The holiday season is set to round out what has been a crazy or tragic year for many people. With its new designs, Shutterfly is aiming to put joy back into the holidays.
"We have certainly said all along that this is a year unlike any other," said Jim Hilt, president of the online printing company. "We know that families are really looking to stay more connected than ever before."
According to a Shutterfly survey conducted in partnership with Ipsos, 56 percent of Americans believe there will be fewer in-personal holiday celebrations this year compared to last year.
The survey also showed 62 percent are planning to send cards this year, which Hilt said is significantly up from previous years.
Some of the card examples provided by Shutterfly include slogans such as "Good Riddance 2020," "happy 2021 (finally)," and "our real life looks nothing like this" next to a staged family photo.
"We know that families are going to show up in fundamentally exciting ways," Hilt said. "They're going to use all sorts of crazy photos because frankly it's been kind of a crazy year."
Millennials are particularly embracing the idea of the holiday card. The survey showed 17 percent of respondents are planning to send cards for the first time, but that number jumps to nearly 40 percent when just looking at millennials.
"When you step back and think about what a holiday card is, it isn't just a card," Hilt said. "It's a reflection about life and how your year went. And it's also a way for you to actually share love, and it's effectively kind of a gift. So when people aren't able to get out and about, aren't able to travel as much, aren't going to spend as much time with the people that they would normally see over the holidays, the holiday card is a great way for them to stay connected."
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