a photo card every year, but I don’t “pose” my kids for a card — I almost always use a pic from that year’s family summer vacation. This topic is making me realize we didn’t take a family vacation this year so I don’t have any! And now #2 DS is living far away so unless I force them to take a pic over Thanksgiving, I won’t have any pics from this year of all 3 kids together! Waah.

Maybe I’ll just do a card with the dogs this year.

I love photo cards and I LOVE the update letters! I have one friend who was an English major in college and basically freaking hilarious. Her letters make you literally laugh out loud. I display the photo cards on a big French ribbon board...it becomes decor during Christmas. Sadly, now all of the children of our friends (and our own, lol) are teenagers and no longer wearing precious smocked clothing and expressions of joy and wonder, lol! But...still love seeing all of them. :) Now our oldest is in college so I’ll probably use a family pic from our Costa Rica trip or maybe take one at Parents Weekend in a few weeks.

I stopped the picture card when our children reached middle school, but sent cards for many years after that. If your family allows it and you want to send a family picture card I think it is fine. I still receive them from friends with high school/college-age children, but like SueB's they are usually an action picture, around a family vacation. Sue, if you can't get a family picture at Thanksgiving then by all means, that pic of your handsome dogs would make a lovely Christmas card (the rug is a beautiful backdrop!!)

Cindy, that is the best!

One year I put reindeer ears on the cats and took their pics, which I framed to give our daughter. I thought she'd be delighted. Instead, she took one look at the expressions on their faces (they were not digging it) and said it made her feel bad. Sigh.

Bunny, so funny. I realized years later, after dressing my golden retriever up for Halloween to take a photo every year,, and really looking at her face, i think she really didn't enjoy it.

For all of my life I have loved sending/receiving beautiful Christmas cards. I so enjoy looking at them. I have never sent a photo card, but I have included real pics inside the card ( only to close friends and family). I have to say that all of the photo cards have taken away the " fun" of receiving real cards.

We receive the photo cards showing kids of all ages, lots of pets, vacation pics, etc. But, I have to say that I think it is weird when someone sends a pic of a middle age husband/wife. I cannot imagine why anyone other than close family would want a picture of DH and me!

I don't send any cards any more, but I still get a few. We get a holiday card from friends who have one son. They are very proud of him and their holiday cards have always consisted on a photocard of him (not the parents - just him). The year he was posed in front of his car (I suppose his first car because it appeared to be a typical teenage-boy-type-car) I thought they had exceeded the limit. So when we continued to get cards that featured him for 4 or 5 more years, I thought it was way overdone. He was an adult, for heaven's sake. Old enough to be sending his own cards.

I kind-of display the cards I receive. On December 26, I toss them all.

Grapefruit1_ar - I agree with you. I love seeing all the artwork on the different Christmas cards - the real cards. I get a couple of photo cards and that's fine but I'd be disappointed with more of those and less real cards.

Wow, that’s so funny, Pattylynn! I’m in my late forties, and none of the people in my age group (on my Christmas list) and younger EVER send non-photo Christmas cards! Maybe it is regional? The only people who send the traditional folded Christmas card w/design to us are in my parents generation, and even some of mom’s friends send cute photo cards of their grands. I actually am the opposite of you...I don’t like the generic “regular” cards, lol. :)

Hmm, I kind of agree that photo cards are not as pretty as traditional cards. They look discordant in a garland. I think I am going to start sending really pretty traditional cards ... there are so many ... and throw in a photo in some cases.

Just wastin' time lookin at what Etsy has. Some great ones!

oh had to add these

I totally agree with Mtn. about the traditional cards. That is part of how I came to this question in the first place. I was buying some new correspondence cards and browsing the Christmas card collections at various US and UK stationers and well, there are such pretty ones out there. Here are a few I found attractive. Interestingly, neither the US or the UK store would allow me to grab their images.

https://www.iprintery.com/detail.html?sortNumber=2&gallery=Christmas%20-%20Non-Photo%20Cards&skipno=0&folio=Galleries

http://www.grosvenorstationerycompany.com/boxed-stationery/christmas-stationery-2/

I used to send "made" cards to a few of my good friends who traveled. Back when my boys were little we didn't have the funds for extravagant family trips. So, as a joke I would draw their previous family travel photo out on a card with my family drawn in instead and send it with a funny note. Same background of far off land, different family. That was a hoot. Other less close friends would get a generic card with a real photo of the kids. Over the years I'm lucky to send three. Facebook has made me lazy.

We LOVE holiday cards! Every year we send out a card and a newsletter to over 100 people. We have a lot of friends that we like to stay in touch with! Our newsletter is more about the places we went that year than a "bragging letter"--or at least I hope so. Yes please keep on sending those photo cards, real cards, and holiday newsletters. We enjoy them all!

OT, but stationery related from the NYT:

We Could All Use a Little Snail Mail Now

What do Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson, George H.W. Bush, Taylor Swift, all have in common?

Besides fame and success, what do all of these people have in common?

Something surprisingly unglamorous and gloriously analog: a love of physical cards and letters. Of notes that need a lick and a stamp instead of a click and a swoosh.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/08/smarter-living/we-could-all-use-a-little-snail-mail-right-now.html?fallback=0&recId=1BLKsv0Xc3wRhYNhXYY3xG1Laxa&locked=0&geoContinent=NA&geoRegion=FL&recAlloc=control&geoCountry=US&blockId=home-living-vi&imp_id=557983673&action=click&module=Smarter%20Living&pgtype=Homepage