How to Make a “Year in Review” Christmas Card – Free Download

November 30, 2018 by Melissa

Making these “Year in Review” cards has become a yearly tradition for us! It’s a fun way to look back on the year and to also share what we’ve been up to with our friends and family. I’ll admit that they take a little bit of time to put together, both in coming up with what to put in them and designing the actual card, but it’s also a lot of fun, too! Here are a couple of my family’s cards from previous years.

Here are the steps I take when putting one of these together:

Have family photos taken so that you have a good photo for your card.
Think about the highlights from the year. Reflect back on what has made this year special. Here are a few questions to get you thinking:
- Did you travel anywhere special (eg. vacations, road trips or camping trips)?
- Any special birthdays (eg. the big 30 or a first bday)?
- Did you have any promotions at work or accomplishments in school?
- Were there any births or additions to your family?
- Anything unique happen to you or your family this year?
- Any big purchases or moves?
- Did you have a big anniversary this year?
- Did you learn something new this year (eg. skiing)
Create/buy your card and add all your highlights. Standard flat cards are 5×7. I like to put all my highlights on one side and put one nice group photo on the other side. If you are not into designing your own, here are some ideas for where to download/purchase a pre-made card template:
- My free link below
- Etsy
- Creative Market
- Fiverr
Print your card. Places like Sam’s Club offer card printing that includes envelopes. If you want something nicer, Mpix is one of my favorite print shops. Pro tip: I love printing mine on pearlescent paper. It gives it that extra kick of awesomeness.

Free Template

Below is the free template download, as promised. I created and used this template for my “year in review card” a couple of years ago. It’s a .psd, which is used by Adobe Photoshop. If you do not have photoshop, there are other free applications that can open and edit the file, such as GIMP. Remember that the other side of the card can just be your family photo from the year. Hope you like it! Let me know what you think! Good luck and happy creating!